Clean Control Cabinet Wiring Made Easy!

[@cnyjody9650]

Nice job! Not to nitpick, but you shouldn't have 2 buttons labeled "E-Stop" that perform different functions. You might relabel the button on the CNC control to "Cycle Stop", or Oh Sh!t, or whatever. Again, really nice job!!!

[@m1n1truck3r2]

I agree. In germany you differentiate between NOT-AUS and NOT-HALT. NOT-HALT being Emergency-Stop (Makes everything stop asap) and NOT-AUS being Emergency-OFF (Actually killing power to everything including the controls.

[@cnyjody9650]

@@m1n1truck3r2 In the US we are guided by NFPA: Section 79. It is the electrical standard for industrial machines and machine tools. As far as buttons, it specifies locations for E-stop buttons, also specifies colors of buttons and legends per function. It's a fun read. I once had to make a rather large machine company in Germany send me new operators in the proper color, because their machines didn't meet the standard, and didn't match all of our other machinery. If you have hundreds of machines, you must follow a standard or you will have problems with employees operating the machines, and accidents.

[@nickandersonco]

​@@cnyjody9650anyway you can share that fun read :)

[@cnyjody9650]

@@nickandersonco Unfortunately, like most codes and regulations that we must follow, you have to purchase it from the organization that maintains it. I'm quite sure you could find an out of date version somewhere on the interwebs.

[@JasonWhitlark]

As a long time backend software guy, who recently got interested in embedded and machine tools, I really appreciate that you take what is essentially a personal project to such a level of professionalism, and even more importantly call out where you’ve decided to relax things. It really helps when trying to absorb so much information about a new field.

[@arminrichard1836]

DIN rails are probably the thing I am most proud about my country for inventing some solid standards.

[@DustinWatts]

I like wiring installation. And also videos about it. So this is an automatic Thumbs Up for me 😀 And the end result is very nice!

[@23lkjdfjsdlfj]

OMG! Printable heat shrink tubing! I had no idea!!!

[@nickandersonco]

They're great we use them at work in this same application. They're just pricey.

[@frigzy3748]

Also check out self-laminating wire labels. Those are really convenient when you don't have access to the end of the wire to put the heatsrink tubing on.

[@nickandersonco]

​@@frigzy3748 Can you recommend some? I haven't found any that I like.

[@CountBenula]

@@nickandersonco Yea we label all of our cables in entertainment lighting with different colors of printed heat shrink

[@barryomahony4983]

FYI I really appreciate the 4K video. Looks great on my big screen.

[@Clough42]

@@barryomahony4983 thanks! Honestly, the hardest part of shooting 4K is not accidentally doxxing yourself.

[@Etacovda63]

got the x1e for my work - its been amazing. Some of the CF parts that come out just dont look 3d printed, its a new level.

[@djofnofame8292]

James great video. As a panel shop foreman for more then 2 decades your box design and layout is very nice. One hint. If you cut your finger duct cover for the vertical pieces to butt up against the horizontal ducts, they will look much better. Your design has an element often left out or forgotten by some panel shops. You finger duct cover locks together and can not fallout due to gravity and or vibration. Great mention of Unistrut is an asset for electrical mounting of cabinets and even running cables with the metal cover as a duct.

[@LordSaliss]

You should put a target field below those 3 axis readouts that tracks the current selected axis and the target it is being told to go. That way when the wheel gets ahead of the machine quite a bit you know how far ahead you are. Mostly useful for the Z axis with how slow it moves.

[@anathaetownsend1894]

I was looking for this, ty for suggesting it @LordSaliss.

[@ulbuilder]

Maybe limit how far the destination can increase beyond actual too.

[@jimsvideos7201]

I like the fact that printers are about as refined as they really can be, and I admire the things you’ve accomplished with yours.

[@mikeydk]

So nice to have the proper tools for the different crimp jobs. Amazing how big a difference in friction there is between a okay crimp and proper crimp.

[@Clough42]

@@mikeydk Facts. I used to not understand how a crimper could cost $200 or more. They're not an appropriate investment for everyone, but I get it now.

[@opticalmechanic]

This is fantastic. You could sell this a product. The attention to detail is great and I can visualise how easy this would be to operate when it is finished.

