Many shielded cables come in various materials and designs, so having one with a copper mesh covering the inner insulator wire is no problem. We currently use a extension cord found locally at a hardware store and include one 18G wire for ground. So a specific shielded cable is not a required, unless being used next to specific and sensitive electronics that are extremely sensitive to noise and voltage interference than a shielded cable is required.

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I purchased a 2.2 spindle a while back and went to the electrical supply house to but shielded cable for the power run, I was on the web a while back and saw a picture of shielded cable that didn't look like what I had bought. should it have a copper like mesh wraped around the inner insulation. Thanks

The upper right hand corner of the data sheet found at https://buildyourcnc.com/Documents/PN.SM86HT80-5504B-U(inhouse%20PN.85BYGH450A-47-80)%20(1).pdf labels the coil wires A-D and also by color, which refers to the colors coming off of the motor. Our specification for A+, A-, B+, B- follows the labeling of the driver connections where A+ is coil A's positive lead and the same for the B coil. If you find yourself wiring 4-wire stepper motors without a datasheet, you can easily determine which colors go together with an ohmmeter. Each pair associated with the same coil will have continuity (negligable resistance) between them.

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https://buildyourcnc.com/Documents/PN.SM86HT80-5504B-U has an error
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The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable

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Wiring the greenBull stepper motors, in the video you say to look at the data sheet for the motor, which is the 651, in the data sheet it shows A, B, C, D, for the colors, and in the video you say A+, A- and so on. Is there a video for wiring the connection to the RedFly that I bought to better explain what I need to do next. I'm using 16c4 SO cord, so I can match color to color on the motor side.

The Mach3 USB interface board requires 24V relays externally. There are no relays on the mach3 usb board. If you use an external relay on the mach3 usb board, the relay connects to the V+ which is 24V and the output pin is the return.

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I understand what you are saying. Does your relay board work with the Mach3 USB board? If not, what relay board do you suggest to work with this usb controller?

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Our relay board works with our parallel breakout board. An off the shelf SSR (Solid State Relay) made for 24V should work fine.

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I bought a 'BuildyourCNC V1' relay board to go with my mach3 usb controller. I have been sent a 'Songle' relay. It's not the one in your picture and it's got different connections, for which there isn't a wiring diagram. The one I ordered says it is 5v, this one seems to be saying it's a 24v unit. Can you please explain what has happened? Thanks

The Mach3 USB interface board requires 24V relays externally. There are no relays on the mach3 usb board. If you use an external relay on the mach3 usb board, the relay connects to the V+ which is 24V and the output pin is the return.

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I understand what you are saying. Does your relay board work with the Mach3 USB board? If not, what relay board do you suggest to work with this usb controller?

Additional Information:
Our relay board works with our parallel breakout board. An off the shelf SSR (Solid State Relay) made for 24V should work fine.

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I bought a 'BuildyourCNC V1' relay board to go with my mach3 usb controller. I have been sent a 'Songle' relay. It's not the one in your picture and it's got different connections, for which there isn't a wiring diagram. The one I ordered says it is 5v, this one seems to be saying it's a 24v unit. Can you please explain what has happened? Thanks

This turned out to be a side-effect of the "foot logo" now being bored entirely through the gantry legs. On first inspection this made the two legs identical. I didn't notice that the hole for the X axis axle was bored out to 5/8, but only on one side. Not too surprisingly, I installed them on reverse sides.

Pulling the legs off and swapping the side they were mounted on fixed the problem. I would suggest adding a note to the building instructions page to avoid this annoying problem.

On the good side, the X axis now rolls much more freely on its rails after un-mounting and re-mounting the legs.

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Good catch and thank you for the information. We will clarify this on the video.

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At 3:29 in the video "blackToe version 4 2x4 step 9 0001" it shows you inserting a bearing into the hole that the x axis shaft exits the router. That hole is 3/8ths on my parts. No 3/8 OD, 1/4 ID bearing came with my kit, but I do have a 5/8 OD, 1/4 ID bearing. Should I bore out the hole to 5/8 so I can insert those bearings?

You can find the datasheets to our motors be going to the the stepping motor category page https://www.buildyourcnc.com/category/nema and selecting the motor. This will bring you to the product page for the motor and all of the motor information will be found there.

