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For more Info visit us at cncsnap.com
I have always dreamed of having a CNC and window shopped all the time on the internet. Finally, I discovered Instructables and made my own to share with others. Ninety percent of my parts were acquired from junk or unused stuff. It doesn't look pretty but it works. The first CNC was posted on "I Made It" photo contest. I took that apart to improve on my first design and I hope it helps other people. This particular CNC I believe is the easiest and cheapest way people can do it themselves.
Domo*pes (Arduino Powered Stepper Motor Board.) Preliminary test Before pcb board house.
Domo*pes (Arduino Powered Stepper Motor Board)
Video of CNC cutting wood and birds-eye view of pen plotter
Parts:
I have always dreamed of having a CNC and window shopped all the time on the internet. Finally, I discovered Instructables and made my own to share with others. Ninety percent of my parts were acquired from junk or unused stuff. It doesn't look pretty but it works. The first CNC was posted on "I Made It" photo contest. I took that apart to improve on my first design and I hope it helps other people. This particular CNC I believe is the easiest and cheapest way people can do it themselves.
Domo*pes (Arduino Powered Stepper Motor Board.) Preliminary test Before pcb board house.
Domo*pes (Arduino Powered Stepper Motor Board)
Video of CNC cutting wood and birds-eye view of pen plotter
Parts:
- Laminated Particle Board or whatever smooth flat surface wood is easy for you to work with. I used an old bathroom cabinet.; @ hardware store
- two feet of 1/2 inch PVC Pipe; $ @2 hardware store
- four 1/2 inch PVC elbows; $4 @ hardware store
- one foot of 1/4 inch PVC Pipe; $1 @ hardware store
- six inches of 1/4 inch Copper Pipe; $ @ hardware store
- two 1/4 inch x 20 threaded rod and three nuts to match; $10 @ hardware store
- Copper Pipe Hangers; $2 @ hardware store
- Gas Line Hose that snugly fits the threaded rod; $3/ft. @ auto parts store
- handful of screws and nuts & bolts
- 4 data staples: $1 @ hardware store
- glue: Gorilla Glue, Super Glue
- Craft Foam; $.50 @ Hobby Lobby
- Saw to cut wood
- Pipe Cutter
- Screwdriver
- Level
- Tape Measure & Ruler
- Pencil & Sharpie
- Drill & Bits
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Signing UpStep 1X Axis
You will construct the X axis with plywood. It's just a box.
You will need to cut out these pieces
two 8 1/4 x 2 1/2"
one 10 x 2 1/2"
one 8 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2"
Construct like the picture above, making sure it's perfectly square.
You will need to cut out these pieces
two 8 1/4 x 2 1/2"
one 10 x 2 1/2"
one 8 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2"
Construct like the picture above, making sure it's perfectly square.
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I built a CNC and used large stepper motors but found it did not have enough voltage to run the motors. What voltage are you using? Can you email me direct with the voltage used or possibly the circuit please. luckyone@exemail.com.au
regards
Colin
What kind of stepper motor is it:4,5,6 wires? What kind of stepper driver are you using? With mine I used EasyDriver and Arduino. EasyDriver requires a 7V to 30V supply to power the motor and can power any voltage of stepper motor. I run mine at 9volts. I was using 12volt but it didn't make a differerence in performance other than temperature.
the motors are 6 wire and the motor driver boards are from Oatley electronics in sydney. I tried running them on a 12 volt gel cell battery but the motors did not seem to have enough power. I buy the motors on ebay ($75) for the three and the label on them is is mirabella. I looked up the web site but they no longer list that model of motor.
I guess my next option is to make up a bigger power supply and give that a go.
thats for the help
colin
Hi Legless,
Not sure what the voltage is on the motors. I did not get them from Oatley, they were bought on eBay.
thanks for your interest
colin
6 wire motors are unipolar.
Hi Colin,
I also bought steppers off ebay. I haven't done anything with them yet. I found some data sheets but I can't remember if I found the exact ones. If you can find data for similar model of stepper (one that has the same dimensions and look) you can get an idea of currents needed to drive the stepper.
I would try some experimentation. Small steppers will need 0.6 to 1.6 A depending on the model. The voltage is not as important as the current. It just needs to be enough to drive the right amount of current through the coil.
