I bought a 36V power supply through you, and when I connected it to the wall outlet, it measures in the mid to high 70 Volt range. I then bought one on-line, and got the same result. When I test the line voltage, it reads 111V, so I believe the multimeter is working properly. What am I doing wrong?

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Question #: 953

Question: I bought a 36V power supply through you, and when I connected it to the wall outlet, it measures in the mid to high 70 Volt range. I then bought one on-line, and got the same result. When I test the line voltage, it reads 111V, so I believe the multimeter is working properly. What am I doing wrong?

Current Solution

We recommend using an extension cord, or some other 3 conductor power cable, that is at least 16 AWG. Cut the end of the cable off, and then strip to expose the three wires, typically white, black and green. Connect the black to L (called Live), white no N (called Nuetral), and green to the 3rd place from the right, that has the three line symbol for Ground. Our supply has a red switch on the side. When looking at the terminals, it will be on the right hand side of the supply. make sure that you have selected the proper input voltage with this switch. Either 220v (used mainly overseas) or 115V (for typical North American power)

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I am building the Blacktooth laser cutter. What is the safest and most accurate way to test the output of the laser power supply WITHOUT connecting the laser tube? Can I use a standard multimeter and measure the voltage output of the laser power supply?
You can test the power supply, but you will need to take extra special care since the voltage on the high tension line can be lethal. Go to this instructable to see all the step on testing the power supply:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-test-and-set-a-Chinese-China-made-CO2-Laser/?ALLSTEPS

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I am building the Blacktooth laser cutter. What is the safest and most accurate way to test the output of the laser power supply WITHOUT connecting the laser tube? Can I use a standard multimeter and measure the voltage output of the laser power supply?
I connected the electronics (for 2 x 4 feet) that I ordered from you. But how do I check if I connected all the wiring properly. There is neither any light on motor drivers nor on breakout board. And the motor shaft also does not move before and after the power supply is given.
Did you connect the USB connector to the breakout board?

Additional Information:
YES I CONNECTED THE USB TO THE BREAKOUT BOARD
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I connected the electronics (for 2 x 4 feet) that I ordered from you. But how do I check if I connected all the wiring properly. There is neither any light on motor drivers nor on breakout board. And the motor shaft also does not move before and after the power supply is given.
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?
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?
I AM USING USB BREAKOUT BOARD WITH PLANET-CNC SOFTWARE. WHEN ENABLE JOGGING KEYBOARD X AXIS STARTS TO MOVE BY ITSELF (WHETHER CONNECTED OF NOT). PRESS STOP - IT STOPS FOR A MOMENT AND THEN AGAIN. WHAT COULD THAT BE? TRIED REINSTALL SOFTWARE DID NOT HELP.
It seems to be getting some kind of interference or a short within the wiring or communication, try jogging the motors in the software without anything wired to the board. Then add one motor at a time to see if there is a short within your wiring or a faulty driver/motor.
If the USB breakout board continues to move the x-axis with no motors or driver wired to it, please email customerservice@buildyourcnc.com for a replacement or further troubleshooting.
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I AM USING USB BREAKOUT BOARD WITH PLANET-CNC SOFTWARE. WHEN ENABLE JOGGING KEYBOARD X AXIS STARTS TO MOVE BY ITSELF (WHETHER CONNECTED OF NOT). PRESS STOP - IT STOPS FOR A MOMENT AND THEN AGAIN. WHAT COULD THAT BE? TRIED REINSTALL SOFTWARE DID NOT HELP.
Is this a problem with the tube or the power supply? The tube is illuminated but I don't get clear firing to the piece. This is a rastering work and I get faint results and then it will be fine, then nothing. Tube changes from pink to solid line purple even when vectoring or manually holding the fire button. https://youtu.be/rX5xZoM6_bk
If your laser machine needs to reflect off of three mirrors before it finally passes the focal lens, then I would recommend realigning the laser.

You might also want to see if the nozzle is hot. If so, then the laser energy is hitting some of the nozzle body and not all of the laser energy is exiting the small aperture of the nozzle. To determine if this is the cause, remove the nozzle and try the operation again to see if you have better results. If the results are better with the nozzle off, then realign the mirrors. If you are still having difficulty getting the laser energy to exit the nozzle, increase the diameter of the nozzle aperture.

