Thank you for sharing your ClearPath-Mach4 impressions. The video is great, you should continue posting more videos on you CNC assembly. My intention is to buy these motors to equip my Isel flatbed router. Being new to CNC DIY , I can use some help from guys like you to choose the motors and configure them.
from wat i understood from others that has gotten the smoothstepper to work , you need a crosswired ethernet (modem) cable to be able to connect the computer directly to the smoothstepper you allso need to put a BOB between the smoothstepper and the stepperdrivers to get everything to work whell
No, this was straight LAN cable, in any case, computer should be able to switch RX/TX lines, In theory all I needed to run CNC is what i did in this video :)
Hi Linas great tutorial. Compliments. I want to ask your opinion on the ess smoothstepper board. Would you buy it again? It’s reliable?? Thanks in advance.
I have looked at this video many times and do not understand where you are connecting the enable wiring and HLFB from the clearpath to the controller board. I know this is old video but it is what I am trying to setup on my machine. please advise :)
Hi Linas!! What a great stuff you got!! thanks for posting it help me a lot! hey may I ask you some questions.... I was going to buy nema 34 stepper motos... to build a cnc to mil most of the time nylon, or wood..in a fast pace...... but I would like to be able to mil aluminum, could be slow for aluminium. So should I keep nema 34... I read that stepper motors will be slow :( .. that I should get servor motors... do you think I can get clearpath 23... would be better? I mean I'm reducing the motor to keep prices in more or less the same order... for 4 nema34 and drivers... i can get around 500 bucks..
First, i just starting this hobby. I am still making more mistakes than doing things correctly :) Clear-path servos are stronger and faster ( usually ) and will give you better results due to close loop nature. If you can, go with servo, it is simple plugin device, with high efficiency and low noise with high precision. Just now the maximum speed you need to run to, and select correct motor, and you will be fine.(high speed low torque or high torque low speed)
Hello Linas. If we use ClearPath servos,we only need the break out board (3/4/5 axis) controller card and that's it? Or we have to add drivers too? Cause if I understand well, these servos have the drive controller installed already,no?
servo has opto inputs 5V, so my driver board can drive it directly. But i will add FPGA, encoders, as well as 5 arm cortex m4 for each axis pid control, so i will not drive it directly
Hi @LinasK, can you please explain what will be the role of each...ie FPGA, encoders and ARM cortex processors? I would love to hear from you as I am also just getting started with these motors and would like to develop a heavy gantry movement CNC. I thought that based on these motors' power, I just need to power them with the Teknic PSU and then let Smooth Stepper do the rest? Any light you can shine on this matter in detail would be amazing!
Hi, no :D I still in the process of getting mechanics, it should arrive next week ( very beefy precision stuff, well, it cost like one ;) ) RGW35HC2 rails for Y, and RGW30HC2 rails for XZ. And for screws i will have 32mm 5mm pitch grounded lead-screw
well, i have 1um RLS encoders. accuracy is 40um/m, and i i know that i will have step resolution of 0.5um. that means i can first, calibrate out screw variance in lead pitch, and also compensate when my system is flexing, since i will be measuring true movement, and not relaying that movement really occurred, even if i have closed loop servo system. So in short, servo loop will give me confidence that i will not jam, and linear encoders will calibrate out any problems with my mechanics, so i should win some resolution. Also, MCU will have absolute data where is my machine, so they can perform tool change, since at all time even when i zero out my axis in mach, mcu will know where it is with 1um resolution.
Thank you for sharing your ClearPath-Mach4 impressions. The video is great, you should continue posting more videos on you CNC assembly.
My intention is to buy these motors to equip my Isel flatbed router.
Being new to CNC DIY , I can use some help from guys like you to choose the motors and configure them.
from wat i understood from others that has gotten the smoothstepper to work , you need a crosswired ethernet (modem) cable to be able to connect the computer directly to the smoothstepper you allso need to put a BOB between the smoothstepper and the stepperdrivers to get everything to work whell
No, this was straight LAN cable, in any case, computer should be able to switch RX/TX lines,
In theory all I needed to run CNC is what i did in this video :)
how about wiring from motor to the board ?
