The Shapeoko Forum

Hello everybody,

My name is Caleb, and this is my Shapeoko 2 build log thread.

My setup so far consists of:
1. Shapeoko 2 mechanical kit
2. 156 oz/in NEMA 23 stepper motors on the X and Y axis.
3. C10 parallel port breakout board
4. Pololu DRV8825 stepper drivers
5. 36VDC 9.7A power supply driving the four stepper motors, and a 5VDC power supply for the breakout board and logic component of the driver boards.
6. Old PC running LinuxCNC
7. Dewalt DW660 (mounted with Improbable constructs mounting brackets)
8. limit/home switches
9. Super-PID

Below are some videos documenting my progress, and different aspects of my Shapeoko 2 build.




Here's my Shapeoko 2 Electronics enclosure.


Here's a rough diagram of my wiring setup. Below is a fairly high resolution image of the diagram, and also a link to the Visio file of the diagram itself.

Credit for the images of the C10 breakout board and DRV 8825 boards should go to CNC4PC.com and pololu.com

http://bobdylansays.com/wp-content/uplo ... ematic.zip

CalebPeters wrote: 2. 156 oz/in NEMA 23 stepper motors on the X and Y axis.

Congratulations on an excellent Hello World!

Please take a moment to write up anything which you'd care to mention about doing the NEMA 23 motors --- you can post it here, or put it on the wiki in a new page.

Thanks!

WillAdams wrote:Please take a moment to write up anything which you'd care to mention about doing the NEMA 23 motors --- you can post it here, or put it on the wiki in a new page.

I really didn't do all that much, but I can definitely document how I did it.

I used the inventables' blog post, found here http://blog.inventables.com/2013/10/sha ... order.html, as a guideline to determine what I needed to mount the NEMA 23 motors.
The parts I used were:
12x - M5 x 20 Button Head Screw
24x - M5 Flat Washer
12x - M5 x ¼” Long Spacers
12x - M5 Hex Nuts
3x - 18 Tooth ¼” Shaft GT2 Pulley

I arranged them in the order of:
Screw > Washer > Motor Mount Plate > Spacers > NEMA 23 motor > Washer > Hex Nuts

Finally, here's some photos to further document the way I installed my NEMA 23 motors.

Can you post your LinuxCNC config file? And what software are you using for CAM?

samc99us wrote:Can you post your LinuxCNC config file? And what software are you using for CAM?

Software wise I'm currently trying out makercam, mostly because it's free, but also because it seems pretty nice. I'm sure it has some limitations, so I'm planning on looking at other applications after I get a little bit more experience using the machine.

As far as, my Linux CNC config goes I'll post it, but with the proviso that it may contain a less than optimized setup. It may even contain some horrible mistakes.

Come to think of it, it may be beneficial for me to document how I went about my first LinuxCNC configuration for my Shapeoko 2.


I chose "XYZ" and not "XYZA" because the second Y axis motor will simply be the same signal as the first Y motor, but with the direction inverted.
I'm using 4 Pololu DRV8825 stepper drivers, so the step time, steps space, direction hold, and direction setup pertain specifically to this stepper driver. However, if you have a different stepper driver here, http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.p ... ive_Timing, is a list of stepper drivers that the LinuxCNC community has compiled.

As far as, the parallel port settings go I really can't give too much insight, so good luck if your address isn't the same as mine.
Then we get to the base Period Minimum jitter section... All I know is you don't want to skip it, and when the test is running you should try stressing the machine.


This screen is fairly self-explanatory. Note the checkmark next to pin 7. This is what will allow both of your Y steppers to move in the same direction. Also, mark any pins that you are not using as unused.


The motor steps per revolution value was derived from my motor's spec sheet.
The driver micro-stepping value came from the fact that my particular stepper drivers can do 1/32 micro-stepping.
The "Pulley teeth (Motor:Leadscrew)" is only used if you have some form of gearing between the stepper motor and the lead screw. If you don't have any gearing, which you won't on a stock Shapeoko 2, then simply input "1.0" into both fields.
The leadscrew pitch is based on the fact that I have 18 Tooth Pulleys, and belting with a 2mm pitch. So, the equation is 18*2= 36.
The maximum velocity and acceleration values will probably vary from setup to setup, you can experiment with how much you can push your motors by clicking the "Test this axis" button.
The rest of the fields are just some rough measurements of mine. They're not exact, but so far they have worked for drawing.


