Stand-alone control box

This weekend I was trying to set up a test station where we could do quality testing on motors before putting them into a tool (replacing a motor on a finished tool is a real bummer...). And I thought--why not make the station a mini control box--complete with four motor outputs, and a receptacle that you could plug a router (or any 110V device) into for control with the relay.

Thought I'd stick it up on the forum and see if anyone else thought this was an interesting idea--or had ever wanted a control box to connect to some other stepper motor powered device...?

See attachment for photo

p.s.outside dimensions are 10.5 x 6 x 4.25



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2017 03:37PM by Brian Owen, ShopBot.

Here's a cool video of the boot-up sequence!
[www.youtube.com]

That is sweet. I don't have use for it today but can see needing one down the road. I hope enough others show interest that you add it to the catalog.

Well--it may be a thing eventually anyway. There are a couple of more specific purpose machines that we've been developing for our production needs here. They all need control systems--but don't always have a convenient spot for them to be built into the tool. So--in addition to giving the guys a test station, the box might be good for those other tools.

The problem that I see with it is that there is so much money in the electronics--a box like that would end up costing around $1500.
Inventables sells their control box for just $330.
Our system is a bit more beefy than theirs and we're using electronics that we designed for large shopbot tools--along with the g250x drivers...but that is probably overkill for a lot of machines that people would want to build. It'd be hard to justify.

Mark--you've got an x-carve, right? Does the power for the spindle run through the control box or do you just plug the router into the wall and turn it on and off when you cut? Also--how many driver channels are there? What connection type do you use to connect the motors?

Brian Owen, ShopBot Wrote:
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>
> Mark--you've got an x-carve, right? Does the power
> for the spindle run through the control box or do
> you just plug the router into the wall and turn it
> on and off when you cut? Also--how many driver cha
> nnels are there? What connection type do you use t
> o connect the motors?

Brian, sorry, I don't have an x-carve, until my Origin comes the handibot is my only cnc router.

I've looked at them fairly extensively though and I've never seen a fourth axis or a router controller.

That is quite a price difference but for a nice, easy to use and set up control box, it may well be worth the difference to some, well to me for sure. If you could pull off bundling the controller with Vcarve you'd sell to those who want to build their own and understand the differences.
You know I try to steer people away from belt driven hobby routers for their first.