If you are still having poor results, take a look at the focal lens and the mirrors for any debris. An unclean lens and mirrors are a common cause of poor lasing performance.
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Is this a problem with the tube or the power supply? The tube is illuminated but I don't get clear firing to the piece. This is a rastering work and I get faint results and then it will be fine, then nothing. Tube changes from pink to solid line purple even when vectoring or manually holding the fire button. https://youtu.be/rX5xZoM6_bk
Just for general knowledge. If a spindle gets i.e. 240VAC, and the drivers 36-50VDC for power, why do you need 5VDC for the Breakout Board (BlueBrew)? Is it only for the relay? I think I've seen other BoB's working without power supply, or am I wrong?
Our breakout board, does require 5v to operate the correct voltages coming in from the drivers and also coming in from your computer, now the 5V will be supplied by the USB connection, so no external power supply is needed, for either our USB/Parallel breakout board.
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Just for general knowledge. If a spindle gets i.e. 240VAC, and the drivers 36-50VDC for power, why do you need 5VDC for the Breakout Board (BlueBrew)? Is it only for the relay? I think I've seen other BoB's working without power supply, or am I wrong?
I purchased the Mach3 USB controller, however when I ran the test procedure, I get no response from the board, however the light comes on but does not flash when I Press the arrow keys, and measurements with the multimeter shows no voltage on the output connections. the meter shows 24 volts on the 24 volt connection across 24v and DCM. I believe the board is corrupt.
Does the board's light come on at all? Did you try only connecting the controller to the USB, without the 24V connected to see if the board is functioning?

Thanks

Additional Information:
Hi Patrick, Larry Here, I'm still having the same problem with the new board. When I plug the usb cable in the board, I get the flashing light but when I measure the voltage on the output pins I get no voltage at all. Mach3 says that the pins, 1 thru 4 are enabled and the output is enabled on all the pins just the way I set them, but no joy.
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I purchased the Mach3 USB controller, however when I ran the test procedure, I get no response from the board, however the light comes on but does not flash when I Press the arrow keys, and measurements with the multimeter shows no voltage on the output connections. the meter shows 24 volts on the 24 volt connection across 24v and DCM. I believe the board is corrupt.
I bought a gantry mounted spindle water cooler kit. I cut off the plug terminal on the end. There are three wires and it is labeled as a 12 V DC motor. How do I wire it to the power supply? No combination of connections seems to work. the fan runs fine. it
The 12V power supply has 3 terminals for AC in: N, L and earth ground. The output of the 12V power supply has 2 DC + and - terminals. Cut the connectors off of the ends of the fan and pump wires. Strip the red and black wires of both units. The fan will connect to the 12V power supply red to the + and black to the -. The pump will connect in the same way, but the white is not connected.

If you have a pump that has a grey and black wire on the large connector, the grey is the 12VDC V+ wire and the black wire goes to the V-. The extra wire does not need to be connected.
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I bought a gantry mounted spindle water cooler kit. I cut off the plug terminal on the end. There are three wires and it is labeled as a 12 V DC motor. How do I wire it to the power supply? No combination of connections seems to work. the fan runs fine. it
I bought a gantry mounted spindle water cooler kit. I cut off the plug terminal on the end. There are three wires and it is labeled as a 12 V DC motor. How do I wire it to the power supply? No combination of connections seems to work. the fan runs fine. it
The 12V power supply has 3 terminals for AC in: N, L and earth ground. The output of the 12V power supply has 2 DC + and - terminals. Cut the connectors off of the ends of the fan and pump wires. Strip the red and black wires of both units. The fan will connect to the 12V power supply red to the + and black to the -. The pump will connect in the same way, but the white is not connected.

If you have a pump that has a grey and black wire on the large connector, the grey is the 12VDC V+ wire and the black wire goes to the V-. The extra wire does not need to be connected.
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I bought a gantry mounted spindle water cooler kit. I cut off the plug terminal on the end. There are three wires and it is labeled as a 12 V DC motor. How do I wire it to the power supply? No combination of connections seems to work. the fan runs fine. it
The electronics package I just bought from you (Book Build) is different from your wireing diagrams and video tutorials. Is there an updated wiring diagram available? Is the USB port on the breakout board connected directly to the computer USB to supply 5 volts? Thank you.
For our parallel breakout board (https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-parallel-breakout-relay#prettyPhoto/2/) the schematic will show the connections going from the BB to the drivers. The parallel breakout board uses the 25 pin parallel connection to communicate from the computer to drivers, and the USB is used to power the main-board itself, supplying 5V.

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The electronics package I just bought from you (Book Build) is different from your wireing diagrams and video tutorials. Is there an updated wiring diagram available? Is the USB port on the breakout board connected directly to the computer USB to supply 5 volts? Thank you.
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.
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 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
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
Hi I recently replaced my parallel port breakout bored with a USB breakout board, Motors Earl working properly but my wireless MPG is not working properly, it is jerky when to try to move across the table, is there a setting that I missed?
Does the machine move smoothly when using the keyboard to jog the machine?