If you measure the coil resistance (R) and multiply by the coil current (I) you'll get the voltage needed to drive the coils. So if your coils are 4.5 ohm and you want 1.6A, you'll need 7.2V across the coils. You need to account for voltage drops across your drivers, so you will need a bit more. Your power supply will need to handle the current for all the steppers. In this case with 3 steppers, 3 x 1.6A = 4.8A
What would be better is to have a higher voltage, 2-3 times higher, and a constant current source (Oatley sell the boards). This allows for a very rapid rise in current without going over the limit. This gives the motor a good kick on each step. If you can pogram the current source then start with a low current say 0.5 A and raise it until you get a good response from the stepper. Just don't go too high or you could burn out the coils.
You'll also have to check if the stepper gets too hot (to touch) under load when running for some time. If it does you'll need to reduce the current or get a bigger stepper.
many thanks for taking the time to help me.
I'll try what you suggested.
regards Colin
"Depending upon what voltage you use into the M+ pin, the voltage regulator needs to drop that down to 5V (and throw the rest away as heat). So the higher the M+ voltage, the hotter that regulator will get."
So does this mean no matter what your steppers will only receive 5v?
also what does this mean "If you want to supply your own logic power to the EasyDriver, cut jumper SJ1, and supply 3.3V or 5V into pin 1 of JP4."
http://www.adafruit.com/products/81
I know it only has the option for 2 steppers but I could use a servo for the Z axis. What do you think?
So, the link above to cncsnap.com is broken
I bought for 20€ this driver on ebay:
CNC 5 Axis interface board -V5 features
? CNC Stepper Motor Driver 5 Axis Interface Board adapter
? It can connection 5 drivers and control 5 motors in the same time;
? It is with 4-wire limit switch to insure our safty movement;
? It is with relay port to control the cnc spindle;
? Power voltage is 5VDC and support with MACH3 etc. software
the Parameters of Electrical
VCC 4.5 -5.5V
VI 0 - VCC
VO 0 - VCC
IO MAX 35MA
Is this enough? I also have three stepper motors (20€) (coming from an old copier and still from ebay).
The driver is provided with a USB port but I think i should power motors from another source right?
Thanks for help.
HS
Salvatore
USB powers the interface board but the stepper drivers will have power inputs for your motors.
Thanks for your interest.
I though I bought this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc-PH8CFusI but actually this should be a "all in one" (Driver + Stepper drivers).
I'll check out your instructable to see how going forward.
Ciao
HS
Combining your steps and price list with some of the otehr ibbles out there will probably pretty much guarantee a good machine.
The only suggestion I have is you might want to provide some links for the other ibbles.
Would a motor shield powered by an ATX PSU work to control the X and Y steppers if I use a regular DC motor for the z axis?
Also, out of curiosity, what if the scanner uses a DC motor and rotary or linear optical encoders to determine the position? Would that system be usable?
I saw that you had some 3D models. Did you use CAD or something similar to design this? Those files might be useful to post.
The motor shjeld is a good replacement considering the price. There are a lot of DIYers using the ATX. A good setup imo is two stepper motors and instead of a DC motor use a med/large servo.
Yes, it's usable as long as you know how to integrate it into Arduino. That would make a nice instructable if you get around to it..
The 3D pictures were created sometime after I built the CNC in Google SketchUp. I'm still working on the 3D model. I do plan to post the CAD file hopefully in near future.
thanks
steve
the dimensions are: 24" wide by 60" long or 24" wide by 36" long
Total area:1440 inches or 864 inches
depth of my foam is 1/8" to 1/4" varying with project
Also is there any programming or software issues I would have with this differently sized CNC?
thank you so much!
Steve Price
No issue with software that I know of. I ran a test 24ftx24ft and didn't have a problem.
Thank you so much for your time and help!
Steve Price
seprice40@gmail.com
Do you know why so many of your pictures are washed out? Is there a setting messed up on your camera?
What is the motivation to make a CNC? What can I do with it? That should be in the introduction. I think I would use one to make stencils for screen printing t-shirts, but I"m not sure how that would work.
This instructable has taken a very simple approach, showing that it does not have to be difficult or expensive to make one.
I had no plans whatsoever, no experience, built it with hand tools in less than a week and it is accurate to .1 mm or better. I use mine to cut signs, parts for machines, my telescope mount... goodness... what CAN one do with a CNC???
Once you have built one, you will realize that the limitation is you, not the machine!
I love mine.
I am not a good photographer, never was and never will be.:))