I would not recommend slaving an axis using the method of taking an additional axis from the USB interface. Instead, wire both drivers to a single axis on the USB interface. This will insure perfect signal output to both drivers. If you requre the motors to spin in opposite directions, simply wire one of the motors to the driver reversing the coil A and B connections, or use a hex inverter (https://www.buildyourcnc.com/tutorials/Tutorial-Two-Motors-Spinning-Oppositely-On-Single-Axis).

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I purchased a USB Breakout board, motors and drivers, paid for CNC USB Controller Software and I CAN NOT "Slave" an axis, but there is an option to do that. The moment I connect USB Breakout Board "Slave" option becomes shaded and I can no longer select it (becomes not functional). What is going on? Need help asap. Thanks

Did you connect the USB connector to the breakout board?

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YES I CONNECTED THE USB TO THE BREAKOUT BOARD

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I connected the electronics (for 2 x 4 feet) that I ordered from you. But how do I check if I connected all the wiring properly. There is neither any light on motor drivers nor on breakout board. And the motor shaft also does not move before and after the power supply is given.

The board layout is different and the terminals have slightly different names, but the two boards function the same. The wiring diagram is the same for both boards. The plug-in driver for Mach3 is also the same, so you should not have a problem. If you do run into an issue, please let me know here and I will help you determine the problem.

Thanks

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Thank you for the assurance that the boards will function the same. You did not answer the primary question of wiring. The diagram shows a board with a 5V for each axis, the new boards have only 1 5V point on the axis side. In retrospect since this controller receives information and most possibly the 5V signal directly from the computer leading to the drivers. I will wire the X, Y and Z axis to the single 5V point and see what happens.

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received my mach 3 USB breakout board today. The layout of the board is different from your diagram which shows a 5V power slot for each axis. Do I wire the 5V slot with only one 5V wire from one of the drivers or perhaps wire all three 5V wires into the one 5 V slot. Please advise.

First, see Jack's build: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/JackRehak.aspx

The difference between mounting the electronics in the gantry is that the connection from the computer (signal level) is long. The alternative, where the electronics is near the computer, the motor cables are long (to reach from the drivers to the motors).

Mounting the breakout board, drivers and power supply within the gantry will cause you to have a long signal connection from the computer to the breakout board. That is fine as long as the cable is long enough, possibly shielded, and can carry the signal at long cable lengths. Make sure to have the cable well away from the motor cables as these will cause quite a bit of interference.

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Provided they will fit and I install a ventilation/cooling fan, is there any reason why I should NOT mount the electronics (breakout board, stepper drivers and power supply) inside the gantry box in my BlackToe 2x4?

Your deduction of the power supply at fault is probably correct. When you attempt to power the power supply, check the V+ and V- (COM) with a multimeter on the DC setting. You should measure 36 volts.

If there is no voltage on the V+ and V- (COM) there should be a fuse inside the power supply that you might want to check. Also, while you in there, check the electrolytic capacitors. Electrolytic capacitors have a finite lifespan much shorter than other components and are often the cause of many problems with all electronics.

Please let us know what you find.



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My machine stopped today (after many fun filled hours of operation in the last 3+ years). I suspect the 36V 8.8 amp power supply as there is no power to the stepper motors. Is there a breaker to check, or do I need to get another power supply? Should I assume the stepper motors are OK?

Attaching two motors in parallel is possible, but you will need another motor and driver for the opposite side. Each motor must have its own driver to work accordingly and fluently. The two can be wired together, to the same pins on your breakout board and set the dip switches on the driver to match the ones on your x-axis(ex). But remember to view the orientation of the motor and which way it spins, since it is on the opposite side it will have to be orientated correctly to move in sync with the other motor.

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I just finished building my first CNC with the electronics I purchased from you and I am already thinking about improving it. I would like to build a 2 motor X axis solution. Is it possible to attach 2 parallel motors and drivers to the BlueBrew Breakout Board? If so, how?

Sure, the USB interface has a place for 4 axes of limit switches.

Each axis can have two limit switches: one for the ++ (positive) end and one for the -- (negative) end. The positive end would be the limit switch at the end of the machine that, say the machine has a 4'x8' area, reaches a bit after the 8 foot mark. The negative end would be the limit switch behind the 0 foot location behind the origin. If the origin is in the middle, the negative would be at a little more than the -4 foot end and the positive would be at a bit more than the +4 foot end. Note that you can have more than one switch on each pin where the NC is connected in serial fashion and the NO is connected in parallel fashion (this can be seen on the diagram in the multiple limits switch section). The software configurations for the limits switches are under File -> Settings -> Limit.