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Sorry it took so long to respond. Yes the table moves very smoothly using the keyboard. I try to reinstall of the drivers but it still moves very jerky with the MPG, sometimes moving back-and-forth.

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Sorry it took so long to respond. Yes the table moves very smoothly using the keyboard. I try to reinstall of the drivers but it still moves very jerky with the MPG, sometimes moving back-and-forth.
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Hi I recently replaced my parallel port breakout bored with a USB breakout board, Motors Earl working properly but my wireless MPG is not working properly, it is jerky when to try to move across the table, is there a setting that I missed?
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. .
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. .
I am using USB breakout board with planet-cnc software. When I enable jogging keyboard x axis starts to move by itself (whether keyboard connected of not). When I press stop - it stops for a moment and then starts to move again. What could that be? Tried to reinstall software - did not help.
It seems to be getting some kind of interference or a short within the wiring or communication, try jogging the motors in the software without anything wired to the board. Then add one motor at a time to see if there is a short within your wiring or a faulty driver/motor.
If the USB breakout board continues to move the x-axis with no motors or driver wired to it, please email customerservice@buildyourcnc.com for a replacement or further troubleshooting.
Click the link to add information to this solution:
I am using USB breakout board with planet-cnc software. When I enable jogging keyboard x axis starts to move by itself (whether keyboard connected of not). When I press stop - it stops for a moment and then starts to move again. What could that be? Tried to reinstall software - did not help.
I can not get my limit switches to work properly on my Mach3 USB controller. I know I have it wired correctly. I can not reset mach3 by either the reset button or the squealy line button below the exap button without unplugging the 24 volt power supply. I have watched the youtube videos at least 20 times and verified and triple verified the wiring. I can send photos to an email address.
Make sure the input port is set to port 3.

Additional Information:
Make sure the input port is set to port 3.

Additional Information:
Make sure the input port is set to port 3.
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I can not get my limit switches to work properly on my Mach3 USB controller. I know I have it wired correctly. I can not reset mach3 by either the reset button or the squealy line button below the exap button without unplugging the 24 volt power supply. I have watched the youtube videos at least 20 times and verified and triple verified the wiring. I can send photos to an email address.
For the XL Vertical Laser Machine I see it won't cut metal as it is only 80w. However, I noticed that you are working on 100w and 130w versions so will that be sufficient to cut through sheet metal? If so, how much longer until those are available?
Cutting metal with lasers even at 100W and 130W is difficult. The main problem is molten is a byproduct of lasing, which can severely damage the laser.
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For the XL Vertical Laser Machine I see it won't cut metal as it is only 80w. However, I noticed that you are working on 100w and 130w versions so will that be sufficient to cut through sheet metal? If so, how much longer until those are available?
I am attempting to set up limit switches on the 5 axis parallel breakout board that came with my BlackFoot kit. The output pins are driving the motors perfectly, but I can't figure out the input pins. With one lead in the 5V pin and one lead testing the input pins, my multimeter reads 0V for all of the input pins. Shouldn't those circuits be +5V? Where am I going wrong?
When wiring the limit switches to our BoB(breakout board), depending in the older model or our revised version (https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-parallel-breakout-relay#prettyPhoto/0/), the older version will need the COM (limit switch) connected to 5V and the NO/NC to your input pin, but with our newer version you will use GND(ground instead of 5V) to common and the same for NO/NC but the setup in the mach3/confi/ports&pins/ is still the same.

Here is a tutorial where you can see how to set up the limit switches correctly (with our older parallel BoB): Part 1:(
), Part 2:(
)
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I am attempting to set up limit switches on the 5 axis parallel breakout board that came with my BlackFoot kit. The output pins are driving the motors perfectly, but I can't figure out the input pins. With one lead in the 5V pin and one lead testing the input pins, my multimeter reads 0V for all of the input pins. Shouldn't those circuits be +5V? Where am I going wrong?
Hello, I am a student working on a CO2 laser. We recently ordered two 40watt CO2 laser tubes and two 40 Watt CO2 Laser Tube Power Supply at 220V. However, our school is unable to use them due to being 220v. Is it possible to exchange these for the 110v supply, or is there a way we can go about connecting it at 110v instead of 220v? Thank you.
Yes, if the power supplies were supplied by us, we will exchange them with 110v equivalent power supplies.

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Hello, I am a student working on a CO2 laser. We recently ordered two 40watt CO2 laser tubes and two 40 Watt CO2 Laser Tube Power Supply at 220V. However, our school is unable to use them due to being 220v. Is it possible to exchange these for the 110v supply, or is there a way we can go about connecting it at 110v instead of 220v? Thank you.