In that case I will upgrade my 3/4. Conduit machine 
also
I would totally rip something apart if I had to just to try that. Well, I need to catch up on the list of stuff wifey wants first with the upcoming primo. But I was thinking about making my teeny tiny a bit larger with a primo update anyway. What do you think? 18x18 with 1" conduit? You have time, my man, but I’m in.
Has anyone designed/ built/ used a grommet in the ends of their tubing to prevent chafing on the wires? I plan to use wire sleeve, but a nice plastic piece would look good and protect the wiring.
Doesn’t seem like it would be too hard- I’m guessing someone has already thought of this.
I have. Sorry I no longer have the files but simple to do in Tinkercad.
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Was it worth the effort? I’m guessing not, if you don’t have the files anymore, and based on the general lack of use on the build photos I’ve seen.
Thanks!
I think the are some on thingiverse. I’ve seen a few solutions, including some with jacks for whether cable, even!
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I found this plug for 3/4" conduit. Could be modified to put a hole in it for the wires to pass through.
Or, this one that would need to be resized for your tubing ID.
I thought it was, the only reason I deleted the files is I was just trying to get rid of clutter and it’d probably take no more than 5 min to redo them. I went with the belt & suspenders of the grommet & wire loom.
I actually modeled and printed a couple of these yesterday. Still working on getting the dimensions right so I get a snug fit. Took about 10 minutes to whip up the model in Fusion 360 and 40 minutes or so to print out.
The coolest ones I remember seeing had a spot to stick on a keystone jack for RJ45. Put a plug on the stepper and you can easily take them on/off the machine. You could then use cat-5 cable to run to your controller.
I haven’t made caps for mine, but I do tend to zip tie my leads where the come out of the pipes so that they don’t move at that point. I don’t see a good place to do that on the new machine, so I’ll be figuring something out when I get to that point.
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Therein lies my problem. I’m not yet good enough in F360 (or anything else besides sketchup) to draw it.
: )
Ok, I’ve spent the last hour in F360, and I might actually have something that I can print. It’s pretty crude, but it might work!
Thanks for the drive to figure it out.
Glad you were inspired. Mine was a sketch with 3 circles, 2 extrusions, and a filet to round over the outside edges.
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Did your center circle have a slot to the edge so you can slide the cable in and out, or do you plan on cutting the chord and running it through the hole?
I was planning to install it in the tube during assembly, and just route the wiring through it as part of the tube. I would not try to install the grommet after the wiring is already run. If the wiring is already there, then you’d need a slot.
For the DeWalt tool, are we supposed to remove the cord strain relief in order for things to fit properly? I rotated the piece with the lock on it to line up with the DeWalt logo, but the cable sticking out only leaves me with about 2 inches of travel.
Also, I think I missed the step that said how to use the wire Darryl part. (Edit: I think these get attached to core clamps on the gantry?)
I didn’t put a slot in it, but I cut the cables on my steppers and installer latching molex connectors on the motor and cable end so I can easily swap them. My plan is to use these inserts as a basis for building a part to hold the bar that the Z-axis cable chain will run on. But I haven’t gotten started on that yet.
When I do, I’ll probably put the slot in to slip cables through. But, if I do that, I’m going to increase the diameter of everything so that there is enough tension to keep the insert in the pipe. (Think squeeze slightly to insert, and the tension provides the friction to hold it.)
The best way to learn f360 is spending hours making something simple, watching YouTube videos, learning from your mistakes, and getting more efficient. When I started solid works, my parts looked okay but the design process looked like a truck accident. Over time you find new and better ways of designing
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