Stepper motors are known to make noises while function, however this does not affect accuracy or job function. However we recommend to check your wiring for solid connections, and for good connectivity!



On a personal note, here is one cool video dealing with making songs with stepper motors!

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I bought and built the Blacktooth laser cutter. It works, but one of the stepper motors makes a loud static hiss a second after the CNC power supply is turned on or off, and makes loud tweets and twirps when running. It seems to operate fine otherwise. I was wondering if it was "going bad" or if that is normal?

All parts are shipped from the Tampa Florida area. The time it would take parts to ship to Ontario can vary depending on the size of the parcel and the time it takes customs to clear the shipment. Sometimes it is very quick and other times it can take a very long time, unfortunately. If the parts are purchased and you contact me directly at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com, I can determine in more detail what service would be the most efficient for the item being purchased.

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I live in Ontario, Canada and was wondering what the delivery time might be to my area? Also where do the parts get shipped from?

The direction wire for that axis is not securely connected. Remove that wire from both terminal ends and reconnect more securely. You may need to completely change the wire just in case there is damage to the wire between the ends.

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'Z' axis, I push the down button the unit goes up, when I push the up button it also goes up. It's been doing this off and on for awhile

If you are using shielded wire between the motor and driver, the shielded portion (the reflective jacket within the insulated portion of the wire) and any spare wires, or stranded wire should all be grounded and be inserted into the GND terminal on the driver.

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When using shielded wire from driver to stepper motor, where should I connect the shielding? Should it be ground on transformer or something/somewhere else?

You should use the linuxcnc.org site and click on the download menu item. They have an EU mirror as the main download option.

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AM STRUGGLING TO DOWNLOAD THE LINUX EMC2 FREEWARE. MY GET INTERRUPTED AT LAST MINUTE. IS THERE ANOTHER WAY OR PLACE WHERE COULD MAYBE TRY IT FROM?

We only have these models in SketchUp. Is that a format that will be acceptable?

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Anything with basic profile dimensions will work just fine.

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Would you be able to supply solidworks files for the laser nozzle, mirror mounts, & laser tube? I plan to build a laser engraver and would like to model everything up before i start building to make sure it all fits.

Currently our greenBull can only accommodate a 40W laser tube due to the size and current mounts on the spindle/laser hybrid assembly!

However please contact 281-815-7701 for further assistance with the greenBull machine.

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I am interested in the GreenBull 4x8 CNC machine kit you have; I also wish to get the laser attachment but I was wondering if its possible to have the laser larger than a 40w, say in the 80-150w range?

100W and 130W lasers and power supplies can be equipped now, but we will have to special order them. Price point for the 100W will be estimated $150-$200 more than the 80W, and 130W $250-$300 more.

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When will 100W or 130W lasers be available for the vertical laser system? What will be the price point? Ballpark figures at least, please.

A CO2 laser will not be suitable for cutting steel. You would likely need a very powerful fiber laser to cut steel, and even then you have to take into consideration the reflective properties of steel which can pose danger to the machine.

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Trying to cut 24, and 26 G steel sheets in various shapes. Will CO2 laser be enough? And will it cause alot of heat in the product?

BYCNC Response:
The book build was intended to be 20 inches x 40 inches. Larger machines were designed after the book build was introduced so customers would have the option to go bigger than what the book offered. Check out our larger machines on the website as the machines sizes range from 1 foot x 3 feet all the way up to 6 feet x 12+ feet.

User Response:
I'm not wanting to spend $3,000+ on a machine, I want to build one that will do a 4x8 sheet of wood. Will the plans in the book scale up?

BYCNC Response:
It is possible to scale the book build up, but the rigidity of the gantry would be questionable at that span, even if the height of the gantry structure were to be increased. The gantry design would need to be modified to become a box shape rather than a flat configuration. The kits on the site were design for those wanting a larger machine.

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I BOUGHT YOUR BOOK AND WAS HOPEING IT HAD PLANS OR DIMENTIONS ON HOW TO BUILD A CNC HOLD 4X8 SHEET OF PLY. WILL THE IN SCALE UP?

When the z axis is going down, the laser turns on. When the z axis is going up, it turns off. The z axis directions is only a signal that is either 5v or 0v. That determines the direction. In vectric, you will need to set your machining operations with a very very small depth so the time it takes to get to its final depth is a very short time.

