I also place the controller very close to the drivers (on the back of the gantry). All of the cables are shielded. The only long cables are the mains power cables and the USB cable. The USB cable is shielded and contains active repeaters.

There is no problem putting all of the electronics in a box and using long cables to the motors. This is the way I did it for a very long time.

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Great site. I saw your videos of wiring the Mach3 USB controller. You place the drivers next to the Steppers. This means that you have very long leads to the USB Board? What about the placement of the controlling PC? Is it a problem to have the USB board, PSUs and Drivers in a control box and long leads to the steppers? Thank you.

What is the model number of the laser controller?

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Hey - the model number on the laser controller is
AWC708C
S/N:708014243

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Do you need any additional information here? I really want to get going on it this weekend!

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Sorry about that. If you are referring to the CN1 and CN2 connector, I don't believe it is needed if it didn't come with the connector. The components that we send to the customer is the same package that is sent from the manufacturer of the product. I would try connecting it to the CN1 connector of both units and test the interface (control panel).

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The manual for the AWC 708 shows the two ports CN1 and CN2 connected, but that may just be for thorough documentation if the CN2 is needed for some reason. Do you have a copy of the manual or know where to find it? If not, I will put the document link here.

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my 40w blacktooth laser kit with laser control unit only came with one controller connector, but the unit has two controller ports. Should I have two wires or do I just use controller port number one?

It is usually best to mount the motor in a way so it is spinning clockwise to avoid confusion.

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ok, but lets say the motors turn clockwise. if you mount it to ether side of the y axis it will pull to that side so what are the correct positions of the stepper motors. is it the left side or the right side of the y axis and also is it the front or back of the x axis?

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cw250 with mach3 controller

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What side of the x and y axis do you mount the stepper motor to? If it does not matter what side, do I have to change something in mach3?

Red is A+
Blue is A-
Black is B+
and Green is B-

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I purchased the 3 Axis Heavy Gantry Electronics /w Pokeys57CNC controller and the motors supplied only have 4 wires coming out of them (R,G,B,Blk). Your wiring video shows wiring 8 cables. do you have a video showing how to wire the 4 wire version?

The size of the stepper motor is measured in holding torque, generally oz/in. You will determine the torque loads of your axes when selecting steppers. Once you know which stepper you need, the drivers and controller board are simple to pair with them.

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I'm trying to build my CNC router 3m*1.3m, but i'm not sure what is the type of stepper motor i should pay, all my CNC body is Al. I need to bay 4 Stepper motors, 4 drivers, spindle, inverter, and i don't know what is the type of controller ?

The Mach3 USB interface board requires 24V relays externally. There are no relays on the mach3 usb board. If you use an external relay on the mach3 usb board, the relay connects to the V+ which is 24V and the output pin is the return.

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I understand what you are saying. Does your relay board work with the Mach3 USB board? If not, what relay board do you suggest to work with this usb controller?

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Our relay board works with our parallel breakout board. An off the shelf SSR (Solid State Relay) made for 24V should work fine.

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I bought a 'BuildyourCNC V1' relay board to go with my mach3 usb controller. I have been sent a 'Songle' relay. It's not the one in your picture and it's got different connections, for which there isn't a wiring diagram. The one I ordered says it is 5v, this one seems to be saying it's a 24v unit. Can you please explain what has happened? Thanks

The Mach3 USB interface board requires 24V relays externally. There are no relays on the mach3 usb board. If you use an external relay on the mach3 usb board, the relay connects to the V+ which is 24V and the output pin is the return.

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I understand what you are saying. Does your relay board work with the Mach3 USB board? If not, what relay board do you suggest to work with this usb controller?

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Our relay board works with our parallel breakout board. An off the shelf SSR (Solid State Relay) made for 24V should work fine.

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I bought a 'BuildyourCNC V1' relay board to go with my mach3 usb controller. I have been sent a 'Songle' relay. It's not the one in your picture and it's got different connections, for which there isn't a wiring diagram. The one I ordered says it is 5v, this one seems to be saying it's a 24v unit. Can you please explain what has happened? Thanks

This sounds like a problem with the step (pulse) signal. The driver motors receive two signals from the computer via the board -- one is high or low and tells the motors which direction to turn, one is a square wave pulsed signal(quick that tells the motor to turn or a constant high signal that tells the motor to maintain its position. With an oscilliscope you can check for proper signal at the board. If you bought the board from us, please contact us to arrange a return authorization.

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Y axis on usb controller not working. The motor gets power and holds but will not turn. I tried switching the same wires, driver, and motor over to the A axis on the controller and it works fine like that. I have double, and triple checked the wiring

Could you specify which breakout board you have? If you have a parallel port version, be sure that you have purchased the "legacy" parallel port version from Mach4. If this proves not to be the problem, please feel free to email us directly at techsuport@buildyourcnc.com or call 281-815-7701 for troubleshooting instructions.

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I need a resource, we bought 2 redfly systems and mach 4, We put one motor on for the x axis but cannot get it move. Can you direct us to some tutorial?