[@faurana]

18:23 please for the love of cables use an IGUS cable chain (or offbrandd equivalent). That's the industry standard customisable solution to bridging any cable between two lineraly moving objectss.

[@jameskilpatrick7790]

That smile says it all. Congrats on getting everything hooked up and turning! I look forward to seeing you put it through it's paces soon. :)

[@Thejakegee]

I just found my new favorite channel...

[@Sethjxl]

The cable clamp is beautiful. Elegant and simple.

[@Ed_Stoddard]

This is well timed. I have a Wells-Index CNC mill with a huge 4'x4'x1' cabinet on the back made for the vintage control system. I am currently moving to a new house and will soon be using a box similar to yours to house the smaller components. This is like a step by step for my project. Thanks.

[@cs233]

Just a thought - they make a low profile version of that strut as well. Much nicer look if you don’t need the strength of the full size as it mounts things closer to the wall. Also, I’m glad you didn’t use flat head screws to mount the strut. So many people do, and they are just not designed to be used in holes without counter sinks! For done reason people flung this really annoys me! Personally, for mounting stuff like this I often just use sheet metal screws. They have pan heads with flat back do they properly mount things with mounting holes and while not designed for wood they hold just fine for non-structural stuff like this which will take minimal load. I really wish I could find actual wood screws with flat backs like pan heads, but they seem almost impossible to find anywhere, which is a shame as they are what’s really needed for mounting stuff to wood construction.

[@OffGridOverLander]

AC next to DC will definitely make a difference, especially if the DC signals are not shielded. We couldn’t even have supply lines within 12" next to signal wires in the Sikorsky helicopters I was contracted for the avionics buildout. (Edit) Get yourself some expandable braided sleeve, AKA braided wire loom, that will keep the wires nice and tidy, and easy to mount with stainless steel rubber cushioned cable clamps for the high vibration areas.

[@chucksmalfus9623]

I think he used that braided loom at time 22:36 if that’s what you’re describing.

[@olavl8827]

Good idea with the cable clamp for passing and securing the power and servo control wires through the enclosure. I recently made a control box for a LinuxCNC machine and used the well known GX series "aviation" connectors to connect everything from the outside to the box. I still think it's a nice modular solution but the amount of soldering is something I could do without. Simpler is probably better.

[@johnhawkinson]

I'd second the suggestion that this would be great place to consider the low-profile Unistrut (P6000 series: 13/16" depth, still 1 5/8" wide, uses the same fittings) in scenarios like this where every inch of space can count and the loads are light. Of course, the Unistrut I use is what I find in the dumpster, so I appreciate that it may not be worth the effort to buy anything special or different.

[@davefilicicchia6341]

Nice job James! A clean panel layout, and good high/low voltage sepatation. And - it works! Always a good feeling when a plan comes together.

[@michaelcrocker7813]

You could label the button that cuts the DC bus voltage to the motors as STO (Safe Torque Off), and the other button that dumps AC mains power as E-Stop.

[@J4MB0]

Just wanted to point you towards icotek cable glands if youre not aware of them. I build control panels and use them often.

[@ferrumignis]

Thank you for posting this! I've been struggling to fit enough conventional cable glands in a prototype design, this looks perfect! 👍👍

[@DavidKlenkFurniture]

Well done, James. I am very impressed with your work.

[@jaycobie]

Very nice job. The assignment of the Z and Y axes is weird to me, but whatever works for you matters most. Keep up the good work!

[@user-lj4xq4hm3k]

Z is traditionally along the spindle axis. Seems weird when we're used to vertical spindles, but it does make sense.

[@Tomthumb222]

What a fantastic upgrade, thanks for sharing the build and manufacture of the parts and components. Great job James

[@larrybud]

I love that you get into so many different aspects of this hobby.

[@robotskirts]

Have you seen the Knipex NexStrip 12 72 190 ? It's a stripper and ferrule crimper in one and it's my preferred tool for wiring a panel. It stays in my right hand and I never have to switch tools. I don't think it's US market.

[@TerryPullen]

I like the cable clamp in place of connectors on the connector panel, it reduces part count and many possible failure points. To further reduce the number of fasteners and assembly operations, think about replacing the two bolts/nuts that fasten the clamp in your original design with tool free clips printed into the clamp. To remove the clamp just squeeze the clips together to release them.