A typical limit switch has three connections on it. These connections consist of COM (common), NC (normally closed) and NO (normally open). The COM would generally go to GND and the NC or the NO would go to the pin. If the NC is used, then the the switch is constantly connected until the switch is pushed (engaged) then the connection from the pin to gnd is broken (open). Use the settings in software to set whether in NC or NO configuration.

Let me know if this information was helpful (or not) by adding information to this question. Thanks.

User response:
Thank you very much for this helpful information. I'm still a little fuzzy on how the 6 limit switches physically connect to each other and to the USB breakout board. You've stated one switch (home) goes to positive and another switch (limit) goes to negative. Are all the GND prongs from all 6 switches connected to each other and going to GND on the breakout board, or no? And the NC prongs, how exactly are they connected to each other? And to the board? There has to be a diagram somewhere shows this visually, no? I don't know how to wire the switches in series or in parallel. I have already physically installed all the switches on the machine and ran the wires to where the board is. Now I just need to know where to plug these wires into the board. Also, taking into consideration that I'm using the Planet CNC software, the only settings I have pertaining to limit switches is "Enable/Disable" for each axis, and the actual limit for each axis. Nothing about NC or NO. Is that only in Mach3?
Thank you.

buildyourcnc response:
On the USB interface, the COM on the switch connects to GND and the NC or NO connects to the input pin (i.e. x++, y--, etc.)

Limit switch configuration is rather difficult to understand, especially with series and parallel. You can think of series as a single wire going from GND to the axis letter input terminal (i.e. X++ or X--). If the wire is broken, then the circuit is open (or the switch is engaged in a normally closed scenario). Normally closed is like an actual wire, and when engaged, the switch "opens" (breaks the wire). This is why we recommend in some systems that you can put many switches in series on a single pin. When one of the switches is engaged (breaking the connection) then the entire circuit of switches is broken and the machine stops.

In a parallel scenario, the state of the circuit is always broken until the one of the switches is engaged and the circuit is then closed or connected. The topology looks like a ladder. All the switches connect to both sides of the ladder and the switches are like the runs of the ladder (the horizontal bars that the feet are placed while climbing). Imagine all of the switches broken in this scenario (normally open). It would be like the ladder could be split in two, but if one of the ladder runs (switches) is closed by engaging it, then that run would connect both sides of the ladder and the two sides of the ladder would have a connection.

There is a diagram on the USB page of the various limit switch configurations. If you need more information (visual and/or otherwise), please let us know and we will immediately add that information to benefit everyone.

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I purchased limit switches from you mounted them on my machine and wire them to the breakout for using pin 12 and the ground on the breakout board, after a few minutes I got a message about a limit switch trip. Am I supposed to use the extra outport on the board instead of the ground?

For our parallel breakout board (https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-parallel-breakout-relay#prettyPhoto/2/) the schematic will show the connections going from the BB to the drivers. The parallel breakout board uses the 25 pin parallel connection to communicate from the computer to drivers, and the USB is used to power the main-board itself, supplying 5V.

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I am wiring my breakout board and it has a USB port on it. Is the USB port there to supply the 5 volt power to it?

To connect the parallel port breakout board to the LEDs, use step number 18. The connections are listed at the bottom. Here it is for your convenience.

For the LED connections on the parallel breakout board:

- The x axis LED will be connected to pin #2 and 5V
- The y axis LED will be connected to pin #4 and 5V
- The laser on/off LED is connected to pin #6 and 5V

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I can't find any information in the BlackTooth instructions about how to connect the 8 wires from the LED display to the parallel breakout board. The two going to the pot seem, in the illustration, to be soldered together and to the centre terminal of the pot? Help, please.

The size of the stepper motor is measured in holding torque, generally oz/in. You will determine the torque loads of your axes when selecting steppers. Once you know which stepper you need, the drivers and controller board are simple to pair with them.

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I'm trying to build my CNC router 3m*1.3m, but i'm not sure what is the type of stepper motor i should pay, all my CNC body is Al. I need to bay 4 Stepper motors, 4 drivers, spindle, inverter, and i don't know what is the type of controller ?

We are currently working on a relay board that will connect to USB breakout board, and the router/spindle for both the on/off function. Unfortunately we still do not have it completed or ready to be placed on our website, but it is in the final stages of testing. Please check back regularly for updated stock!

Here is a link to a tutorial for a DIY relay circuit:

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I AM PUTTING TOGETHER THE BLACKFOOT AND USING A PORTER CABLE ROUTER. CONFUSED ON HOW TO RELAY ROUTETR WITH USB BOARD. IS THERE ANOTHER SWITCH THAT GOES BETWEEN BOARD ROUTER SO PLANET CNC CAN TURN PERHAPS VACUUM OFF?

