Yes, we can make a redLeaf system that has all 6A drivers for use with the 651 oz-in motors. We can also wire the electronics in a way that two of the drivers will use the pins of the same axis so that axis will drive two drivers and motors.

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I am building a machine that requires 2 steppers to drive the Y axis, can you make me a redleaf system using the 651oz steppers that will work for me?

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?

Since you are using a ball screw which has a very low coefficient of friction to move your heavy gantry, you will have no problem at all using the 651 oz-in motors, and you are not going against gravity, so if you use screw jack formulas that use the low of the machine, you will not need to use weight which is (mass x gravity 9.8 m/s/s). Instead, it will be more susceptible to the inertia of the gantry and if you have any problems, you can compensate by lowering the acceleration.

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Excellent, thank you for your help.

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How do I go about ordering the redleaf system you have discussed? IS there any lead time? Thanks
again

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My machine gantry weighs about 250lbs, I am going to be using 2 steppers to move it. I am using 2510 ball screw and the steppers will be direct drive, will a pair of 651oz steppers be enough? I will be mostly working with aluminum so my feed rates will be low I just want to make sure I dont loose steps due to not having enough power.

Consider the loads on each axis when choosing appropriate stepper motors. If your holding torque is maxed out at roughly 16oz/in (1lb/in), then you could use the NEMA 11 or 14. Also consider the shaft sizes and current ratings when choosing drivers that pair with the motors.

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I am planning to build a scratch CNC machine to do rotary engraving on writing pens. Can you recommend the parts I would need? I'm thinking NEMA 14 (11?) and 3/8" acme rod. Not sure which linear motion to use. I have an old lathe to use for the 4th axis.

No, the 3.1 version will not support slaving the X axis. You will either need to wire the two x axis driver to the same X signal pins, or use the DDCS v4.1 which does support slaving an axis.

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[823] I plan to use a DDCS stand alone controller for a CNC router build which will have two stepper motors on the x axis, one on Y and one on Z. Will the 3.1 version handle two motors synched on the X axis or will I need the 4.1 version?

it is possible to install 2 motors on a single axis but you will require another driver and motor, but wire it directly to the same pins on your breakout board. Also the orientation of your motor since it is opposite side of the original so getting it to move accordingly to the original motor it will need to be orientated correctly. The slight shift could be the cause of the rod not being completely flat where the set screws are suppose to tighten the sprocket to the rod, so sanding it to a flatter surface might fix the shift in directions.
Currently do not have a kit or schematic available.

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Hello, I have a BlackToe 2 x 4 machine. I was wondering if it could be beneficial, or even possible to install two motors on the x-axis (one one each chain drive sprocket). I am noticing a slight shift in the gantry with each reversal of direction. If so, do you have a kit or schematic for this? Thanks

Not sure what you mean by the statement "I don't know when you answer". Please explain. I answer all of the incoming emails until my inbox is completely empty and all phone calls to the company go straight to my cell phone and I answer all of the calls, and if I don't answer, I call back immediately.


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I just searched my email and found no emails with your email address associated with the email listed with this question. I cannot answer questions if no correspondence was provided by you.

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Please send an email, I am giving up on buying a machine from you because I don't know when you answer. I was asking about getting just the working parts and rails sent to Fiji. You sent an answer and some questions, but I have no way of knowing if you responded again.

Yes, you can connect a THC, Torch Height Controller, with the Mach3 USB controller. The THC uses the inputs to determine if the z axis needs to move up or down according to the arc of the plasma torch. The THC connects its outputs to the inputs of the controller so the controller will be informed of the states of the plasma torch.

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I am interested in using the Mach3 USB interface board. I was wondering if there was a way to run a torch height controller with this board for use with a plasma cutter, and if so do you know of any THCs that will work. Thank you.

The 5x10 greenBull base kit comes with the structure, hardware, and electronics for motion control. In order to have a fully functional CNC you will need a table base for your machine, a spindle or router to handle your cutting applications, end mills (bits) for cutting, CAD, CAM and CNC software, and a computer. There are also accessories you can add such as limit switches, emergency stops, and cable carrier for cable management. If you are looking for more information or a formal quote please contact sales@buildyoucnc.com

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I'm not sure of ALL the things I will need to do some of my ideas for the cnc machine. I'll mostly be cutting out 3/4" plywood projects. How much minimum for a 5' by 10' system? I need the hardware and software to get the job done. I saw the price for your basic unit 3-4 grand but don't know what all I NEED to start work.