[@K9Megahertz]

I'm in the process of redoing my control box for my CNC. Last year I had no problems with EMI, but this year it seems to be causing issues, false estop trips when the spindle spools up, turning on the VFD on causes the clearpath steppers to not respond. I had the VFD in the same enclosure as all the other electronics, so I've now pulled that and the filter out and am putting it in a separate metal enclosure much like the one you have here. 60bucks on amazon and it seems well built.

[@contentnation]

Overall great result, but just one tiny thing. You should not daisy-chain the ground wire. Create or extend a common ground point and wire it in a star pattern from there. It will work this way, but every mOhm might count in case it's needed.

[@ahbushnell1]

Routing power and control wires separate is not just about EMI. They are also isolated for safety. We sometimes use skinny raceway with two in parallel one for power and the other for low voltage. Good video

[@andli461]

That is one ridiculously clean…everything! 👌

[@ferrumignis]

I love your multi-cable clamp design, that could have saved me an awful lot of space and work drilling and fitting nearly 20 cable glands on my current project (Clearcore based). Enclosures seem to be rather overpriced in the US, I bought a Schneider 600x600x200 (24"x24"x8" approx) from a large national distributor in the UK and that cost 118 UKP plus tax. It has the removable cable gland panel like the Vevor. I was very surprised how tough the mounting panel was to drill, I went through a couple of drill bits when mounting the cable ducting and DIN rail.

[@michaeleitel7186]

As you took a long cable to do additional grounding you actually created a ground loop that could emv into your analogs. But i think it does not disturb in your case. You better use a "copper shield from a coax" and make a diy short, flat connection screwed direct to the DIN rail. Beside of that CONGRATULATION this is a superb job. THX for sharing.

[@patchvonbraun]

We used a somewhat-larger enclosure like yours, again from Vevor, for the motion control computer and support electronics at our large satellite dish restoration project. No complaints about the box. We mounted it to the (alloy steel) wall of the motor/gearbox cabin using uni-strut so we could hang some things beside it. Mounting the uni-strut was a challenge. Broke 3 taps making a measly 4 holes in the steel walls of the motor/gearbox chamber. NATO used some pretty-darned-tough steel when they built that thing...

[@c0mputer]

This box doesn’t need those new construction screws, just go in the basement and get the Folgers can of mixed drywall screws.

[@dblphotography]

What a great series. The amount of information and professional presentation is amazing. Thanks for taking us along.

[@davewilliams6172]

I do like to see a job done properly. Excellent video James... thank you once again.

[@raph151515]

honnestly, it looks better than many professional products, and it looks like you documented well, enough to build a batch, you could think about manufacturing and selling this upgrade kit

[@theboredcreative]

Printable Whaaaattt!!!??? That is a thing? Holy cow Batman! One more thing that I didn’t know I needed!

[@EnvirotekCleaningSystems]

I know. Now I have to buy that too and I already have probably 5 years worth of heat shrink. Except I'm going to need larger sizes that he used.

[@JasonWhitlark]

Thermal printing is a lot more versatile than I would guessed from old fax machines and receipts.

[@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994]

Take a look at the Brother E550WVP over the Dymo. Either are great :)

[@Clough42]

@@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994 the Brother looks really good. It's quite a bit more expensive, but also handles much larger labels and heat shrink tubing.

[@thomasswearingen6971]

Everyone talks about Coast of the machine. If you use it for ten, two or three years does it really matter if one is $50 more? No it doesn't because you didn't look at the product price. So I spent $500 on mine and have saved $300 on refills over it's life so far. Consumables that are name brand can and do change the lifetime cost of a tool. As a hobby you still need to find out what your expected life time cost might be. Simple way two do this is to create a package for what you think will last a lifetime of the tool. Then get what you need from the cheapest tool.

[@juhu34]

Wiring nema enclosures is so satisfying. Given that you seem to be using anodised aluminium din rail, it's not going to geound properly since the anodising is non conductive, good practise to wire up ground separate in that case.

[@ciano5475]

I think they are Zinc Plated Steel DIN Rails

[@Trevieze]

For not mentioning NFPA97, it looks like a safely built enclosure. Take care to ground all machine machine assemblys in your mill. Fire protection and branch over current protection are important.

[@Grazfather]

This is so well done.

