Titivating A CNC Plasma Table

The Craftmans Shop > New from Old

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awemawson:
This morning I bored out the right hand base plate for the electrical enclosure to take the four 20 mm flexible conduits that take the motor and limit switch cables, and also holes for the two connectors that interface to the Hypertherm plasma cutter. While I was at it I put an extra 20 mm entry, blocked by a blind grommet, as a just in case provision as it's much easier to do it at this stage than later.

Then I mounted the base plate, attached the flexible conduits and was then able to dress them to their final position with tywraps. The tidying up of the wiring continued by applying 'spiral wrap' to the cable bundles to keep them neat and out of danger.

Finally I temporarily lashed up the motor drive cables to the AM882 driver modules to prove I'd not accidentally interposed wires somewhere - glad to say it all worked as it should :ddb:

Initially I didn't bother with the limit switches (he'd only wired in three) - interestingly MACH3 wouldn't 'go to X0 Y0' which is a software point not a home position and currently is miles away from the limit switches. Then I realised that as they are normally closed, but not wired, MACH3 was seeing the table as on limits. Quickly lashing the three switches in and it homed to X=0 Y=0 just as it should. :ddb:

awemawson:
So to finish the cabinet / electrical enclosure I made up the left hand base panel - rectangular holes for clip in IEC plugs and sockets - I don't like cutting rectangular holes :bugeye:

Anyway, a bit of chain drilling and hand filing and an acceptable result - that's one IEC inlet socket, linked to three outputs (PC, PC Monitor, and a spare) and one separate IEC outlet socket which will be relay controlled for the extraction fan.

Round socket is a 'feed through' CAT5E which is the only connection from the PC to this control. I like ROUND holes :ddb:

awemawson:
Today's task: strip out all the modules from the original controller, and physically mount them on the cabinet back panel.

Rather than use nuts and bolts, as I want all modules to be removable from the front, I've drilled and tapped the cabinet panel with about 10 million M4 and M3 holes :bugeye:

Took forever but if a module fails it'd be a pain to have to remove the entire panel to get it out, and the panel is 2 mm which is as thick as an M4 nut anyway.

Not started the wiring yet as that needs a fresh mind probably tomorrow, but I did do a trial fit - took a bit of jiggling, but it did go in nicely - be almost impossible without those handles.

The majority of the wiring will be done on the bench, with just final connection of inputs and output actually fixed in the cabinet.

Homebrewer:
Looking great so far!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

awemawson:
Thanks Libby :thumbup:

I spent an anti-social day today locked away in the workshop doing an intense wiring session - very productive :ddb:

A/ I've completed the AC mains wiring distribution

B/ I've completed the DC power supply wiring and distribution

C/ I've completed the wiring for the four AM882 motor drivers, from the ports on the BOB to the AM882 and onwards from the motor driver outputs to the X, X-slave, Y, and Z DIN terminals

(I've yet to decide how to lash the cables down that feed the AM882's - they look a mess as they are. A possible solution is to use 'sticky pad Tywrap saddles', but they tend to come unstuck over time. I may have some with provision for a screw.)

D/ I've cut the capping for the trunking

E/ I've added a further six DIN terminals for the Torch Height Controller (which I'd forgotten :bugeye: )

F/ I've added the 12v DC driven contactor for the fan as it was delivered this afternoon

All in all a very productive day.

The DC power leads to the torch height controller originally passed through a ferrite ring - presumably to cut down on noise coming from the plasma arc. Not sure if it's needed, but I've incorporated it and hidden it inside the trunking !

Yet to complete:

A/ The Limit switch input wiring

B/ The Torch height wiring

C/ The Fan relay wiring

D/ The CAT5E ethernet cables to the interface and the torch height controller - they just plug in but I'll probably need to make custom lengths.

(Then of course there will be another big session fitting it in the cabinet and making off all the input and output cables )

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