Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

Marty, you ask good Qs. I'll try to answer them as I add to this log. I'll start with the stepper motors and drivers I selected. I went with a set of three LiCHURN LCDA357H drivers and matching three phase NEMA23, LC57H380 1.2 degree 2N.m stepper motors. I have no prior experience with these, but I ...

The only reason I could see doing this is that you'd want that fourth axis for a rotary attachment or something else... Exactly... Also keep in mind that software pairing of two drivers is an advanced feature that requiring the PRO addition of CNC12. Also, you wouldn't have to use relays. You could...

Has anyone tried a hardware approach where the step and direction lines for the two hardware paired drivers are controlled via relays? That is, two output lines control two relays, that in turn, control when the step and direction signals are sent to each of the hardware paired drivers? This would e...

I would wait for next release.. that macro posted requires a custom PLC program for it to work.. just manual square it for now..and when v4.14 is released Auto Squaring is supported in the wizard and will auto generate the macro and plc program for you. here is a link to the setup guide so you can ...

Some more pictures of the gantry, with the first one showing the cross members on the back:

In today's instalment, I'll try to present the gantry design. As a cnc router, the gantry is a key element of the design. It must support the motor, Z-axis linear module, and be rigid enough to prevent flexing given the goals of the design. As I stated in an earlier post, I selected 30-6060mm alumin...

Starting from the beginning, I'll go back now and give some detail to the design I came up with. There is nothing particularly special about it. I borrowed elements from here and there, and came up with the rest. It uses a basic gantry design, supported by two linear rails. Before I jump to far into...

I have been wanting to start this build log for some time. I have gotten good info from members of the forum, so I hope my contribution will be helpful to others. Below is my CNC router project log. I'll try updating it as it progresses. This is my first foray into the world of CNC. I entered from m...

Marty I hear you... and thanks for the response! I will just say, I always looked at the Acorn as a breakout board for the BBG. I want to use the enable lines as well, so it didn't make much sense to use both interfaces. I plan to use an enable line for X1 and an output for enabling X2. If I can get...

OK, but wouldn't you do that at the power supplies, not the Acorn. Keep in mind the provided PS is dual voltage, so even if you are using the 5 volts to power the driver's opto inputs, the ground is already common. I would have thought what's needed for each driver is Vcc, not ground. That would hav...