OmioCNC report

[Mmpie]

it's going to be untidy

As a graduated music and sound tech student I take offence at that!!!

I take your point though. It also means buying insulated posts and costs starting to get out of hand. It was a good idea while it lasted.

Any advice on the shielding? Should I link them through the wall or run each half separately?


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[dharmic]

Wait up. I'm seeing a better picture now, I think.

I thought you were talking about putting these wrap terminals on the back of the black box to replace the connectors, but now I'm seeing a picture in my mind where the black box sits in a cabinet, the cables from black box to the machine come out a hole.

In my day job we've done some big equipment installs and we do break out cable into the racks before it goes into the equipment to make chopping and changing easier. Usually we have either a Krone punch-down terminal panel (not suitable for these cables) or a DIN rail containing a bunch of terminal blocks with screw-down clamps onto the cable ends which in turn are ferrule crimped to prevent stray wire strands causing shorts and to stress relieve the cables too.

This approach is more so that, if equipment has to be changed over and the new gear has different pinouts for example, it's easier to swap things around without chopping at the fixed (in the wall) wiring.

But adding that level of patchability is a shedload of work to do reliably and worse than pointless to do in a dodgy fashion, you don't have fixed wiring in your case and it's all pretty local. So I'd still (and I have on my machine) just stick with the extended cables coming directly from the Y chain back in through a hole in the cabinet and into the back of the black box.

KISS!

[Mmpie]

Just to be clear... My machine is in an (as good as) airtight enclosure, the black box is out on the desk. I wanted to get rid of the long wires going straight through the wall as it means doing anything inside the cabinet (1184W x 1000D x 800H mm) is either a ridiculous game of twister around the machine or removing the cable chain and trying to reattach it blind. It's a real pain in the arse as I found out again today when I noticed some of my soundproofing was coming unstuck at the back. That's why I want to put connectors in the wall of the cabinet so that removing the machine becomes a simple 30 second task.



There's a pic so you can visualise. Currently all the cables run through a hole in the floor into the lower half and then straight out a big hole in the wall which were both plugged up with silicone, which was a real bastard to do without creating a giant sloppy mess.


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[dharmic]

Ah, so you want to put bulkhead connectors inside the work enclosure and short leads to the machine?

Consider this, with your wire wrap connectors: what happens when a bit of swarf shorts out the spindle terminals?

I would definitely go plugs and bulkhead sockets in this case, preferably ones with o-rings in case you have coolant splashing around at some point.

[Mmpie]

I considered it, hence the mention of insulation a couple of posts back. Then it starts getting expensive.

It seemed such a good idea at first.


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[dharmic]

The other thing to consider is convenience.

Imagine having to unwrap every wire (and keep track of which goes where), re-trim and strip half of them when the ends snap, then put them all back on - every time you want to do anything in the cabinet? It would probably be quicker to remove the cable chains

So a little pain up front, make a plate and fit bulkhead connectors, make sure you leave room on the plate for extra connectors later (eg you want a touch probe, or whatever), do all the soldering then it's easy on and off. Which you'll appreciate every time you want to work in the enclosure!

[RCaffin]

All connections onto PCBs are via miniature screw terminals.
All connections to the geckos are via their own screw terminals.
All connections between the 'outside world' and the control box are via 9-pin (gold plated) D connectors - with clamp screws.
Signals on the Ds are single pin, but DC servo power goes out via 4 pins each side, with the middle pin (3) being grounded.
ALL cables are numbered and entered into a spreadsheet, with wire colour and pin numbers specified.

Yes, it took a lot of work to set up. Yes, it means I have to keep the doco up to date.
No, I would not change ANY of it.

Cheers

[dharmic]

All connections onto PCBs are via miniature screw terminals.
All connections to the geckos are via their own screw terminals.
All connections between the 'outside world' and the control box are via 9-pin (gold plated) D connectors - with clamp screws.
Signals on the Ds are single pin, but DC servo power goes out via 4 pins each side, with the middle pin (3) being grounded.
ALL cables are numbered and entered into a spreadsheet, with wire colour and pin numbers specified.

Yes, it took a lot of work to set up. Yes, it means I have to keep the doco up to date.
No, I would not change ANY of it.

Cheers

I loathe D connectors and would go the circular ones but otherwise it looks nice!

[A_Camera]

I needed to pull some wires out of my cabinet today so decided whilst I'd broken the seals I would reroute the spindle, motor and home switch wires and put in a connector block on the side of the cabinet instead of running extra long cables through the wall as I currently do. My original idea was to use the same gx16 connectors which are on the back of the black box but I'm having second thoughts as I can't bear the thought of all that soldering!

I've been wondering about using some binding post blocks (pictured below) and wanted the opinion of you electric gurus for their viability. They will take up a lot more space than the gx16 connectors but they'll be really quick and easy to set up. And what would you do about the cable shielding as it would essentially turn into two cables, would you link the shields together through the wall or would it be ok to send the shielding from inside the cabinet to a different ground on a separate circuit?

Or any other suggestions?




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Why don't you go for aviation plugs 20mm 4 Pins GX20-4 instead of speaker wire connections? Easy to install and easy to unplug if necessary, yet they give high quality connections.



They are also cheap. I use those whenever I need good and safe connections.

[Mmpie]

Why don't you go for aviation plugs 20mm 4 Pins GX20-4 instead of speaker wire connections? Easy to install and easy to unplug if necessary, yet they give high quality connections.



They are also cheap. I use those whenever I need good and safe connections.

