Okay, let's FINISH this #FastBot #plotterbuild are you readyyyyyy? Parts:
machine as it exists now
controller box lid with fan installed
1x 30cm or so Dupont to bare end wire
1x variable length hookup wire for grounding
7x 3x8mm machine screws
1x 3mm t-slot nut
4x driver heat sinks (came with drivers)
a few zip ties
3D printed parts
10x or so t-slot cable clips
Nx cable chain clips (one per cable chain segment)
1x end stop / ground clamp
This is going to be long-ish, sorry
Attach the dupont end of the 30cm wire to one of the black pins on the CNC shield marked END STOPS. Feet the other end of the wire out through the hole in the bottom of the box. (
Remove about 3cm of insulation from the end of the wire.
Similarly, remove 3cm of insulation from the end of the length of hookup wire you'll use to ground the pen rail. Use your fingers to twist the strands a little so it's not messy.
(This will need to be about as long as the Y rail plus 20cm or so, but don't cut it yet.)
Pass the end of the wire upwards through the tail of the cable chain as shown in the photo, so it can be clipped into the chain later.
Loosen the machine screw on the cable chain tail (with the bearing) on the pen rail next to the motor. It's okay if it comes loose for a moment.
Wrap the bare end of the wire around the screw in a loop, as shown.
Tighten the screw again, making sure the part is fixed to the rail.
Tuck the wire and loose end into the groove as shown.
Pass the Dupont end of the X motor cable through the cable chain tail just like the ground wire, so it can be clipped to the chain.
Then start attaching cable chain clips to the chain as shown, making sure the pen cable tube, ground wire, and motor cable are clipped into place inside each link of the chain.
When you're done, the cable chain looks very tidy, almost sexy.
If you'd temporarily ziptied the pen cable tube to the little brackets, cut those ties off now.
Zip tie the tube, ground wire and motor cable to the brackets, routing everything towards the rear right corner of the machine, making sure everything looks tidy.
Now we put in some cable clips. They look like this, and they snap into the v-slot groove of the bottom of the rear rail.
To use them, slip the clip over the wires, then snap the clip into the groove. You will likely need to use a small screwdriver to push both ends of the clip into place correctly (snap!); the tolerances are very small for a 3D printed object.
Clip the X motor cable and the ground wire (not the cable tube) to the extreme right end of the rear rail as shown.
Pick a place on the rear rail where the ground wires will be mounted. This is a place where the ground wire from the pen rail and the ground wire from the controller box overlap next to an unused area of the back of the rear rail.
On this machine, it's between the lift motor and the Y2 motor.
Cut your pen rail hookup wire a little longer than you think you need and strip off 3cm of insulation. Twist the strands to keep it tidy.
Wrap the bare ends of both ground wires between two washers on a 3x8mm machine screw and make sure they're reasonably snug.
This is really fiddly and annoying. Be patient.
Then insert the screw into the 3D printed end stop and spin a t-slot nut onto the back.
Attach the grounded end stop to the rear rail of the machine and make sure it is secure.
Now we'll route the motor cables into the controller box. You'll notice under the box there's a hole partly obscured by the rear rail.
Feed each motor cable gently through this hole from the outside in, gently taking up most of the slack inside the box. Don't pull them tight.
Turn the machine over and use multiple cable clips to tidy up the motor cables underneath the rear rail. The cables should not be tight, nor should they be dangling. Use as many clips as you want to make sure things are tidy.
Make sure the clips are snapped firmly into the bottom of the rail by pressing inside the clip with a small screwdriver or other probe.
The photos show the bottom of the machine with all cables routed.
Now we'll apply the heat sinks to the motor drivers.
Remove ONE motor driver by gently pulling.
Remove the tape cover from the heat sink, and apply the sink to the chip or bare spot on top of the driver board. Make sure the heat sink doesn't touch any connections or components.
Then replace the motor driver where it came from.
Do all four drivers, one at a time, so they don't get out of order.
Plug the motor cables into the headers next to the drivers where they belong.
You labeled each cable with masking tape on the side that should face the driver, and put a letter on the tape to show which driver it goes with, so this is easy. (Of course you did.)
Then gently route the cables beside the drivers so they don't go across the top of the heat sinks.
Tuck any loose motor cabling into the switch side of the box. If there's a LOT of extra cable, you'll need to pull some out of the box and re-organize the cable clips under the rear rail to hold it. The box can hold a little overflow, but not a lot.
I needed to pull some extra X motor cable out of my controller box and fold it over with a new clip, as shown. No big deal.
Use six 3x8mm machine screws to fasten the lid to the controller box.
THAT'S IT. THATS THE LAST THING.
Look at this machine.
Just look at it.
You built it. (share the vision. it could be you)
Plug it into your computer and software and make sure everything still works.
If not
-- is the motor switch on
-- did a cable come loose
-- did a driver get re-inserted incorrectly
-- is your software not recognizing the machine
Couple final notes.
The machine will stand vertically on its feet without falling over. Good for storing it when you're not using it. You can't plot vertically with it in this orientation though. We'll learn more about vertical plotting next week.
It will take me a few days to compile these last posts into the build document, but I will, as promised, be releasing everything soon so you can make one also.
Now it's lunchtime.
Shae M Puckett 🤖🖼