Mach4 and x-carve, a DIY solution

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1

Hi. I just finished a test assembly of a DIY motor controller/driver which works with MACH3 and MACH4 over Ethernet.
With this solution, the Nema23 motors work very smoothly on my XCarve, its music :blush:. If you like MACH CNC control software, it is a perfect setup, imho.
I used the follwing components:

Hardware:

  • Pokeys57CNC controller 6-26V current, manufactured by PoLabs (about US $135). This controller has much more to offer than i currently use in my test installation (8 axis and plenty I/Os and PWM outputs)

  • Stepper Motor Driver Max 4A Current 12-24V voltage per phase, sold by Stepperonline (US $29,00 per motor).

  • Spindle Speed Controller, sold by inventables (US $35).

  • various wires, clamps and connectors taken from my hobby inventory

  • Refurbished 48V and 24V power supplies, 48V for the spindle, 24V for the controller and the stepper motors.

  • LAN. Pokeys can also use USB connection instead of Ethernet.

Software:

  • A Windows 10 desktop (Windows 7,8 are ok).

  • Pokeys Configurator.

  • Pokeys MACH4 plugin.

  • MACH4 (Demo or Hobby).

I include 2 pictures of my rough-and-ready installation. Currently, i only use 3 of the 4 motor drivers. I now plan to design a proper housing for the controller and drivers. Because of the large cooling elements attached to the stepper motor drivers, there is no need for a ventilator!

Would any body be interested into instruction documents how to build and configure that controller, or even into an assembly kit (with or withoud the Pokey and Stepper Motor Drivers)?
I will be happy to answer any questions or listen to suggestions.
Regards, Alfred.

IMAG0267.jpg1840×3264 1.2 MB

IMAG0263.jpg1840×3264 1.17 MB

2 Likes
2

Have you used earth wire for the connections between the controller and the terminal blocks?
Bad idea even for low voltage. If you have a problem, trouble shooting is going to be more difficult.

3

Awesome, glad to see someone else diving into Mach4 and using an X-carve. I have been very happy with the setup thus far( mach is super smooth). Newfangled solutions is still working on Mach 4 but it is pretty solid as is, new functionality is being added quickly. I am excited about the probing and height offset stuff. I have done some lua work for custom DROs and FRO stuff and it all works well. I have started chronicling my build at http://ptoxcarve.blogspot.com/ good luck and happy building.