Great question i would love to know aswell
Hi Linas great tutorial. Compliments. I want to ask your opinion on the ess smoothstepper board. Would you buy it again? It’s reliable??
Thanks in advance.
As a first project for me , I will keep it simple but effective. Later you can teach me about FPGA if you want :)
Hello Linas, which smoothstepper do you use?
I have looked at this video many times and do not understand where you are connecting the enable wiring and HLFB from the clearpath to the controller board. I know this is old video but it is what I am trying to setup on my machine. please advise :)
I think it's always high or some inhibit signal.
I saw the toggle switch you used to enable the motors, how was it wired?
Hi Linas!! What a great stuff you got!! thanks for posting it help me a lot! hey may I ask you some questions.... I was going to buy nema 34 stepper motos... to build a cnc to mil most of the time nylon, or wood..in a fast pace...... but I would like to be able to mil aluminum, could be slow for aluminium. So should I keep nema 34... I read that stepper motors will be slow :( .. that I should get servor motors... do you think I can get clearpath 23... would be better? I mean I'm reducing the motor to keep prices in more or less the same order... for 4 nema34 and drivers... i can get around 500 bucks..
First, i just starting this hobby. I am still making more mistakes than doing things correctly :)
Clear-path servos are stronger and faster ( usually ) and will give you better results due to close loop nature. If you can, go with servo, it is simple plugin device, with high efficiency and low noise with high precision.
Just now the maximum speed you need to run to, and select correct motor, and you will be fine.(high speed low torque or high torque low speed)
Hello Linas. If we use ClearPath servos,we only need the break out board (3/4/5 axis) controller card and that's it? Or we have to add drivers too? Cause if I understand well, these servos have the drive controller installed already,no?
servo has opto inputs 5V, so my driver board can drive it directly. But i
will add FPGA, encoders, as well as 5 arm cortex m4 for each axis pid
control, so i will not drive it directly
Hi @LinasK, can you please explain what will be the role of each...ie FPGA, encoders and ARM cortex processors? I would love to hear from you as I am also just getting started with these motors and would like to develop a heavy gantry movement CNC. I thought that based on these motors' power, I just need to power them with the Teknic PSU and then let Smooth Stepper do the rest? Any light you can shine on this matter in detail would be amazing!
Search for my other video (new one)
Hello Linas . Did you build up the ClearPath servos on your CNC machine?
Hi, no :D
I still in the process of getting mechanics, it should arrive next week ( very beefy precision stuff, well, it cost like one ;) ) RGW35HC2 rails for Y, and RGW30HC2 rails for XZ.
And for screws i will have 32mm 5mm pitch grounded lead-screw
OK. Can I write you an email? Would you like to share it so we could communicate on this CNC project?
ok, write me message over you tube, i will write back in GMAIL
hello sir,
I like your video and information. we need a information about wirring of ethernet smooth stepper board to clear path servo motor
You think it will work on a Bridgeport 8boss R2E3
Hi Linas, where did you buy those servo motors?
clould you give me link of that shop?
thanks
Hi. Directly from teknic
www.teknic.com directly from manufacture company
What is the reason for using the linear encoders when the clearpath servos are already closed-loop?
well, i have 1um RLS encoders. accuracy is 40um/m, and i i know that i will have step resolution of 0.5um. that means i can first, calibrate out screw variance in lead pitch, and also compensate when my system is flexing, since i will be measuring true movement, and not relaying that movement really occurred, even if i have closed loop servo system.
So in short, servo loop will give me confidence that i will not jam, and linear encoders will calibrate out any problems with my mechanics, so i should win some resolution.
Also, MCU will have absolute data where is my machine, so they can perform tool change, since at all time even when i zero out my axis in mach, mcu will know where it is with 1um resolution.
The wiring is the most important part and you skipped it. Plenty if videos on installing and configuring mach4. Please show the wiring diagram.
It's direct connection to smoothstepper. Based on bits in that program. Thats why I did not show that, is is obvious in my opinion.
Thumbs up :)