[@tommcallister5835]

That's impressive! Congratulations on all your hard work coming to fruition.

[@lroyson]

Very nice work.

[@minilathemayhem]

I have the next size up electronics enclosure from Vevor. Pretty decent enclosure for the price, imo. Didn't think of 3D printing the bottom panel for mine, though. That's a pretty good idea.

[@VanguardSys]

i used 4 of these boxes for outdoor network switches - so far lasted over a year and mok

[@fischertechrobots]

perfect work. I love your 3d printer cable clamps! greetings from Germany

[@stevestanzel3379]

i hope we'll see a review on the x1e

[@tealslug]

Excellent work. I don't have nearly the same level of tooling that you do, but it is wonderful to see what is possible. The wiring of the panel, BTW, was a thing of beauty, and that's the kind of thing I always go for when wiring things up. At my former work, I was known for the most squared-away computer desk wiring in the office. Seeing the lengths that you go to is a sideways validation of the desires I have to make all the wiring in my life better :)

[@EdwinSteiner]

You are the King of Neatness! Meanwhile, I shudder thinking about what that roll of cable alone must have cost.

[@Clough42]

Copper is getting expensive. I bought that particular roll several years ago,

[@argonman1]

"Next level" execution! Very nice!!!

[@wanpengqian]

It's actually working now!!! Cons!

[@azoasad]

Can't wait to see it complete. I recommend adding a secondary action after an E-Stop reset to prevent the grinder from taking off immediately. Such as turning the Axis key to Stop then pressing Fault reset.

[@LordSaliss]

I mounted my control panel with the electronics mounted in the center underneath the grinder slides. Pretty similar sized enclosure too. Havent had any issues with anything coming down on top of it at all, since you shouldnt normally have anything running down the front anyway. Mounting on a wall next to the machine is probably better, but as it was a control system for the machine I wanted it mounted on the machine itself.

[@dumle29]

The ipc-5 manual mentions an EMI filter. It's probably not a big deal, but it would cut down on conducted EMI you're putting back on the grid, which also means less on the AC wires run in the cabinet

[@rbyt2010]

Really, really nice James! Series is exactly what I’d hoped it would be.

[@SethKotta]

I think the one thing we're all wanting to know is: racing stripes or flame decals?

[@theater40]

Saginaw enclosures have pretty affordable enclosures(made in michigan), and royboy also make some cheap enclosures(made in michigan). Thought i would recommend contacting a rep as they usually give better pricing then the site. Cheers.. -controls engineer

[@ytmarten]

I've been hoping you'd get to the X1E and share your thoughts. :) As I'm slightly paranoid, sorry, I mean security conscious, being able to put it on a vlan without internet access is a huge plus for me, and the heated chamber would be nice as well, so I'm really hoping it's as good as it should be. If you were to make a more in-depth review, it would be much appreciated.

[@DustinWill]

Nice progress showcasing more good practice from industry. It’s all for good reasons!

[@nrdesign1991]

11:45 it is a good idea to leave a bit of slack in the wires in case something needs to be moved or added later on Edit and just a moment later you mention it :D

[@colindrakes4607]

Very neat and tidy work. Excellent job.

[@Ataraxia_Atom]

Really beautiful work. Love to see it coming along. Thanks for sharing

[@michaelrosenlof1084]

Outstanding work, James, beautifully done✅👍🏻

[@rickmellor]

So clean! It looks really pro. Great work!

[@zumbazumba1]

With such heavy loads as those electronics are you should have used 1 inch bolts.1/4 wont be able to hold it and it will hit you in the head when it falls down so you should wear safety hat all the time just in case! :) I have never heard about printable heat shrink tubing before,makes labeling easier. Are you planing on building plexiglass cover for that screen ? Dust and coolant dont go well with touch screens.

[@TheWidgetWorks]

Nice, one thing I would change is eliminate MPG 'overshoot' due to the buffer on the input, aka if you stop turning the MPG the machine stops moving. I don't know how much work that is on the back end but I have always disliked running machine that have overshoot with the MPG.

[@Clough42]

That would be "velocity mode" and it's totally doable. I was thinking about advancing a known number of clicks, but we'll see what it's like in practice.