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?

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?

I can provide a paypal invoice for the difference in price. Just give me an email at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com and then I can send you the invoice.

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I can provide a paypal invoice for the difference in price. Just give me an email at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com and then I can send you the invoice.

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thats great thank you. please send it to james_moya@hotmail.com and i will be paying with my cc.

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thats great thank you. please send it to james_moya@hotmail.com and i will be paying with my cc.

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i placed an order with you on 5.27.20 for 3 stepper motors. i realize now i need the rest of the electronics (drivers, breakout board power supply etc...) i see you offer a bundle and would like to know how i can get the rest of the bundle. im looking at the $390 bundle without the motors obviously. please advise. thank you

CamBam specifically creates the g-code (machining operations) instructions to be loaded into Mach3. Make sure in your CamBam g-code file parameters, you are using the Mach3 post processor. If you have already done this, let me know. If you are not sure how to do this, let me know.

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I am having trouble connecting the cambam program with my Mach3 to my 4X8 Blackfoot CNC machine. Where can I get help on this issue. Have had my machine since 2015 and have not been able to use it. Thank you

The blackTooth laser power supply will use 4 - #8 x 1" screws, and 4 - #8 nuts. As stated on step 10 here (https://buildyourcnc.com/blackToothLaserCutterAndEngraver.aspx#prettyPhoto/10/)

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I am building a blacktooth. I don't see in the instructions what screws are meant to fasten the power supply to the wood. The instructions show how to wire it but I don't see where it says which screws to use. I don't want to guess and end up being short later. Thanks. .

All of our CNC machines can cut melamine. If your application (kitchen doors) requires large cutting area, then I would recommend the following machines:

- greenBull 4x (4'x8'), 5x (5'x10') or 6x (6'x 12')

- greenLean 4'x8' vertically oriented CNC machine

- Or our Fabricator Pro 4'x8' metal CNC machine

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Can you recommend which CNC machine to go with for cutting melamine and making kitchen doors from MDF. Also do you provide training on operating and setting up machine for shop production use? Thanks

We carry several sizes of lead screw and stepper motors on our website, for example here https://buildyourcnc.com/Item/mechanical-leadscrews-lead-screw-!5-5-starts-10-tpi and here https://buildyourcnc.com/ProductSearchResults.aspx. Please call us at 281-815-7701 to discuss the particular lengths you would need and shipping options.

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I have a project very similar to cnc machine. I need 3 lead screws of 1.8 m with all set (supports, bearings...etc). and 3 NEMA 42 motors that I can connect with. if those are available, I need the information about shipping to Oman or UAE.

There are several endmills that would work for that application. Here's the one we use in our own shop: https://buildyourcnc.com/Item/endmill-singleflute-upcut-Onsrud-1-flute-plastic-wood-aluminum for cutting .75 inch MDO.

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Which end mill would you advise to buy for cutting in full depth MDF and plywood of up to 20mm thickness? I am about to install a 2.2k spindel on my cnc.

If the sensors are NC (normally closed) you can wire them in series. If the sensors are NO (Normally Open) you can still wire them to the same input, but the wiring needs to be in parallel (like a ladder). I have more information on the following video:

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[788] Thanks for the oportunity to ask, I am building a cnc and using npn closed sensors could you help me with the conection of these, do i still connect them in series if i use more than two in each axis. Also you mention that a stop switch should be connected grd and input to the controller would that be done after the 24v power supply. Thanks r

Yes, servo motors can be mounted on this machine. If the mounting dimensions are different than NEMA 23 or NEMA 34, then all you need to do is keep the center of the motorshaft with the center of the bearing location and locate the mounting holes for he servo you wish to use. Most industrial servos used for these machines share the same mounting dimensions and NEMA specifications.

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This machine is one of the most customizable machines out in the wild. Customers of these machines have fashioned many modifications to suit their needs.

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[796] Hello. To what extent can the design plans be customized? For example, if I wanted servo motors instead of steppers? That would requirements for motor mounting, controls, and electrical. Thank you.