Sorry if this has been answered before; I did a search but didn't find anything.
I have Sherline setup, with FlashCutCNC electronics. For the last 12 years, I have been unplugging the stepper motor cables from the driver box and swapping them whenever I need to change from the lathe to the mill. Fortunately I rarely use the lathe, so it's not that much of an issue ... Also I sometimes swap my rotary table as the Y axis.
I've always thought it would be way better to be able to make those swaps with switches.
As I understand it; I have a Black, Red, Green, Blue wire from each coil, with an accompanying ground wire from the other side of each, with a stripe on it.
I am wondering: can I leave one side of the coils connected to the driver box at all times, and activate the stepper motor I want by connecting the other sides of the coils together and to ground?
I am assuming if I simply leave the white stripe (coil ground) wires connected to each other and and just ground the stepper I want with a SPDT switch, I'll be asking for trouble because the stepper that's supposed to be off will still have all of its grounds connected together. Obviously that makes for small simple switches and wiring, so that would be great if I can do that. But I'm not so sure. Has anyone done this successfully?
Alternatively, I am figuring on a 4PDT switch, with all four Common connected together, and to my driver box. Then when the stepper is deselected, the signal (Hot?) side of the coils will still be connected to the driver box, but all four grounds will be floating and disconnected from each other.
The selected stepper of course will have all four grounds connected together and connected to the driver box.
Am I going to get in trouble with the "hot" sides of the deselected stepper coils being connected in parallel to the selected stepper and controller box?
(I am also figuring on having a clear cover over the switches that will automatically power down the driver box when lifted, to prevent the possibility of accidentally switching a stepper while the driver box is powered up).
Lathe and Mill: One control box?
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Re: Lathe and Mill: One control box?
on first thought this may sound like a good idea but electronics don't like pulses from collapsing magnetic fields.
the system will see this as noise.
i would error on doing a complete disconect of each motor. maybe use mollex connectors or db connectors
the system will see this as noise.
i would error on doing a complete disconect of each motor. maybe use mollex connectors or db connectors