I simply set up the y-axis identical to the x-axis. One warning that I can't stress enough, do not attempt to test this axis if you have the belts on both Y motors. Apparently there's some sort of a bug in the configuration wizard that causes only one motor to work. However, when actually using the software to perform jobs, both motors will work properly.


Basically this is the same as the other two axis. I'm pretty sure I got the leadscrew pitch from a reply to a post that Edward made.

And, that's it for now. If you see any mistakes don't be afraid to point them out, I'm still very new to all this.

I would also like to point out that I didn't just come up with all this on my own. There is a lot of very good resources that led me to do most of the stuff I did on the Shapeoko website, as well as on the Linux CNC site. My thanks to everyone who has contributed to these two projects.

So, I'm currently in the process of setting up my limit/home switches. Here's a video demonstrating what I've got so far.



Things I need to do before I can consider the limit/home switches done.

• Figure out a permanent method of attaching the magnets to the machine. (Scotch tape isn't going to last forever.)
  Figure out some sort of connector scheme for the switches. ( I'm thinking RJ-45)

CalebPeters wrote:Figure out a permanent method of attaching the magnets to the machine. (Scotch tape isn't going to last forever.)

Cups?

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... 2363,42348

WillAdams wrote:
Cups?

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... 2363,42348

That looks like a pretty good option, thanks for the tip.

5 minute epoxy for the magnets. A little heat and it'll come off the aluminum without much issue. If you want a really permanent bond, scratch the aluminum and use 30 minute epoxy.

Much thanks for the LinuxCNC setup, got me through a pen drawing! If you're using a HobbyCNC driver board, the step and direction pinouts are switched from the default configuration file for the HobbyCNC driver board. I still have some work to do, debating between using metric and inches going forward and still haven't generated my own g-code.

Caleb,

I have read your post with interest. I am new to CNC router systems, but have been an amateur woodworker, turner and carver for years. I have decided to take the plunge with the Shapeoko 2. However, I want to upgrade the electronics from the basic NEMA 17 system sold by Inventables. I have taken the your input and input from several other forum members to compile a NEMA 23 electronics list. I would like you take a look at my list and indicate if this is what you believe I need for a NEMA 23 x and y axis with a NEMA 17 z-axis. I have provided this list below:

NEMA 17 Stepper Motor - 25253-01 - Qty 1
Stepper Motor Cable - 25305-01 - Qty 15 ft
Power Supply-24volt - 25309-01 - Qty 1
Power Cord - 25320-01 - Qty 1
Arduino Uno with grbl Installed - 25063-02 - Qty 1
grblShield - 25368-02 - Qty 1
Terminal Blocks (2x4 Type) - 24306-01 - Qty 3
Power Supply Adapter Cable - Qty 1 (Is this the barrel plug connector?)
Black Expandable Sleeving 1/4" I.D. - Qty 2 ft
Black Expandable Sleeving 3/4" I.D. - Qty 4 ft
Heat Shrink Tubing 1/4 I.D. - Qty 1 ft
Heat Shrink Tubing 3/4 I.D. - Qty 1 ft
M3 Hex Nuts - Qty 8
M3 Flat Washer - Qty 35
Socket Head Screw M3 x 12 - 25285-10 - Qty 8
Socket Head Screw M3 x 8 - 25285-08 - Qty 12
NEMA 23 Motors - 25311-02 - Qty 3
18 Tooth, ¼ Shaft MXL Pulley - Qty 3 (I am not sure this is necessary?)
MXL Belt, ¼” wide - Qty 5 ft (I am not sure if this is necessary?)
18 Tooth ¼” Shaft GT2 Pulley - 26054-02 - Qty 3
GT2 Belt ¼” wide- ft - 26053-01 - Qty 5 ft
Spacers #12 x ¼” Long - 25312-13 - Qty 12
Button Head Screw M5 x 20 - 25286-15 - Qty 12
Flat Washer M5 - 25287-01 - Qty 24
Hex Nut M5 - Qty 12

I know this is a long list, but I need some one with build experience to confirm I have made the right choices. I would appreciate you taking a look at it and confirm or deny whether I have the correct list of parts needed. I plan to use the Dewalt DW660 like you and felt that I would need the NEMA 23 to drive this system. Your input would be appreciated.

Separately, I will want to eventually move to a system that uses a controller that is compatible with Mach 3 or LinuxCNC. Your input on what controller elements I would need to purchase would be much appreciated in the future.

Thanks,

Mark