Thanks. I guess I need to purchase a dedicated tablet. Can I use an android or do I need something else.
The computer I will be working with my files will be my iMac which I can’t put in a room with dust as it is also my work computer.
Once I produced my file would I then move it to the tablet and go from there?
You can use Android tablets, iPad or other types. Each of these includes a web browser. As long as the controller is on the same network as your tablet, MacBook, PC or phone you can control the controller using a web server that is installed on it.
In my case I create my gcode on my PC and then I log into the web server on my controller. I now have a website visible in my browser (Chrome, Firefox, IE, etc.) I click on the Upload button on my browser, then navigate to and upload the file directly to the SD card on the controller. At this point I could also run the job from my PC, but it is in my office and my Lowrider is on the shop floor. I want to be closer to my machine when I start the job. So I open the controller’s web server on a mobile device (tablet, phone, etc.), load the stock onto the spoilboard, jog the spindle along the X, Y and Z axes and set the origin. Then start the job.
Hi, how are you? I hope you are fine …
I am from Chile and I am following your post of the lowrider 2 nema 23 and I have some questions.
1.- which is the model of the nema 23 that you are using or its measurements to find and buy the correct one since there are several models of nema 23.
@Francisco_Solar,
Here is a link to what I used:
I have been reading all the information shared in this forum and it is all great. I want to build a V2 with 1.5A nema 23 motors which are compared to the nema 17 but I can’t know about 3d printing and I would like a design like the Lowrider v2. Someone has the stl to adapt a nema 23 of 1.5A please.
This has been discussed in the past on these forums do you should be able to find info on that conversion. I’m curious as to why you want to use bigger motors. Early consensus was the bigger motors don’t really provide benefit relative to the added cost of bigger drivers needed to run them. You don’t get additional speed or accuracy.
@ttraband I also don’t get missed steps, even with bigger DOC, even while cross-cutting plywood.
Also, instead of pushing NEMA 17 motors and generating a lot of heat, which plastic does not appreciate, I run my NEMA 23s at 48V. Higher voltage means lower amperage which means the steppers run cooler. This is important when the temperature runs into the triple digits over 100 days each year…
I understand that point. I would like to use a nema 23 that I reuse from a xerox printer, I have 5 equal ones of 1.5A and thus be able to save a little money and not buy new ones. Buying through amazon costs me 90 dollars. (I am from mexico)
I’ll absolutely defer to those with practical experience with the conversion.
This would normally be the case. But with stepper motors, they send a constant current, no matter what the source voltage. They do this by turning the voltage on and off. If you have higher voltage, the power will be on for less percentage of time, but the current will be the same. A 48V PSU is “on” for 1/4 the time compared to a 12V psu.
The reason a 48V would be preferred is if you were moving very fast, and the motors start fighting back enough past the point where 12V on all the time and it isn’t giving enough current.
So more voltage means more speed. Or more torque at higher speeds.
I bet your motors are cool because they are big.
While I do agree with your technical point about the constant amperage for any given moment that voltage is applied, the actual amperage applied over any time period of operation is less.
We don’t have to agree. So if this argument is bothering you, please ignore it .
But the goal of the driver is to get as close to a constant current as possible. They control around the current over time. V=I*R, so when they are on, the higher voltage actually sends more current through the wire, and then it is turned off faster, and the total current is the same.
In systems with constant power, the current goes down as the voltage goes up. Because P=IV. So if the power was constant, and the voltage was twice as high, the current would be half.
All else equal, the torque is proportional to the current, so if you were getting less current, you be getting less torque too.
And we finally circle back to my initial answer to Tom’s question: with the NEMA 23s I can move the spindle with enough speed and torque to accomplish the job without generating enough heat to deform the plastic parts. Which I could not do with the NEMA 17s.
Hello, how are you? I hope my bro is fine. They could take a photo session of your lowrider to observe the details of the assembly. Thank you very much for the STL troject my brother
I wanted to change out to high torque NEMA 23s so I can push cuts faster with less possiblity for skipped steps until something happened that changed my mind (for now). While running a full slot cut at 1500mm/min 6.35mm roughing bit at 18mm DOC I placed three 40lb bags of cat litter on the 4’x8’ sheet stock to dampen the vibrations and hold it down. I took the bags off as the gantry neared each bag with the exception of the last one. I completely forgot to move that last bag! The lowrider (with Nema17 84oz.in of torque) pushed the bag off the table without loosing any steps.
I don’t have anything to add to this thread, I just want to say that this forum is a treasure trove and I love it. I had never even heard of the tindie.com site linked earlier in this thread, and they had exactly the stepper board I was thinking I needed. Thanks!
what part is this and where does it go. pullin hair out i don’t have.
This part was designed to be attached to the Y-plate below the Y_Motor_Mount_Bottom to support the section holding the Z-axis lead screw nut. I was concerned that the extra gantry weight would be too much for that stress point.
ok, have you seen or heard of thes Machifit ER11/ER16 Chuck CNC 500W Brushless Spindle Motor With 55mm Clamps and Power Supply Speed Governor Speed Control Device - D, are they any good?
