We recommend our electronics combo for the scratch build kit, which you can find on our site here: https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-3axis-425-elcombo. This is our standard general purpose 3 axis electronics system, and includes (3) NEMA 24 425 oz-in stepping motors, (3) Drivers (3.0Amp 24-40 Volts, with 1-1/64 microstepping), (1) 36v 8.8a Power Supply, (1) Interface Board either USB or Parallel. (The USB version requires PlanetCNC software; the parallel interface board gives you a variety of options, Mach3 being one popular choice.)

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I got the plans and hardware from you guys and im almost ready for the stepper motor part of this build. what size motors are good to use for this build? the size of cnc will be 2x4 when finish or what size will not work? thanks

You can use the standard electronics combo: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-3axis-425-elcombo. The size of the stepping motors are generally sized with the overall machine structural weight, inertia of parts, the type of mechanical parts used to move the axes, and actually, less by the router which is more connect to how the machine is controlled.

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If I use a Porter Cable 3-3/4 router motor what size stepper motors do I need?

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?

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?

We just received our new inventory of motors and that specific stepper motor ski came back with only one shaft. I’m not at the office to look at this inventory, so if that is true, they will all be single shaft. We may have other stepper motors with included rear shafts, but I will have to see on Monday.

If I don’t have the double shaft, we will provide a refund upon receipt of the motors. My apologies for this error.

Additional Information:
Hi, I'm sending these motors back today. As I understand you, you might have some motors from the previous lot still in stock, and these would be double shaft but otherwise you don't have any and won't be getting any. If you do have two double shaft versions of this motor please send them; if you don't have two of them please let me know--today if possible--so I can start looking elsewhere. Thanks, Ted Armen

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we just received two nema 11 stepper motors per our order--USR2-2, however they are single shaft, we need double shaft, I thought that's what we ordered. We're sending them back, let me know if you do have the double shaft version and I'll try again to order them. I notice the model number on the motor ends in "A", where the packing slip shows "B".

The 8 wire motors need to be wired in bipolar parallel configuration. The wiring is as follows: Red and Blue to A+, Yellow and Black to A-, White and Brown to B+ and Orange and Green to B-. To find the wiring for the 4 wire motors, the wiring is Red to A+, Orange to A-, Blue to B+ and Green to B-.

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I have constructed the cnc router machine as shown in woodsmith magazine. I have purchased the 3 Nema stepper motors. The one larger motor has 4 wires, as do the other two. However, on the schematic, the Z, and Y axis motors indicate 8 wires each. Did I go wrong, or are there different Nema 23 motors?

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 ?

The whiteAnt is no longer sold; the information on the website is to support legacy customers. We have spoken with you and are sending the materials that you need.

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I am having difficulty with the wiring on the White Ant. The latest electronics that I received don't seem to be anything like the book or even the tutorials. For instance, the three stepper drivers need 6 pin connectors and ribbon cable. How are they wired? There was no thermocouple wire included. Thanks,

Yes, the 651 oz/in motor requires a driver that is compatible to the motors (the motor will draw 6 amps max and the driver paired with this motor will be able to allow for a 6 amp draw). I would also recommend a 36 volt power supply for better high velocity performance.

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I have one of your smaller stepper motors running my X AXIS bridge crane and if it is moved to fast the stepper motor sounds like it is skipping steps will the 651oz stepper motor require a different power supply and controler?

The drivers have quite a bit of protection, so you probably won't ruin anything. You motors are jumping and that is just the motors engaging from getting power from the power supply.

There could be many reasons your motors don't turn. Consider these troubleshooting tips:

- If you are using our parallel breakout board, make sure that the step pins are set for active low (config -> Ports and Pins -> Motor Outputs -> the steps pins should be enabled and set active low)

- The parallel breakout board is powered (connect the USB to the computer using a USB cable)

- In Mach3, make sure you have jog enabled (a little green button at thelower middle of the page in the program run screen).

Additional Information:


Additional Information:
DS26

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If I wired my stepper motors incorrectly what parts of the electronics will be ruined? When I turn on the power, my motors jump like they are supposed to but for some reason, the G-code doesn't seem to be moving from Mach 3 to the motors. Any help would be appreciated. Do I need to order new electronics or just part of the system? Thanks

Here is how to connect your router to the parallel breakout board through the on-board relay. You will need a spare extension cord. You will need to remove a portion of the outer jacket of the extension cord to expose the white, black and green wires (white = neutral, black = live and green = ground), understanding that the neutral and live create the completed circuit.

