OK, I am seriously late to the party. I have had my machine sitting in the original boxes for way too long. My order number was 11422. Health and family issues have deterred me from getting much shop time. That being said, it is time that I got off my toot and got busy. Before I gather everything to put this together and set it up, I have a question.
Before I begin my assembly, I am considering upgrading to the new cables with the molded ends to try and eliminate any possible upcoming issues like I have read about others experiencing. So, my question is this…will these cable replacements be for just the external cables or are there any requirements for internal disassembly of the machine? Are there any cables to upgrade the internal cables or is that needed?
First of all, welcome to the party. Secondly, I hope life’s sorting itself out for the better for ya.
Speaking as someone who thought they were experiencing issues with EMI but wasn’t, I have nothing negative to note about the stock cables. The connectors, well, I have opinions on those but not in the realm of sufficiency. I’m personally just not all that partial to plastic coupling on high-torque, moving equipment.
You’re pretty much plug & play as you are without having to worry about interference (barring what may be required in the realm of proper grounding / shielding for VFD / spindle upgrades). The only real pressing issue that I’ve found that you might want to consider is giving the machine a lot more space at its perimeter than you might expect for cables to travel safely without getting hung up on “stuff” and definitely protecting Y1 cable by running it under, as opposed to simply across, the table to eliminate the risk of inadvertent, accidental damage.
If, however, you are inclined to upgrade the cabling, you might as well go all-in for shielded cables and stronger connectors for all the labor involved in replacing the internals… but that’s just an opinion. I’m also the kind of guy who replaces timing chains / gears to metal from fiberglass whenever I’m doing a water pump replacement. “Since you’re in there, you might as well, eh?”.
We just got our Onefinity CNC Journeyman. It’s still in the box. I want to add drag chains to it as I’ve seen some other people do (using the Muddyfeet 3d printed files), and I’m aware that I’ll need to either buy extensions from Onefinity or build new Molex cables from scratch. I’m leaning towards making my own cables (I feel like cost wise, it’s the same or less than buying the extensions).
Piggybacking off of the original posters question, Can you give recommendations on wire and connectors? What connectors would you recommend as opposed to plastic?
Personally, I would probably upgrade to something like this at some point, offering far less risk of pull-out / loss of signal. Keep in mind, too, that this is completely unnecessary and based solely on subjective personal inclinations toward over-engineering everything.
If you’re looking for “bulletproof” as far as EMI goes, which also appears to be completely unnecessary and so on and so forth, this cabling would be par for the course.
Keep in mind that my advice should be taken with a grain of salt. In my mind, this X-35 is a Brigdeport and, since I can see no distinction, I see insufficiency literally everywhere and that allows you to conclude that I am thoroughly unhinged.
Well, it’s still in the box because I haven’t finished soundproofing the garage closet it’s going in. But I’m almost done! Every gap filled with expanding foam, rockwool insulation, plastic air barrier (and all staples covered with sheathing tape), mass loaded vinyl, the first layer of 5/8" drywall, green glue, and finally the second layer of 5/8" which I’m half way done installing. The Onefinity arrived last Saturday (I’ve been using the lead time as best I could to finish the room, but it actually got here early).
And this is what’s so great about this community: quid pro quo. You asked about connectors and cabling, I’d be very interested to know how your soundproofing works out. If you wouldn’t mind and when it’s all said and done, could you share the build process, materials list and a video with the community?
I can relate. I ordered mine with a lead time of I think 6-12 weeks just prior to a relocation and it showed up at the new location within days of moving in. I was nowhere near ready and had actually plopped the system atop a couple of cheap Costco plastic tables because I couldn’t wait to set it up.
Be forewarned this is CCA, copper clad aluminum and I’d suggest avoiding it all costs. You can crimp connectors on it but it won’t solder and the AL in it has a tendency to work harden with movement and break over time. Stick with with copper wire.
Thank you. I didn’t realize there would be different kinds of shielding. For something like this, too, I might want to avoid “made in China”. The cost is attractive but how much effectiveness is traded for it.