If your motors are hot to the touch, this is normal. Current is being drawn by the motor coils as the motor moves and as the motor stays at a position. If the motor is not using the current in the coils to move (holding it's position), the energy will be translated as heat (rather than motion, sound or light). Even while moving, some of the energy will be lost as heat. Remember that energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

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I HAVE FOLLOWED ALL THE "CNC ELECTRONICS 1 - 9" VIDEOS AND I'M USING ALMOST EXACT SAME COMPONENTS (MOTORS RUN SOUND GOOD) BUT MOTORS ARE RUNING VERY HOT IN JUST 15MIN WITH NO LOAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG OR DO STEPPERS HOT?

The most likely issue here is that your email did not save in our system. Please email us to determine your shipping status and tracking number at customerservice@buildyourcnc.com

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I ordered the Mach 3 usb controller board on the 1st and I have not received an order conformation or shipping confirmation. My account was charged however.

Yes, the 651 oz/in motor requires a driver that is compatible to the motors (the motor will draw 6 amps max and the driver paired with this motor will be able to allow for a 6 amp draw). I would also recommend a 36 volt power supply for better high velocity performance.

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I HAVE ONE OF YOUR SMALLER STEPPER MOTORS RUNNING MY X AXIS BRIDGE CRANE AND IF IT IS MOVED TO FAST THE MOTOR SOUNDS LIKE SKIPPING STEPS WILL 651OZ REQUIRE A DIFFERENT POWER SUPPLY CONTROLER?

Did you install the Mach3 USB plug-in?

Make sure that you followed all of the steps and diagrams on the following page:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board

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ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WORKS. I HAVE ALL STRUCTURE AND MECHICAL PARTS OF THE BLACKTOOTH CUTTER DONE. HOWEVER WHEN WIRE UP STEPPER MOTOR TO DRIVER. THAT MACH 3 USB CONTROLLER BOARD, TRY JOG MOTOR, WORKS! PREVIOSULY HAD PLANET CNC BREAKOUT HOWRVER, ONLY MOVED MOTORS IN ONE DIRECTION COULDNT CHANGE IT. ANY HELP WOULD BE APRECIATED

Recommend first test to check a non-working axis, is to connect the current working axis(ex X-axis) to either the y/z axis to test the actual board and wiring in other axis setup. If tests failed and working (x-axis setup) does not working in the new axis location, go the Planet-CNC/File/Settings/Axes and check if your current non-working axis setup requires a inverted pulse. Check box and test again.
Next test if first fails, is to check continuity in your wires. A simple multimeter(ohm's) will work, just connect the positive and negative ends to one side of the same wire and if reading comes to 0.000, wire has continuity and if reads 0.L then there is a break in the wire and should be replaced.

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I installed the USB CNC Planet and got out of your USB controler $ 75 .Viska have linked to a video 'Party - 2.. X - running and y and z-axis does not work, it moves step motors and controller positions X -axis works, and Y and Z does not work.

Stepper motors are designed to move in specific increments; these increments are called "steps". For example, a common standard is for 200 steps per full revolution. Microstepping is a method to send signals to the motor to move only a fraction of a full step at a time. For example, if a motor has 200 steps per revolution and is microstepped 1/16, then effectively there are 3200 small step movements (microsteps) per revolution instead of 200 larger ones. This makes the motion of the motor much smoother and more precisely controllable, at the cost of decreased holding torque.

Here are is a good references for stepper motor theory: http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valvano/Datasheets/StepperMicrostep.pdf

And Wikipedia has a good overview as well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor

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I am looking at 2 of your motor drivers. 1 is the 1/64 step and the other is 1/256. What is the difference between the two?

If your motors are hot to the touch, this is normal. Current is being drawn by the motor coils as the motor moves and as the motor stays at a position. If the motor is not using the current in the coils to move (holding it's position), the energy will be translated as heat (rather than motion, sound or light). Even while moving, some of the energy will be lost as heat. Remember that energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

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I have followed all the "CNC Electronics 1 - 9" videos and I'm using almost the exact same components (motors run and sound good) but the motors are runing very hot in just 15min with no load - have I done something wrong or do steppers run very hot?

If you already have our motors and interface controller, it would be best to run all motors with our drivers. You would not be compelled to replace all of the drivers, but it may be advisable for future issues.

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I originally bought 4 Sainsmart ST4045-A1 Drivers. One failed. Can I replace the defective one with one of yours? Or should I replace all 4? I have bought your NEMA24's and BOBs. Learned my lesson. Newbie mistake, I admit. Thanks.

Is this regarding the Mach3 USB controller?

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I'm having a problem with my controller card: I can measure 24 volts going to the card, but when I set Mach3 outputs I reagister no voltage. Please help

Yes, the redLeaf plug-and-play CNC electronics can include a THC (Torch Height Controller) and motors of any size. The limit of the number of motors that this package can include is 8 motors in total.

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Will the redleaf package allow me to run a torch height controller and 2 nema 34 motors for my gantry? I would prefer to have motors on both sides of the machine with a heavy gantry