See this image of a similar connection. The terminal has the same connections.
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/images/vacuum-pressure-controller-relay-terminals-700.JPG

Image of the relay terminal:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/images/breakoutboardrelayNONC.PNG

The live/black wire would be cut and one end of the cut would be secured into the P terminal and the other cut end would be secured into the S terminal. The live and ground wire would be uncut and travel from the plug to the router.


Additional Information:
You can also connect other high powered devices to the breakout board using any of the output terminals. You will need to supply extra relays like the one shown here:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-breakout-Relays-relay-board-250V-12A-5V

Or you can find SSRs (Solid State Relays) that will accept 5v to drive the relay coil. Make sure the SSR will protect the 5V line from Back EMF as there is a coil in the relay. The one we sell contains a fly-back diode to protect the 5v terminal.

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I have your breakout board with relay parallel port , I have a vacuum, light on router and air pump I want to also hook up to board, can I hook those up to board and also could I had reylays to each one, what is the best way to figure this out any information would be great. Thanks

You will be fine with using 2 NEMA 23/24 (425 oz-in) and 1 NEMA 34 (651 oz-in) motors with the Woodsmith CNC build with a large heavy router with a 1/2" collet. Specifically, the Woodsmith CNC build uses lead screws for each axis and this will provide mechanical advantage allowing the motors along with the drive mechanics (lead screws) an increase in torque.

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Building the 2'x4' CNC from the Woodsmith plans and want to use a router with 1/2" collet. Will your stepper motor kit with 2 NEMA-23 and 1 NEMA-34 be sufficient for a Bosch 1617 router motor, or will it be too heavy?

Yes, the 651 oz/in motor requires a driver that is compatible to the motors (the motor will draw 6 amps max and the driver paired with this motor will be able to allow for a 6 amp draw). I would also recommend a 36 volt power supply for better high velocity performance.

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I HAVE ONE OF YOUR SMALLER STEPPER MOTORS RUNNING MY X AXIS BRIDGE CRANE AND IF IT IS MOVED TO FAST THE MOTOR SOUNDS LIKE SKIPPING STEPS WILL 651OZ REQUIRE A DIFFERENT POWER SUPPLY CONTROLER?

This is a good video on how to do a vacuum table

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Do you have any videos or plans for how to make a strong table for a large CNC router? I saw the torsion box videos but would like some more guidance on how to build just a good table.

We are developing plans for our machine, but they are not completed yet. Please let me know if you would like to be added to our list of customers wanting plans. Thanks,

Additional Information:
If you have specific questions regarding CAD, CAM and Control, please add another question to the customer service and I will answer them in detail.

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How do I get started I would like to build a cnc router. Making the machine I can do, but I am weak on cad,cam and mach3. I am thinking about a 4’x4’. Do you have plans I can buy?

Yes, our porter cable collets and nuts will fit the porter cable 7518.

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HAVE PORTER CABLE 7518 ROUTER ON MY CNC AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOUR ER20 COLLET NUT, FOR THE CABLE, WILL FIT ROUTER.

The drivers have quite a bit of protection, so you probably won't ruin anything. You motors are jumping and that is just the motors engaging from getting power from the power supply.

There could be many reasons your motors don't turn. Consider these troubleshooting tips:

- If you are using our parallel breakout board, make sure that the step pins are set for active low (config -> Ports and Pins -> Motor Outputs -> the steps pins should be enabled and set active low)

- The parallel breakout board is powered (connect the USB to the computer using a USB cable)

- In Mach3, make sure you have jog enabled (a little green button at thelower middle of the page in the program run screen).

Additional Information:


Additional Information:
DS26

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My stepper motors stopped working all of a sudden. Mach 3 is running fine, just no signals getting to the motors. The lights on the motor drivers began blinking erratically when this started. Any advice where a problem like this can come from would be greatly appreciated.

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?

We recommend our electronics combo for the scratch build kit, which you can find on our site here: https://buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-3axis-425-elcombo. This is our standard general purpose 3 axis electronics system, and includes (3) NEMA 24 425 oz-in stepping motors, (3) Drivers (3.0Amp 24-40 Volts, with 1-1/64 microstepping), (1) 36v 8.8a Power Supply, (1) Interface Board either USB or Parallel. (The USB version requires PlanetCNC software; the parallel interface board gives you a variety of options, Mach3 being one popular choice.)

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I am going to build a CNC 4x4 plasma table. The frame is made of 1 1/4" pipe and the gantry will be made of either 2"x 2" or 2"x 3" tubing. What size stepper motors do you suggest?