I'll be honest, it can be pretty awful at times. You'll want a dedicated exhaust line. Cut a new hole, make a dedicated line. Also, invest in a charcoal air filter, it will help. Trust me. They can also be done DIY very inexpensively. Buy a "Universal Pre-filter" and simply wrap it around a screen and have air push down through the screen wrapped in the charcoal laden felt. $20 + fan + screen. Away you go =)

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HOW BAD IS THE SMOKE AND EXHAUST USING BLACKTOOTH?

The spindle inverter (VFD) will run on a 220V (or between 170V-250V) power source with either 50Hz or 60Hz.

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DOES THE SPINDLE RUN ON A 50HZ POWER SOURCE?

The greenlean requires 56 feet of 1/4 Inside Diameter and 3/8 Outside Diameter silicon tube for the spindle.

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HOW MUCH SILICONE TUBE DO I NEED FOR A GREEN LEAN TO CONNECT THE SPINDLE

U - Pin1
V - Pin2
W - Pin3
Pin4 Dead

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My home made cnc is a big problem with my NC connection. When in start my spindle it will be gone wrong. It will be limith switch problem anytime. Need help thanks.

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HOW DO YOU HOOK UP THE SPINDLE TO INVERTER?

The total length of the brush strip for a 2.2kW spindle would be 17 1/4" inches.

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LENGTH OF THE BRUSH STRIP FOR SPINDLE 2.2KW

Change PD001 Source of Run Commands to '1'
Change PD005 Max operating frequency to 400hz
Change PD004 base frequency to 400hz
Change PD003 Main frequency to 400hz
Change PD006 Intermediate frequency to 2.5
Change PD008 max voltage to 220v
Change PD009 Intermediate voltage to 15v
Change PD010 Min voltage to 8
Change PD011 frequency lower limit to >100hz (120hz to start)
Change PD142 7 Amps
Change PD143 2
Change PD144 3000

Note: PD001 had to be changed back to 0 to allow for keypad control.
Note2: I had to reverse U and V to get the spindle to go forward in FWD. (reverse any two wires, u&v or w&v for example)

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HOW DO YOU SETUP THE SPINDLE INVERTER VFD?

Input to VFD:
240V Active - R
240V Neutral - S
Ground - E

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WHAT ARE THE SPINDLE INVERTERS (VFD) INPUT AC CONNECTIONS FROM WALL OUTLET?

It is not necessary to connect the spindle VFD (Variable Frequency Drive also called an Inverter) to the computer or CNC motion electronics. The VFD can be controlled independently using the control panel on the VFD. The control panel has the ability to control all aspects of the spindle including Speed, Torque, limits, etc. However, you can connect the VFD to the computer so the CNC control program can control the spindle during the CNC Machine operation. You will need to connect the VFD to the computer via a serial conection (in this case, it is the RS-485 protocol).

The following are instructions on how to connect the VFD to Mach3 via this RS-485 serial connection.

The first thing you will need is the dynamic link library to pair with mach3 called the Huanyang VFD Mach3 PlugIn. You can find this file at the mach3 support forum here: http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,14182.0.html

You will also need to download the Microsoft .net 3.5 framework and install it: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=21

Follow the pdf that comes with the library file, but here is a synopsis of what you need to do (I also added a lot more information that may be useful during this process as the manual does not cover the main connections that need to be done):

You will need to program your VFD so that it knows how to communicate with mach3 and the computer (go into the programming mode of the VFD and change these parameters):
- PD001 - value 2 - Enables with communication aspect of the VFD
- PD002 - value 2 - Enables frequency control from the communcations port
- PD163 - value 1 - VFD address
- PD164 - value 1 - Baud rate of 9600 (speed of the communication)
- PD165 - value 3 - 8N1 RTU - 8 bits (that's the size of the word that gets communicated), N (No parity or no error checking) and 1 (1 stop bit)

Copy the dll file to the PlugIns folder of mach3.

Connect the RX and TX lines to your computer. There are a couple ways you can do this, but the recommended way would be to use an FTDI USB device which converts a USB to a serial com port. The device will have Rx and Tx connectors to connect to the VFD terminals with the same labels. This method is recommended since serial ports are not as common in computers these days.

Next, you will need to configure mach3 to use the plugin library. Start mach3 and click on Menu -> config ->Config Plugins. Enable the new plugin by clicking on the red cross on the left column next to the plug in. Restart mach3 after doing this.

No you need to configure mach3 to use the HuanyangVFD plugin. Go to the ports & pins configuration and select the spindle setup tab. Make sure that the Disable Spindle Relays checkbox is unchecked. We don't want mach3 to output a signal for a relay since the spindle will start up and turn off within the VFD and not from an external relay.

