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IndustryArena Forum > CNC Electronics > DeskCNC Controller Board > How do you hook up limit and home switches?
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    6855

    How do you hook up limit and home switches?

    After many hours of trial and error do to no paper work here is how you do it.

    Limit switches- these are wired in series, you need a switch per axis wired to a ground and to the "limit" terminal. You can use this without using home switches BUT you can only home in the "homing Sequence using "zyx" or "zxy". How it works- when you hit the "home" button the machine will home one axis at a time, when the switch hit than the next axis will start and so on. You must have the "home using Lim" checked off in the "deskcnc setup tab.

    Home switches- These are wired in parallel with the ground wire. Very important you must have the "home using Lim" un-checked in the "deskcnc setup tab. On the Machine tab you can select "simultaneous" for homing sequence. The switch for this will be normally closed, so as the machine homes and hits thw switchs the board sees +5v and goes on to the next axis.

    The above maybe revised, I have to double check all my facts but this will help many that have no direction.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    8
    hi guys I have a limit switch with 3 wire +5V GND and out put, I connected the out put to pin10 in breakout board and set Mach3 X ais limit switch to 10, but the switch is not sending a signal to Mach3, I am not sure why.

    Any help highly appreciated

    [email protected]

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340
    Are you sure about the 3 pins? Are you sure it does not say NC/5vdc/NO?

    MACH NEEDS NC and 5
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    8

    Limit switch

    Thanks for your reply

    I have another Omron mechanical home switch which has 3 connection
    NC, N0 and COM, I didn't really try that one because I don't have a diagram for it.

    Do you have an idea how to connect the NC, NO and COM to breakout board?

    Thanks

    Piere

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340
    You do NOT need to use NO(normally open), so hook one to the 5vdc and the other (NC normally closed) to the correct pin. As you stated pin 10, I am not sure on the board you are using where that would hook up. You should refer to a shcematic.
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    8

    Limit switch

    Hi pointcloud,

    I am just testing one mechanical switch with NO
    since it is NO, I connected the COM in switch to PIN 10 in Breakout board and GND to NO, now normally when the switch triggered it suppose to send a signal to breakout board, correct, the signal should be a low

    nothing happen no response from Mach3, or the switch is not sending a low.

    !!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340
    In Mach 3 (I have) the switch is NC (low active). I know you can configure it normally open, but most use normally closed so that they can daisy link limits.

    Check out this site:
    http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php

    These guys are the writters of mach. Ask and they can tell you a lot more than I.

    If you do not get an answer there I can do some looking Monday. I can not remember excatlly..
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

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