My CNC is in an unheated garage (i.e. I only do summer-time CNCing). Being as I am in Saskatchewan, we get -40C winters.
I have a Journeyman Elite that I upgraded from the Buildbotics. When I had the Buildbotics, I removed the screen and controller and moved those to my house during the winter.
The FAQ states that the MASSO Touch storage temp range is: -40 ~ 70 °C. I do
not know what the storage temp range of the power-supply and stepper motors is.
I was planning on removing the Touch controller and moving it to my house over the winter. The controller is expensive and full of electronics so no question, it is moving to my house for winter storage.
My question is … what should I do about the power-supply and the stepper motors, so as to not void warranty? Do I need to remove them and move them indoors over the winter?
This is purely my own opinion with nothing to back it up.
The power supply and stepper motors should be fine as long as they are dry. Have you ever had any frost buildup in your garage? If frost inside the garage is an issue, then maybe you should move the other electronics into the house as well. Just look around your garage and see if other tools suffer from winter storage. That should be your primary indicator.
I think that is the sensible thing to do. Replacing a single stepper motor could impact your materials budget. I don’t even want to contemplate replacing four.
what can be critical is a rapid temperature change. If you bring a cold electronic component into the warm too quickly, the humidity inside can condense and water in electronics can easily cause damage. Many a new camera that was lying in front of the door for hours in winter, stored by the supplier, has broken in this way. It’s better to let it acclimatize in a semi-warm hallway and only unpack it after a longer period of time.
Also I think there is a big difference between a stepper motor that is just very cold and that does not operate, and operating a motor at a very low temperature.
I would take everything that contains electrolyte capacitors into the house in winter if the temperature falls under -10 °C, i.e. the controller / power supply / display.
Thanks for the advice! You make a great point about rapid temperature changes. I’ll definitely keep that in mind when moving my electronics. Letting them acclimatize sounds like a good idea to avoid any moisture issues. I appreciate the tips about the electrolytic capacitors too! I want to keep everything in good shape during the winter.