Next, go to the HuanyangVFD settings by clicking on Menu -> plugin control -> HuanyangVFD. Set the parameters to the same settings you put into the VFD programming. The com port will be shown as new hardward when you plug in the USB FTDI device. A little bubble will be displayed at the bottom right where it will notify you that a new device is being installed (be patient while windows assigns a com port). Alternatively, you can use the windows device manager to see which port was set for the new USB FTDI device). You may need to restart mach3 several times until you get the correct information displayed in the PD001 and PD002 fields. When the com port is correct and the other parameters, like baud and VFD address is the same as you entered in the programming, then the PD001 and PD002 will show the number 2, otherwise, a 99 will appear which means that communication was not successful.

You can now control the on/off and RPM of the spindle using the RS485 communication between mach3 and the VFD.

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The question was how to connect the spindle to the redfy. I did not receive a VFD.
I have the redFly system and a 2.2kW Spindle - 110V how do i connect the spindle?

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If you received a spindle without a VFD, please contact us asap. Our spindle will not work without a VFD.

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Hi, how is this setup in mach4?

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I HAVE THE REDFLY SYSTEM AND A 2.2KW SPINDLE - 110V HOW DO CONNECT SPINDAL?

U - Pin1
V - Pin2
W - Pin3
Pin4 Dead

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My home made cnc is a big problem with my NC connection. When in start my spindle it will be gone wrong. It will be limith switch problem anytime. Need help thanks.

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HOW DO YOU HOOK UP THE VFD TO SPINDLE?

Change PD001 Source of Run Commands to '1'
Change PD005 Max operating frequency to 400hz
Change PD004 base frequency to 400hz
Change PD003 Main frequency to 400hz
Change PD006 Intermediate frequency to 2.5
Change PD008 max voltage to 220v
Change PD009 Intermediate voltage to 15v
Change PD010 Min voltage to 8
Change PD011 frequency lower limit to >100hz (120hz to start)
Change PD142 7 Amps
Change PD143 2
Change PD144 3000

Note: PD001 had to be changed back to 0 to allow for keypad control.
Note2: I had to reverse U and V to get the spindle to go forward in FWD. (reverse any two wires, u&v or w&v for example)

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HOW DO YOU SETUP THE SPINDLE INVERTER?

U - Pin1
V - Pin2
W - Pin3
Pin4 Dead

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My home made cnc is a big problem with my NC connection. When in start my spindle it will be gone wrong. It will be limith switch problem anytime. Need help thanks.

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HOW TO CONNECT THE SPINDLE INVERTER?

The collet in the 1.5 kW spindle is an ER-11 and cannot reach the 1/2" size. I would consider the 2.2 kW spindle instead.

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WHAT SIZE COLLET IS IN YOUR 1.5 KILOWATT SPINDLE?

The spindle is quieter and has more consistent torque (It doesn't get "bogged down" when it starts cutting into material). It can be used with collets of varying sizes (not restricted to imperial sizes). It is water cooled and so it does not blow air downward to cool the spindle like the router does. The spindle is also machined with much higher precision than typical routers and will have a much longer life.

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WHY SHOULD I BUY THE SPINDLE?

Yes, all of the spindles come with collets. The collets have a 1/4" (6.35mm) bore for end mills that have a 1/4" shank. The ER specification is different for the 1.5kW (ER-11) and the 2.2kW (ER-20).

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I’M LOOKING TO PURCHASE SPINDLE AND VFD WAS CURIOS IF THE SPINDLES COME WITH COLLETS SO WHICH ONES?

Roller chain in general is adjustable by using "master links", which are links which have horseshoe clip holding the pin and thus allow connections to be made or broken. The #25 is a designation of the type of roller chain. ANSI codes designate that the first digit(s) specify the pitch in eights of an inch, and the last digit is 0 for standard chain, 1 for lightweight chain, and 5 for bushed chain with no rollers. So #25 is 2/8 = 1/4 inch pitch bushed chain with no rollers.

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IS THE "#25 ROLLER CHAIN" ADJUSTABLE TO ANY LENGTH? LIKE IF I ORDERED TEN FEET OF IT, CAN MAKE TWO 3-FOOT LOOPS AND ONE 4-FOOT LOOP USING SOME SORT CHAIN JOINER?

The type of wire that should be used between the spindle and the VFD (Variable Frequency Driver also called the inverter) should be of stranded type and we use between 18 and 16 AWG.

The total current is divided among the three coil wires, therefor a wire gauge of 16 should be sufficient.

Currently we use 20AWG 4 conductor.

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WHAT ELECTRICAL CABLE DO I USE TO CONNECT VFD INVERTER SPINDLE?

