4x6 Plasmabot 3.0 Build with Keling Controller & CandCNC LCTHC & Powermax 1250

I have collected EVERYTHING I need - yea right! I have a huge pile of stuff and I've started assembling it now. I chose to go with the now discontinued No Sleep Studios Plasmabot 3.0 kit due to it using all extruded rail from PBC Linear. I just like the simplicity of it all and it was within my budget.

I am building a full on production machine to start a small business in the CNC Plasma Cutting world. I thought about buying a pre-built machine or a partial kit, but after research right here on the forums, I decided to take the plunge and build from kits available to keep the build time down.

Gantry Bracket Kit - Initial parts order

I ordered my gantry bracket kit from No Sleep Studios NoSleep Studio and as I stated, I went with the Ultimate DIY Plasmabot 3.0 kit which came with the X-axis gantry bracket along with the Y-axis brackets and their backlash Nema 23 brackets - of which I did not use. I did exactly as John said - I made sure I sourced my rail from PBC Linear prior to ordering my kit as they discontinued their IVTAAS rail profile which this kit is designed around. At this time, I also decided I would go with their gear reduction bracketry and placed my order. Everything came nicely packaged and shipped quickly and within the times communicated by John. You are not in the dark here folks, John lets you know exactly where the parts are in production and when they will ship!

After placing the order, I retrieved my BOM or Bill of Materials from my order information page for both the Gantry Kit and the Gear Reduction Kit, and immediately started sourcing parts from various vendors and local supply.

Parts starting to come in

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And quickly, my gantry and gear reduction parts came in from No Sleep Studios. Unfortunately, I did not snap a pic of these parts, I was just excited and unwrapped them!

I also sourced a lightly used Hypertherm Powermax 1250 with hand torch. I will later upgrade to a machine torch, but for now the build will be around a hand torch.

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I assembeled my gear reduction units per the BOM and came up with some nice, smooth running units.

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In the above shown pic, you also see the motor wired up. I used EZG540 DB9 connectors in lieu of trying to source the exact resistor I needed to simplify things. These can be found here EZ-G540 - Set of 4

I ordered directly from the site and they shipped the next day. They are just down the road from me here in Missouri, so I kept my money right here in my home state!

As I waited the 7 weeks for my PBC Linear IVTAAG and IVTAAS rails, I decided to go ahead and work on my control box. After much research here on CncZone, and per John at No Sleep Studio's suggestion, I decided to save some money and again "Kit Form" my control box.

Control Box and Torch Height Control

I went with the Keling G540 and Nema 23 4 Axis kit #3:

Page Title

Also at that time, I ordered their control box kit (scroll to bottom):

CNC Controller | Stepper Motor Controller

It came with the aluminum controller box all pre cut to fit the Gecko G540 controller, an E-stop button, fuse, power inlet and outlets, plus a on/off switch.

Instructions for wiring this were sourced in partial with their wiring diagram as well as the Homan Designs diagram:

http://www.kelinginc.net/G540WD.pdf

http://www.homanndesigns.com/pdfs/EN010_V8.pdf

At this time I decided I would add Torch Heigh Control and sourced this through www.candcnc.com I bought their Low Cost Torch Height Control or LCTHC shown in the link below, as well as their G540 Interface Board.

http://www.candcnc.com/LCTHC.html

Using the holman diagram above, I was able to hook up the power from the 115v input, through the fuse, through the switch, e-stop, back to the power supply and out from there.

My setup uses the CandCNC.com LCTHC and I bought the expansion board for the Gecko G540 and it was seamless! I ran 4 limits to a DB9 connector and will use one for Touch N Go and the others for homes or limits. Not sure if 4 is enough or not - really haven't looked or researched that far. If anyone needs help via a few photos of the inside of my control box, I could snap a few.

I didn't take any photos of the wiring progress. I installed a 3" 3500 cfm 12V fan in the location provided by Keling. A little bit of trimming and I installed the CandCNC THC interface in the front of my control box.

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Keling gives you several different options for mounting the power supply and I just put it right smack in the middle.

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Finished control box - I used 20 awg 600v wiring throughout and all crimped fittings.

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Back of the control box - the LCTHC requires the THC control board to be hit by an outside 12 volts DC and they provide you with the 115v to 12vdc wall pack. I found another one as it is needed in the expansion board I bought from CandCNC for the G540. You cannot use the same 12 volt dc source for both of these boards - it has to be separate. I ended up using a flexible grommet to run these through - wish I would have bought some disconnects for these, in fact I may change this later, making the control box a simple box and not having the 2 power packs hanging off it. I need to close up the rect hole near the DB9. Again the DB9 connector uses pins 1 thru 8 for limit switches.