[@steveggca]

@@Clough42 Hi James coming along nicely. I second the use of of velocity mode . there really is no upside to the axis continuing to move after you stop turning. The handwheel is the most precise manual control on the machine and in the current setup WILL add unexpected and unwanted accidental motion.

[@matthewlee8917]

Most Excellent

[@chevyfahrer]

hi james,you showagain that you are a really master of perfection with an eye for details.So there is one question:why is that wall not painted?greetings from germany.BTW: i wouldnt even label the wires and a year later i would rant about myself being to lazy to do it.

[@filetdelumiere5037]

Very nice job !👍

[@kenwhelan7920]

Hi intresting video but i noticed the you have your rotary converter next to your surfac grinder so any vibrations from the rotary converter will show in the finish,a simple test for ths is to use a glass of water on the bed of the machine if there are vibritions present the disturbance will be seen on the surface of the water. i have been involved in. vibration monitoring for a number of years and this is a simple indicator with out expence.

[@wronex]

Please tell us more about the X1E. There is so little information available. The heated chamber actually works? What temperature range? How fast? Does the hot end fan overheat and clog the nozzle? Tell us more about :D

[@zmast333]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to his review. I'm waiting for the X2 series though... if that's what BambuLab is working on.

[@helixxharpell]

Love your channel James!

[@kevinryan739]

Put a current transformer of the grind stone motor and you could get a map of the amount of material removed as a false colour map

[@thomasswearingen6971]

I know that you are not worried about the over load. With out looking at it I can say that you do need to know the amps being used through it. If you are over the rated amps then it will not work. Simple test, test the amp load on the black and white line going to the control box. What will happen is if one is over the amp load number that is on the pointer then the normally closed contacts 95&96 will open and the over load will have to be reset. If the load is lower than the amp rating then it will give you an extra layer of protection other than the braker. On one of my tools it's wired with the ac line going through l1to t1 and l2 looped to l3 to t3. The l is top of the contractor and t is the bottom of the over load. The t or terminal side of the overload goes directly to the ac side of the dc transformer. From there a dc+ blue wire goes to three breakers and a dc- white or common goes to a distribution x block. The overload will turn off the dc power if it's to high and each of the dc circuits are individually protected by the three breakers. One is the control circuits, another is motion control and the last is safety circuits. I understand protection of the dc transformer. You have that twice. I don't understand what you are using to protect your motion boards from the dc transformer. Did clear path say that it was not necessary? Thanks for always being clean with your wiring. For using the right tools for the job. And being willing to get a new tool if it does the job better.

[@bRad73016]

Nice job on the panel! I'm wondering, after putting out all the effort to make and do such a nice job on the panel, why you didn't incorporate a VFD to eliminate that annoying phase converter?

[@624Dudley]

Looks solid 👍

[@Kosmonooit]

Worth mentioning IP Ratings ... and the concept of the Faraday Cage & EMI shielding, big problem for digital mircocontollers around anything magnetic, esp. contactors, I've had to house contactors and relay sets externally

[@euhunter]

Nicely done, just one thing to mention: You wired a blue cable for +24V. The standard for dc power wiring is to use red wire for positive and black for negative and if possible avoid those colors anywhere else. It will make it easier to identify when there are a lot of wires, and can also prevent mistakes :) I really enjoy your videos

[@mgnbukint6502]

"The standard for dc power wiring is to use red wire for positive and black for negative" Not for machine tool wiring in UK, Europe & the Far East it isn't - blue is 24V DC wiring, red is single phase ac lower voltages (110 - 220V) and black for 380 - 415V and similar higher voltage wiring. It has been this way for decades - when I was panel building & production wiring lathes & CNC milling machines in the early '80s the colours were the same. Open any machine tool panel pretty well regardless of country of origin & a look at the wire colours will tell you which will bite hardest ! Good plan for long-term reliability to not cut cables if at all possible. Sometimes unavoidable, but at one employment we reduced warranty call-outs by minimising breaks in cables, as a lot of faults were down to connections coming loose. Looking at Far Eastern built machines that were more reliable we found that they planned the electrical installations better than we were doing to minimise in-line connections - a connection that isn't there can't fail !

[@thomasswearingen6971]

I was just going to say that every tool I own is blue for 24 positive and ether blue or white for 24 negative. Red for 110 or 220 control circuits both r and s or t1 and t2. And everything else is black. The only thing that changes this is out puts from a x block. A x block is a terminal block that is used for input and output. Much simpler to test between multiple chained switches than the individual switch.