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I would like to design my own CNC router around one of your electronics bundles, either the 3 Axis - Heavy Gantry or 3 Axis - All Large Motors. Do you have the data sheets for the motors so that I can use the dimensions in my model?

If you purchase the assembled machine (which we highly recommend since you are outside the US) the entire system is tested, so you will not need any replacement parts. We have used motors and spindles on our machines that work constantly and daily for many years. These items still work to this day.

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Dear Sir or Madam, I'm looking for high quality and reliable CNC for my shop and I can find that the greenbull 5x is suitable for me. Would you please clarify where the hardware items are made, and how reliable will the greenbull be. Take into consideration that I'm outside the US, so buying spare parts from you should be planned long before and unexpected maintenance would stop our work.

No, you should not have received two parallel breakout boards in your CNC kit. You can return the extra item using standard shipping with COD. Our apologies for the confusion and the inconvenience.

I will answer the other question as another FAQ. Please check the Customer Service page to see the answer to that question.

If you have difficulty finding the answer, here is a link:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/FAQ/13636

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hello, my question is, I recieved two breakoutboards exactly the same, do I need them both for my greenbull 4x8 also, I cant find any tutorial showing the installatio and placement of the limit switches, can I have some assistance please? sorry fot he bad english and thanks.

That will depend on the controller that was installed in the redFly. If the controller is a pokeys57CNC controller, you can use Mach 4 with that system.

You can add a 4th axis and an ATC (Automatic Tool Changer) with the redFly system.

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Does the Redfly that I bought with the GreenBull in 2016 work with Mach4? Also I want to add a 4th axis and a spindle with automatic tool changer. Will this work too or do I need a new control board? I bought my CNC with a longer Z travel, so I have plenty of room for these. Thanks!

The leadscrew length for the greenBull long Z-axis is 47 inches.

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Building one of your greenBull 6X Long and 2.2 kilowatt spindle does not fit. Seems lead screw you sent with kit is short 42" looks like it needs to be 5 or 6 inch longer. Is this correct? What is the needed length of lead screw for this unit?

From time to time we change providers of components for various reasons. I just spoke to our assembler and electronics employee to determine if he witnessed the same issues. He said they work, but are not as easy to use as the previous terminal block. We will make sure not to use this provider anymore and will search for a better quality terminal block.


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Boom thats the answer. Your quick and thorough response and dedication to correcting the problem is why i choose to do business with you and encourage others to do the same!

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Thank you for that kind response!

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2.5A small stepper driver I received has blue connection blocks instead of green like on the last three I got. wow what a difference in ease of wiring with the green blocks. Please i don't know what the savings are but it's not worth it unless the price can be dropped as well. the green blocks have a "chute" style guide for each wire which keeps it under the metal tab while tightening.

The axis and connection information for the 3D Printer Main Board can be found here in the instructions below the product information.

https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/3D-Printer-Component-electronicsAndMotors-3d-printer-mainboard-FDMElectronics-3dprintermainboard

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I purchased the driver boards and MB shield for the White Ant. None of the headers are labeled. Is there a diagram showing which headers is for which axis? Is there also a diagram showing which pin on the driver is ABCD? I have watched the vids and the boards in them do not match what was sent to me.

Only our greenBull CNC machines will be able to use the long Z-axis, due to structural construction of the greenBull over the blackFoot.
The height from the table top to the bottom of the gantry is: 4.25"

Both the maximum cutting height and diameter, will be dependent on the specific end mill/router bit you plan on using, since they can vary in length.
The maximum cutting height (useful to engrave or cut material)is: with spoil-board 3.875", without a spoil-board is 4.625"
The maximum diameter will (estimated) is: 3"

Specifically dealing with our greenBull long Z-axis CNC machines, depending on how you specifically design the table you can have more cutting height and a larger diameter clearance. If you only create a frame for the machine with a hollow center(adjustable midsection), allowing you to have a greater clearance.
Similar table image here: (https://buildyourcnc.com/Item/cnc-machine-greenBull-v4-6X#prettyPhoto/5/)

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Planning to Buy Greenbull or Blackfoot 4'x 8' Long "Z" Axis. My questions are: what is the hight between the table and the Gantry ? what maximun Z can useful engraving? if I instal a rotating 4 Axle. what maximun diameter can be useful.