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Bottom with rubber feet.

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I later found out to completely shut off the control box, the two 12VDC power supplies would have to be ran from the 110V outlet on the control box. Once ran from this outlet, the entire box shuts off witn the E-stop.

I might skip around here as I am trying to compile information and post up as quickly as I can.

Table Drawing and Steel Order

After recieving my PBC Linear V-Rails, I started mocking up and finalizing my table drawing. No Sleep Studios offers several diagrams for dimenions on their forums which are super helpful in determining final meausrements before cutting steel for your base.

I drew up my base in AutoCad to get accurate steel cut lengths so I could call my local supplier and have them pre-cut all of the steel, saving time.

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Steel was ordered and it was picked up quickly.

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I will detail this more once I start assembling the parts. My top rails for the Y-Axis are 2"x2"x3/16" steel and I plan on drilling and tapping them for the IVTAAS rails as well as making this bar a "floating", meaning they will actually bolt on to the rest of the base and can be shimmed to fit as needed.

Stay tuned - I will cover the controller interface with the Powermax 1250, controller and motor testing with Mach 3 as well as assembly of the table base.

Gantry Assembly

I started by drilling and tapping my IVTAAG rail for my X-axis. It taps real easily and no need to drill, just run the tap into the existing holes and you are good to go.

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Y axis drive plates and hardware.

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Drive plates installed.

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Using the kitchen island as an assembly rack due to the extreme heat we have here in Missouri. Wife was gone for the day... LOL

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Finally the Z installed along with the X-axis guide, gear rack and X-axis motor.

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Also got my THC Sensor card mounted in a Radio Shack project box and all wires and DB9 to RJ45 jack adapter. I will hook all of this to my Hypertherm Powermax 1250 real soon.

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I'll update more real soon...

Looking very good. Doing a very similar setup with the G540 and LCTHC. I'll be interested to see your results if you get it up an running before me. Keep it up!

Table Base

Finally got started tacking together the base for this rig. This is one side almost all tacked together.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/8602/img8343.jpg

The top rail will be "adjustable" to make sure I can have it perfectly square. There are 3 of these on each rail and I will drill and tap the bottom of the rail for a 3/16" bolt. The holes are 1/2" so I will have a little room to adjust it as well as I can shim the rail up as needed.

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If all goes well, I'll have it all tacked together this week and start setting up the gantry and V-rails.

Closer all the time!

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I need to drill and tap a bunch of holes, then I can actually bolt the y-axis rails on. Next I will wire it up and fire it up. 8)

I've already tested the electronics so it should go fairly well. Last things to do will be build a water box and slats, build stops and limit switch brackets and build cable chain supports. I will use the machine to build these parts though.

A little OT, but with all this heat we've had, I picked up a 2 Ton AC system for the shop.

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/1885/img83591.jpg

Wish I had time to install it. :mad:

Back on the table, I drilled and tapped my top rails for the V-Rails (68 holes), man that was a pain. I broke 6 taps in the process.

After installing my top rails and squaring them up, I found one side of my gantry is not perfect and is throwing off the alignment. I took it apart and hit it with a grinder and had it all screwed up, but got it close with my disc sander.

It is not precise enough for me, so I am taking it to a machinist to have it trued up on both ends. I think while I'm at it, I might helicoil the aluminum extrusion and make the attachment points a little more solid. After removing them time and time again, I've almost screwed up my threads.

I have tons of pics of progress, but did not bring the camera. I'll post up soon.

Final Welding, Y-Rail tapping and Gantry Install

I burned in all of the joints on my machine base and they turned out really well.

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It doesn't look like much progress, but it’s a ton of work! I got the 68 upper holes drilled and tapped to 5/16-18 and man was that a chore! I broke 7 taps doing it and at $5.00 a pop, that got a little expensive.

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I also attached the rails to the base, fitted and squared them up, then clamped them so I could transfer punch the holes from the base to the bottom of the rails. I drilled and tapped these with 1/2-13. The pads on the base are drilled out to 9/16" so I have a little adjustability if needed.

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After tapping, I re-installed them on the base and bolted/clamped everything down for installation of my gantry and motors. I found out quickly that my IVTAAG rail from PBC was not cut square and was causing one of my v-bearings to misalign. After some time on my disc sander, I got it near perfect and started assembling. I also had to consult jeepsterjc here on the boards - thanks Jim! I was afraid of a minimal amount of misalignment of the v-bearing and he assured me it would square up once the gantry was loaded and it sure did!

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Initially I had my motors symmetrical on the y-axis, but realized I needed them opposed. I switched everything around and it worked fine.

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I am noticing very minimal rust on the steel v-rail inserts as well as the gear rack - anyone have a solution to keep them clean. Can't have regular oil or it would attract dust and dirt. I might try thinner or mineral spirits.