[@joell439]

Very exciting 👍🎉👍

[@keithmonarch447]

James, as I'm now 65yrs old. I learned controls, did a lot of relays b4 PLC systems became more common. I went through a ton of wiring on 1,000 spools. Some main panels took almost a month. Also punched out alot of switches on the doors. Did layout for the wiring channels. The owner was extremely excited about my workmanship. It looks great, when you open up the door. And say, I did that...

[@donsundberg5730]

Looking good!

[@3dspecialtyprinting]

very cool

[@pmcquay1]

Recently bought the same box in 24x24x8 for my build, for $200 canadian rubles. There is no way I could build a box this nice for that money.

[@ferrumignis]

The Vevor enclosures don't seem particularly cheap to me. I recently bought a 24x24x8 made by Schneider Electric (a respected global brand) and it was £118 UK pounds (about $210 Canadian), the Vevor in the UK is around £100.

[@pmcquay1]

The cheapest equivalent schneider box is $260 here, and on backorder from Digikey. The next cheapest in stock one in the equivalent size is $350

[@ferrumignis]

@@pmcquay1 Crazy prices. I'm so used to being ripped off in the UK that it's surprising when stuff like this costs more in the US & Canada.

[@pmcquay1]

@ferrumignis heh, yeah its a bit insane. Plus availability of stuff like that is not great, so more often than not, I'm paying shipping from the states.

[@martinchabot_FR]

RS sells the same nema box, and cheaper than vevor (at least in europe). The only downside of these boxes is that they are not rated for outside use. The paint is epoxy and dust off in UV, and the base plate tend to rust fast.

[@MrGadgetgav]

Given the level of thought, detail and iterations you put into these projects, I'm sure you tried every which way to get the servo power supply mounted vertically, but looking down from your overhead shot it feels like there should be a way to do it. Couldn't you have two shorter pieces of DIN rail one above the other on one side of the panel, a central wire chase and the servo power supply and distribution board on the other side? I guess the DIN power supply didn't quite fit above the ClearCore.

[@michaelmoffit1423]

Just a question on your axis labeling: typically Y would be in and out on the table and Z would be up and down of the wheel. Why did you choose not to label that way?

[@emilvasilev7725]

do you plan to use this machine ? :) this room is sooooo clean and your hands too ... really nice work ....

[@GregsStoneYard]

Two e-stops that perform different functions is not good design. Wire the e-stop on your new control panel (with a NC contact) in series with the machine e-stop. Relying on the controller to e-stop is generally frowned upon, plus if I remember correctly you have wired it with a NO contact. The controller can't tell if you have a broken wire or an open estop, and neither can you. If the wire is broken, you hit estop, nothing happens. The other caveat for those that care, is those control cabinets are not uL or CSA listed.

[@Runoratsu]

Personally-if that’s even possible!-I would switch out the seven segment display font on the display to a regular monospace font with better readability. 7 segment displays, especially with the ‘fake’ unlit segments, are kind of easy to misread in a rush; they were not optimised for the best font possible, but for being build-able in the real world, after all.

[@crlist1453]

Can you elaborate on the device that detects the three phase power and prevents the machine from being energized if all three legs are not present?

[@carypeltier8247]

Did you share the file for the entry print with the gland and cut out? It really looks good and cleans up wire install into box.

[@ecksrg]

This is great. If you had a spindle encoder and vfd you could add a pid loop for spindle control.. i want to cnc my pm940. However, I want to maintain full manual control.. Would there be any drawbacks to building a system like this for a mill?? .. not full cnc but dro on steroids..

[@toddcumberland132]

This is fantastic. I have a surface grinder I want to do this for I think I will be watching this several times. One question, can this be run off of a pendant so that you can operate the grinder from a different position, much like the European small surface grinders in which you along side of the machine and can have a better view of the work.

[@Mike40M]

Nice build, but would like it starting with explaining what components are and the design process. Mounting of cabinet on the wall makes it more difficult if relocating machines in the workshop. Happens to me every other year. A bit worried about heat in a closed cabinet.

[@josaonline09]

The smile!..enough said

[@seimela]

have you ever done DYMO review ....please do if you haven't done it