The leadscrew length for the greenBull long Z-axis is 47 inches.

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BUILDING ONE OF YOUR GREENBULL 6X LONG AND 2.2 KILOWATT SPINDLE DOES NOT FIT. SEEMS LEAD SCREW YOU SENT WITH KIT IS SHORT 42" LOOKS LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE 5 OR 6 INCH LONGER. THIS CORRECT? WHAT THE NEEDED LENGTH FOR UNIT?

I would highly recommend a spindle and VFD rather than a router.

Spindles:
- Have a far longer life longer than a router. You will probably go through a few routers before the end of the spindle's life.
- Are quieter than routers
- And the water cooled spindles we stock do not blow the chips into the air. Chips are much easier to capture with or without a dust removal system.

You can find our spindles here:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/SpindlesAndAccessories.aspx

Once you get your first spindle, you will never go back to routers. Routers are great for handrouting work, but not the best for continuous CNC milling.

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Hi there, I have a cnc table that I built but I am looking for a higher powered router because I am using the table for flattening slabs with a large straight bit. Would you have any recommendations for the type of router I should buy? Also do you sell large bits for flattening slabs?

The fact that you cannot move the motors with the keyboard serves as a clue to a couple possibilities.

- The software may not be communicating with parallel port. (One possibility may be that your step pins are not low active, or vice versa depending on your drivers).
- You may not be in the correct tab of Mach3. Make sure you are in the Program Run tab.
- The jog on/off button on the program run screen may not be lit (invoked).

This address below shows the complete troubleshooting for this type of situation. It will show how to test each pin at the parallel port at the back of the computer and everything else associated with correctly wiring the electronics.

https://buildyourcnc.com/CNCElectronicsandWiring.aspx




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6 axis robot with Mach3 Card 6 Axis Motion Controller

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I have a home built CNC running Mach 3. I have power to all the motors and the breakout board but no movement when running g-code. I cannot even manually move the motors with the arrow keys or page up and down. It also has an integrated 120v receptacle showing an open ground. I don't know if all this is related.

BYCNC Response:
This is correct. You will need to use a method appropriate for the software you are using. Also remember that NC switches are typically wired in series, while NO switches are normally wired in parallel.

User Response:
I am using the cnc planet software for your USB board. Are the limit configurations in this software?

BYCNC Response:
Yes, Planet CNC software is compatible with the use of limit switches. Configuration information will depend on your specific application. You can view Planet CNC's information here: http://www.planet-cnc.com/files/CNCUSBController.pdf

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Limit switches for axis. The print shows that you can wire the limits either n.o. or n.c. so if this is correct I would need to tell the board in the software how to look at these limits, I'm either going to get an input or loose an input depend on how i wire it.

You would use a combination of bearings and collars to prevent your lead screw or rod from being able to move back and forth. Without it being able to move back and forth, you shouldn't have the couplings coming apart, because the motor is solidly mounted and unable to move as well.

I will try to draw a picture using symbols, with a key to define what each part is.

--CB|--------------|BC}{M

- = Lead Screw or Rod
C = Collar
B = Bearing
| = Wood, the frame of your machine
}{ = Coupling
M = Motor

On the example above you could replace the collar on the motor side with one half of the coupling, putting it right upside of the bearing to hold it in place instead. Like this:

--CB|--------------|B}{M

You could also place the bearings on the inside as follows:

----|BC----------CB|--}{M

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can you please specify how to connect the collar/nut and bearings to prevent the axial movement of lead screw. Do I have to put that next to the stepper motor /coupling assembling or on the other side where the lead screw comes out. Or is there any way I can make the flexible coupling rigid so it does not come out of the middle spider?

The space allotted for the laser tube on the blackTooth would not allow for a higher power laser tube. As the wattage of the laser tube increased, so does the length of the tube.

We do have a larger and more powerful laser in design and should be available in the second quarter of 2015.

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Can you install a more powerful laser/tube for us if we pick the $2100 option to have you build it? It would be assumed that there would be a new price for the machine which would reflect the cost increase for the new laser. Please say yes, I know you can physically do it. I have faith in you