Depth of Field. This is how far the focal point goes before re-expanding again. With a 2" lens, you have approximately 2-3mm of DOF. This means that you'll have 2-3mm of perfectly focused laser before it starts to re-expand again. If you have a 4" lens, you will have up to 7mm of DOF.

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WHAT IS D.O.F OR DEPTH OF FIELD FOR THE BLACKTOOTH LASER AND LENS?

If one of your stepper motors decides to stop moving and the others are moving during a CNC milling or laser cutting job, then there could be two things that could be causing this.

- The motor found its limiting torque (usually comes with a not-so-pleasant sound). This is where the control software is trying to move the stepper motor too fast (velocity, or too fast too quickly, acceleration) and the load against the stepper motor (inertia of the machine, or the material against the end mill while milling). Recommended action is to lower the velocity and/or acceleration, and/or lower the feedrate when cutting.

- There is a wiring issue with the wiring from the driver to the motor. This could be a loose wire, or a chafed wire (or two shorting together). It can also be a loose digital wire from the controller board to the driver. Sometimes wire ties can be the culprit. Recommended action would be to thoroughly inspect the wiring.

It's probably not the limit switches since that would cause a stop to the entire motion of the cnc router or laser machine.

Sometimes Mach3 will show a status when something goes wrong, but in cases where the motor is stopping due to its torque limit, then that would not be shown in the status. It's always good to check it anyway.

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I need to clarify my situation a little better after going to my shop and trying to run another program on Mach 3. About 15 minutes into the milling process all the motors (2-X axis, Y axis and Z axis)stop but the program continues to run. I stop the program and after a couple of minutes when I try to restart the program all the motors start working again. Then after another 15 minutes or so, all the motors stop again. I checked and rechecked my wiring. This has never happened to me before when running the same programs with the same setups and motor speeds. All of a sudden when I reloaded a program I successfully used before it does this. Do you have any recommendations?

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Yeah, it sounds like a more complex issue. Have you tried running in the air without using the spindle. This may be a power related issue.

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That's exactly what I did. I ran the program without the router motor on just to see if the motors would get through the whole program but they stopped working after about fifteen minutes and then I was able to start them again after about 3 or 4 minutes. I never had this problem before so you can imagine my frustration especially after ruining a couple of projects on expensive material.

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Sure. I can completely understand. Try this: disconnect all but one of the driver from power and digital connection and do the air run. Repeat this for each driver and note your findings. This will rule out the drivers causing a power failure.

Also, is your stepper motors and drivers on a separate power circuit from the computer?

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I will try disconnecting each driver and digital connection, which will be a real pain because it will be hard to access.

All the stepper motors, drivers and computer are plugged into the same power strip.

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Ok, so there is no power failure going on, but I believe it is necessary to test each stepper motor and driver pair individually. Hopefully that will lead to a conclusion.

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It will take a little time but I will do it and report back on my findings.

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Curious, what machine is exhibiting this problem?

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I purchased a BYCNC kit back in 2009 with an approximate cutting area of 2' X 4'. I later changed out the Z-Axis Motor and controller for a larger one and have two X-axis motors and controllers. In 2010 I rebuilt the machine out of birch plywood instead of the particle board that the kit supplied. I sent Patrick pictures to him. The machine never gave me a problem till now.

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Thanks for the update. This is Patrick by the way. I answer pretty much all of the Customer Service questions. That machine has given quite a good history.

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I love the machine and made a number of samples of my work for my e-commerce site, but I can't start selling product until I know this problem is solved because I will not be able to fulfill orders. I finally got all the electronics out of its enclosed protected area near the machine so that I test each controller as you recommended. I hope the problem can be rectified. Will let you know.

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Thanks.

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I tested each stepper motor and driver pair individually and they worked so what might be the next step?

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Did each stepper motor driver pair work for the full +15 minutes?

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Yes, I had them in operation for over 30 minutes.

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Ok, well it’s good that the motors and driver are ok. We are now down to the power supply and the breakout board as possible causes for the stop. I have a feeling it may be the power supply where with all three drivers drawing current and the power supply maybe getting too hot. Is the fan in the power supply working? You can also test to see if there is 36 volts on the power supply voltage output (V+ and V-).

Regarding the breakout board, if you have an oscilloscope, you can test if the driver pulses are outputting, but I would consider this as a last resort after you determine if there is a problem with the power supply.

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I tested the power supply with a voltmeter and each output was registering 39-40 volts. I think the problem may be the g-code. I am using V-Carve pro to do design and output to Mach 3 Mill g-code. When I studied the g-code lines I noticed that further into the program the z-axis g-code stopped zeroing out to move to the next part of the carving. In other words both the x and y keep moving and the z just stopped working because there was g-code missing. I think something is missing when the design was converted to g-code. I noticed that when I ran a simpler project it worked without problems so I need to investigate this further.