Hi, this BBB comes with a USB port and its cable to power it up. Once connected to the computer a led in the BBB will light up to show it has power.

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Breakout board I have does not have USB port for the 5v power. Does the parallel port supply the 5V power?

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Hi, I need assistance, the parallel breakout board I received looks different from the one on the video, does this one need a 5V supply? If so, where do I connect the positive and where do I connect the ground? Thanks for your help.

https://buildyourcnc.com/Item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-e-stop-button-switch-safety#prettyPhoto/0/

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How do I wire up multiple E-stop to breakout board, does each E-stop need there own pin? If not since there are only 4 screws on stop 2 for no and 2 for nc do you just splice the wires together if your only using 1 pin? Thanks

On "our" VFDs, we advise that the R connect to black (live), T connect to white (neutral) and green to E or earth. We are not professional electricians, so we also recommend that you seek the advice of a professional electrician. Some VFDs are made to work on 3 phase power and this configuration may not work with these VFDs.

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On your diagram it says to connect the power to the VFD in port L1, L2 and PE. On the VFD I have there is no L1 or L2. Which ports do I connect my input power to? There is only a P+, P-, R, S, T, U, V, W, and PE. What do I do?

The Mach3 USB controller requires a minimum of 12V and a maximum of 24V to the DCM and 24V terminals. The DCM is the GND or DC negative terminal, and the 24V terminal is the positive terminal.

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I bought the Mach3 board and am trying to connect it with an AMB 1400 DI router, which has a normal power supply (1400W) as well as a digital interface which has three wires: a brown wire (10-26V, power supply), a white wire (ground) and a green wire (0-10V signal). I'm no electronics guy--how do I connect the digital interface of the AMB to the Mach3 board?

I'm not sure I understand the question. You are looking for spacers or sprockets?

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Nevermind, I found my answer. Thank you

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Since you don't sell the hardware only package for the Blackfoot 4'x8' can you tell me what items I should look for for the chain sprockets, spacers to mount them to the 1/2" rod, and chain? All the other parts I can source from elsewhere

For our parallel breakout board (https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-parallel-breakout-relay#prettyPhoto/2/) the schematic will show the connections going from the BB to the drivers. The parallel breakout board uses the 25 pin parallel connection to communicate from the computer to drivers, and the USB is used to power the main-board itself, supplying 5V.

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The electronics package I just bought from you (Book Build) is different from your wireing diagrams and video tutorials. Is there an updated wiring diagram available? Is the USB port on the breakout board connected directly to the computer USB to supply 5 volts? Thank you.

In all CNC electronics configurations, you will need the motor paired with its own driver.

If two motors/drivers are intended for a single axis and the motors need to turn at the same rate and in the same direction, then the two drivers for these motors should be connected to the same signal wires from the breakout board (step (CP) and direction (CW)) signal wires.

If the motors need to turn in opposite directions, then either one driver will need to have the direction signal inverted, or resolve the opposite direction through a change in the mechanical drive train (i.e. flip the rack on a rack and pinion configuration, or in a roller chain setup, have the chain ride along the opposite side of the drive sprocket).

How do I go about purchasing a redleaf system with 4 drivers, where the (y) and (a) driver are connected to the same signal from the breakout board? I'd also need them to rotate in opposite directions.

The redLeaf webpage contains a purchase option for an extra motor and driver. We can setup the redLeaf system uniquely so it conforms to your application (i.e. motors running in opposite directions).

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I've built a machine where the y axis has (2) 425oz motors, x axis has (1) 425oz. motor, and the z axis also has (1) 425oz motor. Would it be better to purchase a redleaf system with 4 drivers? or can I just connect both y axis motors to the same driver for a total of 3 drivers?

The digital signal portion of the CO2 laser tube power supply has various terminals for signal power, signal gnd, laser intensity and engaging the laser (turning it on or off). The TL and TH are triggers to turn the laser power on or off. These may be labeled L or H on some laser power supplies. You can use either TL/L, or TH/H to control the laser.

If you use the TL or L terminal to control the laser:
If a low signal (gnd) is present at that terminal, the laser will turn on. If a high signal (5v) is present, the laser will turn off.

If you use the TH or H terminal to control the laser:
If a high signal (5v) is present at that terminal, the laser will turn on. If a low signal (gnd) is present, the laser will turn off.

You should first test the control signal from the interface with a multimeter to make sure the laser will be controlled correctly before powering the laser power supply

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On the blacktooth machine wiring diagram for parallel breakout a wire goes from 6 on the BOB to TL on the laser power supply. My power supply has an"H" followed by a "L". Which is correct? I've connected to the "L" but the laser appears always on.