I know I am asking a a lot of questions even before I order but I should be pulling the trigger this week or next.
I see that the cable are unshielded. With my current CNC I had some EMI issues and had to reroute my router cable away from the CNC cables. Now I will be adding a shop vac into the mix which are notorious for cause static. How do some of you run the cables to avoid EMI and those types of issues?
Thank you!
Hey Kevin,
the best would be to replace the stepper cables by shielded 4+PE.
For making your own stepper cables, see here:
For replacing the unreliable Molex/Amphenol stock connectors, see here:
A first countermeasure against EMI would be to add ferrite cores. Remember EMI is something that acts on a cable, but a cable can also emit it.
However you can also try to avoid the sources of EMI:
A VFD that is not enclosed in a grounded VFD Control Cabinet
A spindle power cable that is not properly shielded and terminated (for this, see also this important document)
The carbon-brush commutators of a hand trim router, which is a Universal Motor (also called commutated series-wound motor) (see also router / spindle comparison). As you can’t prevent the sparks of a router’s commutator, think of replacing the stepper cables by shielded cables (Make your own stepper cables for Buildbotics and Onefinity)
To not only prevent EMI but also to comply EN/IEC 60204-1 safety standard, the machine should be electrically bonded and grounded. Here the links with the relevant information on how to do this:
Thank you! I will read those links but at first read seems a bit daunting as by trade I am an RN/RCIS. The majority of EMI I have dealt with are with pacemakers and defibrillators until I got a CNC. Lol