I completed my 4x8 lowrider about a month and a half ago and I am already doing some upgrades. I have purchased a 1.5kW 65mm water-cooled spindle off Amazon as the main use for my lowrider is to flatten slabs and to complete other timely projects. While I complete this upgrade I would like to take the time to do so cable management, however, I have concerns about voltage drop or delayed responses.
Currently, the CNC is sitting on Design8Studio’s metal rail torsion box table with the hidden belts mod on both sides table is 4’-10"x9’-6".
My Plan:
I will be upgrading the x drag chain to a 15mm x 40 mm drag chain to compensate for the water line based on Design8Studio’s 20 mm x 40 mm design. (no concerns here)
(My concerns begin here) For OCD purposes, I would like to add a 15mmx40mm drag chain to run the length of the y-axis like what Design8Studio has designed for his plasma table, except my chain would be much longer. I would like the drag chain to rest on top of the exposed x-ribs in between the unistrut and table.
a. Should I be concerned about this catching anything on the gantry or a router bit potentially
catching it?
b. Would this be too much additional weight for the gantry to be pulling?
I would like to relocate the control board (SKR PRO) and TFT to a centralized location at the end of the table. Doing this I would need to extend all of my wiring. As a guestimate, my longest wires for the stepper motors and end stops would be a little under 20’ long.
a. Would this create too much voltage drop to the furthest steppers, end stops, and spindle?
b. Would there be much delay in the touch plate signal?
c. Would this be too long of a run for my water pump? link here:https://www.amazon.com/Spindle-Cooled-Collet-wrenches-Machine/dp/B0BDRPFRLD/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2XME11Q6KHPWX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EgV0qsi0qtrblEiBizMoe6_lqGxITyCmwavHsybbbBjlqSigwcLwO_sSkF3VHmUxcfHaiXCB13XVW5DdS53J_oCJo14sR8JG45D3Vb4Kuj3zM7dvEauSe1pznqB7eODKfgETv496pqVnBGXNIw8xfAZirazV0DuxwQc_zaSnNjsO4ZVYy2QzgsZZiTLc8tgQe3nwQNr2b0hGNcidNeFzWQer-ggbxBh-vG_aUVRtm6rx17OR0WNxQH73cqBooB1IXjdWiwnaYKv-ciL5I3pXvLu36M1ywzaJrSK-94QkDTM.yyHZGt3DwhrNCk5mGhtGC6mTI5juY4pQO1yW1RxUaXc&dib_tag=se&keywords=1.5kw%2B65mm%2Bwater%2Bcooled%2Bspindle&qid=1708360801&sprefix=1.5kw%2B65mm%2Bwater%2Bcooled%2Bspindle%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-2&th=1
For number 2, tagging Doug @DougJoseph as mimicking his plasma setup, I’m confident he would be the best source for the answers here. He might need more info however on your machine. What power supply your using, controller (assuming SKR PRO still) and steppers. Pretty sure it’s a none issue, but…. I would consider him the better source, OR he could inform you what he has done different on the plasma table to make this not an issue.
3a. Although not answering steppers or end stops, spindle I would think is best answered by the vendor of the spindle.
3c. Again sounds like a good question again from the vendor of the spindle. This of course is going the be determined by the pump specifications. And technically if the included pump isn’t strong enough for 20’, a bigger pump could replace that one, but I’m also assuming you’re trying to minimize setup time, so you’re going to need to know water flow requirements of the spindle for proper cooling (holding tank being used or not will play a factor), and the specifications of the pump being provided. The length isn’t necessarily the part to worry about, as much as the number of elevation changes and the distances of elevation. Pushing liquid through a tube, on a flat plane isn’t hard. Pushing liquid 20’ vertically, requires more pump. The easiest and best way I could recommend is find out the flow rate the spindle needs, and put a flow meter on the line near the spindle to make sure you are meeting that. Lower budget would be a flow indicator and a temperature sensor. If going that route I would place it on the output of the spindle, again near the spindle to get close to accurate as possible temperature of the fluid coming out of the spindle. Again I’m assuming the vendor will be able to provide a optimum operating temperature range.
This should not be a challenge for the LowRider. It can push quite a bit of weight around, even up and down.
This should not be a problem as far as catching or hitting anything. However, the only negative I foresee is that the hidden belts mod provides open clear use of the table for other purposes, and in this scenario, you have to park the LowRider at the far Y-max end of the table to have your cable chain laying down flat. When homed to Y-min, half of the drag chain will be sticking up in your usable space of the table access area.
I am not an EE, and don’t have experience with the water cooled systems, so I should let someone else answer these. My only thoughts are, I think it would take quite a few more feet before voltage drop issues, and with the great speed at which electromagnetic waves propagate along a wire, there should not be any signifigant delay issues.
this change may be for other reasons than I am guessing. BUTTTT if I wanted to centralize my touchscreen for control of the machine, and was worried about the possible voltage drop to the stepper motors, I would move just the screen. The coms between the skr and tft are going to be less likely effected in a noticeable way than than IF the motors see a voltage drop. So by leaving the controler in the same location but moving the screen you only need a longer cable for that. this is just my quick knee jerk reaction. I would have to look at the actual specs to really think it over, and I have very little brain left that functions lately. Having 3 daughters is hell I tell ya.
Another option, though I dont know exactly how to implement on your specific machine would be thicker ga wiring will drop less over the same distance. Might just need to add the legnth of wires in place and test. If there is no problem, then… rock on. If there is, address it at that point.