Also, I wanted to add these two pics of the control box opened, as I had to add a ground from the THC to the Interface board as needed to fire the torch.

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Next updates will be plugging everything in and testing. Then I am building my limit switch mounts, after that it will be paint, then water box build! Man, I cant wait to at least test this thing. I've already ran the motors through Mach 3 on a beadlock ring I drew in Autocad - but, seeing the gantry move will be the true test!

I am down to building brackets for the limit switches, then I will install and wire them.

How do I configure my limit switches in Mach?

Also, do I need limits on each axis? What is the limit switch on the floating z-axis touch and go plate for and how is it wired up?

I wired all 4 of my limit outputs from my G540 Interface Board for the LCTHC to a 9 pin DB9 plug on my control box. I was planning on wiring up from a male DB9 to all of the limit switches. What is the typical amount of limits?

I will also have hard stops on my machine. Thanks for your help!!!

Nice welds! I've pm'ed you with what I've done. Enjoy. You're almost there!

Take a look at your micro switches. You have a common, no and nc spade connector on them. I used 4 micros for homes and wired them each individually normally open.

I used 3 more micros as limits. These are wired in series as nc. I didn't use one for Z but I could have. I just didn't see the need for a limit on Z. With my longer runs I used about 600 feet of wire! Everything works great.

Maybe I didn't explain it well in my pm. Sorry.

You explained it just fine, I just am having reading comprehension problems. LOL

Thank you for all your help!

Decided I would go with just 3 homes and set soft limits for the machine for now. I have hard stops built and tacked into place - eventually I will make real stops with the machine once I get it cutting.

I am having trouble getting Mach3 to do anything with these limits though. When I depress them during any kind of travel, nothing happens in Mach.

Cable Chain

I am using around 48" of IGUS chain for my X-axis and about 72" for my Y-axis. I am in the process of mounting up the channel to support the chain and its going well.

Its a real job finding out which cables get routed through the chain, and which are stationary. The key is not to allow the movement of the gantry to stress any of the cables and motor wiring.

http://imageshack.us/a/img715/8179/imag0567c.jpg

I will be mounting up the Y-axis chain in the next few nights and will post up pics of it as well.

X-axis home switch mounts and cable chain brackets

I built the two home switch mounts for my X-axis and they work out fairly decent. I plan to come back and build better mounts all the way around the machine once I get it running - I'll use it to build itself. :o

http://imageshack.us/a/img20/2798/imag0566o.jpg

From left to right: IGUS chain mount for Y-axis - mounts to the 2 top bolts of my gantry plates. X-axis hard stop and home switch mount for right side of the gantry and lastly the left side.

http://imageshack.us/a/img407/5250/imag0565s.jpg

I did not snap pictures of these stops in place, but will get a few pics soon. After this, we are on to the water box and slats, then its time to fire up the machine!!!

You're doing an awesome job man! Can you give me a ballpark estimate on how much your compleyed machine will end up costing? I am debating on following in your footsteps here.

Thanks,
Dave

Not a problem. Right now I have right around $7000 in it and the Hypertherm 1250, computer and everything to date. This also includes the water table basin, but not the slats. Slats will be another $200ish. I also need to purchase the Mach3 and Sheetcam software, but want to make sure everything works perfect before I purchase.

I would be happy to go over steps I've left out on building your control box if you decide to build it. I think now that I'm nearly finished, I should have paid the extra $750 or so for the CandCNC DragonCut or similar unit, but with all the help here on the forums, you can do it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nacs Fab

Not a problem. Right now I have right around $7000 in it and the Hypertherm 1250, computer and everything to date. This also includes the water table basin, but not the slats. Slats will be another $200ish. I also need to purchase the Mach3 and Sheetcam software, but want to make sure everything works perfect before I purchase.

I would be happy to go over steps I've left out on building your control box if you decide to build it. I think now that I'm nearly finished, I should have paid the extra $750 or so for the CandCNC DragonCut or similar unit, but with all the help here on the forums, you can do it!

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Hi, can you elaborate on why you would buy the candcnc unit over building your own, $750 is a fair chunk of change.
Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scrappy doo

Hi, can you elaborate on why you would buy the candcnc unit over building your own, $750 is a fair chunk of change.
Thanks.

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I purchased the LCTHC (Low Cost Torch Height Control) from CandCNC and I really like their support forum, it has saved me a bunch of time. I just think their support is worth the extra money. Plus, when I say I saved $750, this does not include the cost of cables, wiring, and so on, so that number is slightly less.

If you choose to build your own controller, I can offer assistance from my own experiences, as long as your controller is like mine. Other than that, I am lost!