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New Update, Its not the g-code. I started to run the long program and everything was working fine until about 45 minutes into it, all the motors stopped working (but the program was still running) and there was a high pitched hum. When I put my hands on the motors they were all trying to move but it seemed they were all stalled. I turned the power off, gave it a minute and when I turned it back on I was able to move the motors again. Could this be a power supply problem?

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It does sound more and more like a power supply problem. Did you test the power supply after the motors stopped?

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No, I did not. What should I be looking for.

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It’s good that you know the voltage during normal operation, so you have a base understood. If the power supply is the problem, the voltage will be reduced or non existent when measured after the problem.

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Also, check to see if the fan is running on the power supply when the motors stop. That may (not absolutely) be an indication.

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I'll run another test, check the voltage and fan when the problem occurs and let you know. Thanks for hanging in there with me as we try to resolve the problem.

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It’s my pleasure. This service is rarely used and is faster then email. Odd nobody uses it. Any recommendations you can give would be great. No problem using this FAQ to pose ideas as this resolution will be cleaned up later.

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It might be that people do not realize you can communicate through the sight like this because they are so used to e-mail and texting. You may want to explain this feature in the customer service section.

I ran the program this morning and it did not take long before the motors stopped. While operating the voltages for all three motors was 46 volts, when the motors stalled (and again there was a high pitch hum) the voltage went up to 60 volts and the fan on the power supply was operating.

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So, the driver work individually, but not all together. There is a high pitch sound when the motors fail. You have noted 60 volts from the power supply and the supply fan remains on. This is a difficult issue to resolve, but it seems to me that your power supply may be bad. The 60v measurement tells me that the current dropped and ohms law tells us that is current drops, volts will rise if the resistance stays the same.

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As one last test I am going to test each driver again and let them go through the entire program because it seems that the failure can occur at the beginning or towards the end of the program. When I originally tested ach driver I let them run for about a half an hour and the program takes over an hour to run completely. I just want to make sure that it is not the drivers. I will report back when I finished but as you noted it may be the power supply but I want to make sure.

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That’s a great idea.

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I just ran the x-axis through the whole program and there was no problem especially since I have two NEMA 23 motors moving that axis. Before I check the Y and Z could having a NEMA 34 on the Z axis with appropriate controller be a problem. I used the larger motor on the z axis because the router I am using is a large 1 1/2 hp. I've run this program in the past with this set-up and have not had a problem.

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Having a, say 3.0 amp driver, driving a stepper motor that typically requires a 6 amp driver would not seem to be an issue since the driver is limiting the current draw, but the driver may not be able to handle larger coil and back EMF with the protection on the 3.0 amp driver. With that said, I don’t believe that is the issue in this case.

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I don't either because I was able to run this and other complicated programs with this set-up in the past. I will let you know on the y and z axis.

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Thanks

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I ran the Y axis and z axis separately through the entire program and there was no stopping or problem. I guess the culprit is the power supply and I'll order a new one and hope that resolves the problem.

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Yes, that is the most probable cause. Please keep me informed. Thanks!

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Received and installed the new power supply. I ran the program with the router on and it worked flawlessly. The program runs for an hour and a half and I did not have a single problem. I guess it was the power supply but I was glad to go through all the diagnostics we discussed before replacing it. I hope this power supply lasts a lot longer than the last one. Thanks much for hanging in there with me and coming up with the solution.

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It’s my absolute pleasure and I am so happy to hear that the power supply replacement solved the problem.

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Y axis stop working X & Z work fine Y axis has two motors have check wiring & connections new breakout board still the same port & Pin set OK dont no were to go next David

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my cnc plasma cutter will run out the program when cutting. what is the cause?

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The cnc plasma question shod be a separate question. Can you pise that question by clicking the customer service live menu button at the top? Thanks.

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WHAT CAUSES ONE OF MY TWO AXIS MOTORS TO STOP WHILE THE MACH3 PROGRAM IS STILL RUNNING

You can go to our instructions on for the breakout board here: http://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-parallel-breakout-relay to get the information on turning the spindle on and off from the computer and mach3. Alternatively, you can connect the computer using RS485 serial to the inverter and send control commands that way.

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HOW TO CONTROL MY 2.2 KW SPINDLE VIA MACH3 usb

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How should I wire the Mach3 card (red, 4 axis) and the vfd (Yl620-a)?

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HOW TO CONTROL MY 2.2 KW SPINDLE VIA MACH3