Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

Another question in my quest to understand the Acorn before finalizing my control cabinet design.

1. In the example schematic, the enable lines for the X, Y and Z servos are all tied together on the Acorn side.
2. Are they just saving estop contacts?
3. Is there any benefit and putting individual enable hookups to each servo?
4. Am I just overthinking this?
5. I would just like to understand why there are individual enable inputs on each axis instead of just one. Maybe there is a benefit??

Thanks in advance

Look into the CNC4PC C86ACCP board to vastly simplify the enable signal management of Clearpaths with Acorn.

rdsmith24 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:11 pm Another question in my quest to understand the Acorn before finalizing my control cabinet design.

1. In the example schematic, the enable lines for the X, Y and Z servos are all tied together on the Acorn side.
2. Are they just saving estop contacts?
3. Is there any benefit and putting individual enable hookups to each servo?
4. Am I just overthinking this?
5. I would just like to understand why there are individual enable inputs on each axis instead of just one. Maybe there is a benefit??

Thanks in advance

The enable signal is daisy chained thru relays so if one axis or motor triggers a fault, it will register an error on the Acorn. It is also ran thru the E-Stop button to stop the motors in the event the Emergency stop is triggered.

Refer to this thread for more info on how the relay boards are wired viewtopic.php?f=60&t=5132. You don't need to use a Centroid Acorn relay board. If you have 4 motors, you will require 4 relay channels, 5 motors, 5 relay channels ( either two 4 channel boards or one 8 channel board) .




.

1. In the example schematic, the enable lines for the X, Y and Z servos are all tied together on the Acorn side.
There is no reason that I have found to separate them

2. Are they just saving estop contacts?
????

3. Is there any benefit and putting individual enable hookups to each servo?
Not that I have found

4. Am I just overthinking this?
Most likely

5. I would just like to understand why there are individual enable inputs on each axis instead of just one. Maybe there is a benefit??
Since the ena signal on the ClearPath motors can perform no function other than to disable the servos once active, I connect them all to the "OkFault" output circuit with the contactors and other items I wish to disable should there be a reset or estop condition. You cannot clear an alarm on the ClearPath without a power cycle, so having individual control over the ENA does nothing for you.

I am working with the C86ACCP board and CP SDSK. So far, the C86ACCP is a good value. Provided you did not cut the Molex connectors off the CP provided cables, they plug right in.

Look for some videos on my YouTube Channel martyscncgarage in the coming couple of weeks.
Marty

My issue with the C86ACCP board was this...

1. The people at CNC4PC did not answer my query as to what the IC on the circuit board actually does.
2. I didn't want to muddy the water with something not supported by CENTROID while trying to get my first conversion up and running.
3. I look forward to the upcoming videos on your Clearpath conversion.

Thanks

C86ACCP is a good value. Provided you did not cut the Molex connectors off the CP provided cables, they plug right in.

Which only works if your cable length is exactly 10' or 55'. I have never been that lucky

Gary Campbell wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 11:37 pm

C86ACCP is a good value. Provided you did not cut the Molex connectors off the CP provided cables, they plug right in.

Which only works if your cable length is exactly 10' or 55'. I have never been that lucky

I am talking with CNC4PC to address this Gary.
Marty

If 10-feet or 55-feet don't fit your machine, making custom data cables for ClearPath motors isn't too difficult. I use the Engineer PA-21 crimping tool. It costs about $60 on Amazon, but compared to the $350+ for the tool that Teknic recommends, it is a bargain. I trim the prongs on the terminal that crimp the insulation, but the prongs that crimp the bare wire fit just right with the 22 gauge wire in the cables that I use.

Gary has the proper crimpers for making just about any cable. I have to make do with what I have. Sometimes I wish I still had his youth and energy.

I also have a set of Molex crimpers that work on the mini Molex pins and connectors on the Clearpath cables. I bought them from the link below to make cables for the autopilot servos in my airplane. They are $15 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SZL59NY/