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The new CNC machine has been functioning for a while and now we are really close to having all of the details completed. We have made a frame beneath the primary table of the CNC to hold two drawers on each end for controllers and storage. We have constructed one drawer and have the controllers in place, but there is some more cable management to be done there. Otherwise, we have been in the process of making the modular interface panel.

The connectors we need for the panel are the power in, power out for spindle and vacuum, main switch, three motor connectors, parallel port, six limit switch connectors, and one emergency stop connector. For now, we have chosen to not use relays as we do not have the break-out-board accommodating that, but we will sometime in the future.

For the main power in, we chose a standard male plug where an extension cord can be used with a standard female plug wired to the back of the the male plug. A surge protector is plugged into that connector. For the two power out plugs, I used standard computer power cables, by cutting the female end and wiring to the plugs followed by plugging those into the surge protector. The main switch is wired to the primary power plug.

We chose four-pin XLR connectors for the motors, which we purchased from Mouser. These connectors work great for this application, because they make good connections and are not very expensive. As you can see, we haven’t mounted connectors for the parallel, limit switches, or emergency stop. We do, however, have our emergency stop button ready…

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