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AM NOT SURE HOW TO SET THE Z AXIS TURN ON/OFF LASER WHEN CREATE CODE. KNOW THAT ITS TYPICALLY Z-AXIS MOVEMENT DOES THIS - BUT YOU DONT SHOW ANYTHING HOOKED UP IN PLACE OF AXIS.

When we receive an email pertaining to shipped product issues, they are forwarded to our shipping department. If you do not receive a response, for any reason, please contact us again by email, and/or give us a call at 281-815-7701

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Hi, I received a laser tube last week, and it was brokken in the packet. I tried to write to customer service but no answer so far. How do you handle this? The packet was not dammaged in any way. I was only able to see it was broken when it was complete unpacked.

Since you mentioned there is a nasty smell, I'm wondering if there might have been a issue with the power supply. Can you email us your name for the order and specific voltage you are using for the redFly? at techsupport@buildyourcnc.com. Also I want to mention if you have the USB cord plugged in to the redFly if it has the parallel interface board?

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When I first hooked up my redFly and was manually testing all the axes, everything was going well, then my Y axis stopped working all together, and now my X and Z have stopped also and my redFly has a nasty smell coming from it and none of the stepper motors seem to be getting power.

I don't see anything in the datasheet for the relay that indicates an overheat condition. While the relay is engaged, the power consumption is 400 mW and I don't believe this is enough to raise the temperature faster than the heat dissipation from the metal on the leads through convection or radiation outside of the rated temperature working ranges providing that you maintain an ambient temperature range within -40°C to 85°C (with no icing or condensation).

http://www.omron.com/ecb/products/pdf/en-g2rl.pdf

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IS IT OK TO LEAVE THE VACUUM PRESSURE CONTROLLER PLUGGED IN ALL TIME WHEN PUMP SWITCHED OFF?

We have the image at that size to encourage the purchase of the kit from us. This helps to keep buildyourcnc alive and allows us to fund development of other awesome low cost machines.

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could you make available a larger size picture of the exploded view of the BlackTooth laser cutter? I would like to use for reference when building my laser cutter, but it is too small to be really useful.

The closed-loop function of motors and drivers (either servo or stepper) is confined between the motor and the driver. If the motor did not achieve the number of encoder pulses, the driver will attempt to spin the motor until the commanded pulses are achieved. Drivers for servos and steppers for CNC machines have an alarm terminal to inform the pokeys57cnc in case of a condition that the driver is not able to achieve the commanded pulses over a specified time.

If you wish to turn a motor by hand for each axis, you can use an MPG (manual pulse generator) for each axis which will update the position of the axis. You can implement this on a pokeys57CNC controller.

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[596] With servomotor encoders connected to Pokey57, will Mach4 DRO update when motors are turned manually?

Are you using the control panel (front panel with the speed control knob known as he potentiometer)? Or are you attempting to use the computer to control the speed?

Additional Information:
I am using the control panel, however there is no knob on mine, just buttons.

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Hello, I bought your 110v 2.2kw spindle and vfd. When I turn it on it reaches the full 24000 rpm, but will not let me decrease the speed. How Can I fix this?

First, you should check the configuration in your CNC control software and determine if the spindle control pin is correctly set. That pin will engage the relay.

The P and O position of the relay is set as Normally Open where the relay is open (open circuit, or no connection) at idle and when engaged will be closed (closed circuit, or connected). If you suspect that the relay is damaged, the recommended action would be to disconnect the spindle from the relay and operate the spindle/VFD manually using the Run and Stop buttons on the face of the VFD (until the breakout board can be replaced).

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The spindle has started on my Machine while the machine was sitting idol, I'm not sure if the relay has failed on the breakout board. Is there a way to test this?

Is there a test button on the laser tube power supply? You can test the laser output by using the test button. This will help you determine if the laser tube is bad, or if you have wiring issues. Sometimes, wiring to he TL may not work as some controllers are set to active low, so you may need to wire the controller to TH instead.

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Additionally, the mA on the high tension line does not have any relationship to the digital trigger signal from the controller to the power supply.

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Using the AWC708, my laser will not fire. The wiring seems correct