Does the extra size in the 20mm plugs make them a lot easier to solder up? I might just go with those, although using 16mm plugs would make each half a separate usable cable should I ever feel the need.


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[A_Camera]

Does the extra size in the 20mm plugs make them a lot easier to solder up? I might just go with those, although using 16mm plugs would make each half a separate usable cable should I ever feel the need.


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I haven't used smaller than these 200mm, so I can't answer the question. The 20mm plugs are easy to handle, can cope with the currents and is securely held by the large screw. They come in different pole numbers, from 2 to 6 (maybe even more. I use 6 and 4 poles. Never used any 16mm only happened to pick the wrong image from eBay but I guess if your cables are not that large then even 16mm is OK.

[JoeBotics]

Hey guys!!

I am a proud owner of a new X8-2200-USB.. I am a total CNC newbie and I have a couple questions..

What kind of coolant do you use?.. if you use water + rust inhibitor.. which rust inhibitor do you add to the water and how much do you add per gallon or liter? .. where can I get your recommended coolant or rust inhibitor in the USA?

Where can I get cheap and also quality bits?.. as a newbie I am certain I am going to break bits. so I would like to initially get cheap-o bits... but I also want to know where to get quality ones.. and brand preference you have?..

I am very happy with my OmioCNC.. I entertained the idea of building my own CNC Table .. but after running some numbers, I cannot see how to build a comparable X8-2200-USB for less than what I paid for mine... :-)

Thanks guys!! .. Joe from San Francisco Bay Area,California, USA

[Mmpie]

Joe, I used 20L of deionised water and 5L of antifreeze. Just make sure it doesn't have silicate inhibitors. Tap water is also fine to use.

As for bits I just got loads of el cheapo 99p Chinese cutters off eBay (I'm in the U.K.) and they've been fine for all the dicking about I've been doing with wood, foam and plastic. Don't go overboard though, I bought crap loads expecting to break tools left, right and centre, but I've only ever broken one which I did jogging the machine without looking and caught it on a clamp. To start with I would say a 12mm for facing and 'roughing' large amounts of soft material, then some 6mm and 3mm bits will probably be plenty to keep you going with whilst you dip your toes.

I've just started stocking up on a load of 'quality' branded mostly carbide cutters and drills (as well as new taps and collets whilst I was at it) and don't dare look at my credit card statement...


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[JoeBotics]

Thanks for the reply message Mmpie.. :-)

I see you use a 4:1 mix ratio of water / antifreeze .. is that Antifreeze the one used in car coolant systems?

I will look for cheap bits on Ebay.. thanks!!

Joe, I used 20L of deionised water and 5L of antifreeze. Just make sure it doesn't have silicate inhibitors. Tap water is also fine to use.

As for bits I just got loads of el cheapo 99p Chinese cutters off eBay (I'm in the U.K.) and they've been fine for all the dicking about I've been doing with wood, foam and plastic. Don't go overboard though, I bought crap loads expecting to break tools left, right and centre, but I've only ever broken one which I did jogging the machine without looking and caught it on a clamp. To start with I would say a 12mm for facing and 'roughing' large amounts of soft material, then some 6mm and 3mm bits will probably be plenty to keep you going with whilst you dip your toes.

I've just started stocking up on a load of 'quality' branded mostly carbide cutters and drills (as well as new taps and collets whilst I was at it) and don't dare look at my credit card statement...


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[Mmpie]

Thanks for the reply message Mmpie.. :-)

I see you use a 4:1 mix ratio of water / antifreeze .. is that Antifreeze the one used in car coolant systems?

I will look for cheap bits on Ebay.. thanks!!

Yes just normal cheap car antifreeze. I just used plain tap water for awhile as I planned on setting up a PC closed loop system, and never had any problems with temperature. The water started going rancid though so I just bought a better bucket and some antifreeze and distilled water. No need for anything more extravagant unless you really are limited for space.


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[RCaffin]

I use pulsed mist + air blast. 3 parts kero to 1 part cheap olive oil. ESSENTIAL to keep the cutter wet when carving bending-quality aluminium.
(And I don't believe Lowes would have any 6000-series aluminium anyhow.)

Cheers
Roger

[dharmic]

@RCaffin, talking about spindle coolant rather than work lube/coolant.

@JoeBotics - I use what you'd put in an car radiator, make sure it's ok for aluminium radiators and engines (some coolants aren't). Throw it and the pump (and return pipe) into a 10l bin under the machine's stand and put a cover over the bin to keep light out. Pretty good at keeping algae down. If you clip the return hose to the top of the bin so the outlet's above the waterline, you even get a handy dandy audible confirmation that the coolant's running, ie the coolant hoses haven't kinked over and blocked flow.

[RCaffin]

talking about spindle coolant rather than work lube/coolant.
OK, I'm stupid.

Cheers
Roger

[Mmpie]

Is there anything a bit less explosive to use than kero? Right now I don't have my mist set up to run with the program never mind pulse, I just have it manually operated by a flick switch, and I'm a tad uneasy about filling my little enclosure up with a flammable fog...


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[zeeflyboy]

Mmpie - I use koolmist #77, tis great.

Hard to get in uk though, never found a UK supplier. I ordered a big 1 gallon jug off ebay and shipping is as much as the coolant itself but should last ages (gets mixed between 20:1 and 32:1). Was considering ordering a few since they combine shipping and then selling the others on ebay uk but in the end just bought the one. Could be an option to help offset the shipping costs though.

cheapest I could find anywhere when including shipping to uk:

KOOL MIST 1 GALLON #77 CONCENTRATED COOLANT FOR KOOL MIST SYSTEM USA | eBay