Star Point Grounding & Ground Loops Breakdown

[@truth6027]

Hello Vince, Great video you cleared up a lot of info but I had a few questions. When grounding my dust collector I’ve seen people run the wire around the tube how should I tie off the wire on the tube should I use a screw to secure the wire to the dust collector on the spindle mount then run that wire to the bus bar? Since my machine has the controller attached to the platform it appears I will only need to ground the machine and dust collector correct? Thanks for posting I’m almost there.

[@corvetteguy50]

Thank you for your support. The answers to your questions are below. When grounding my dust collector I’ve seen people run the wire around the tube how should I tie off the wire on the tube should I use a screw to secure the wire to the dust collector on the spindle mount then run that wire to the bus bar? Yes, best practice is to have all components using the same ground point also known as a "Star Point Ground" Every component should only have a single ground lead attached at one end to prevent the possibility of ground loops. Thank you, Vince.

[@nicholascustomdesigns8365]

You mention using heavy gauge wire for the ground leads, but for newbies like me, I don't know what that truly means. For example the grounding wire from the Chassis to the ground bar is 16 gauge considered heavy gauge? What about grounding two separate controller boxes? Is 16 gauge sufficient or should it be 14 or 12 or ?? Thanks again for the very thought provoking and educational videos!

[@corvetteguy50]

Nicholas, thank you for your support. I really appreciate it. 16awg wire is fine for internal electronics enclosure grounding to be run to you ground buss. External chassis grounding will require heavier gauge wire to achieve 3 Ohms or under resistance rating which is the resistance rating required for robotics use. Here's a video tutorial I made covering this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp2VhHysesp_hMU Thank you, Vince

[@MrIonutz2008]

Thank you for sharing this video Vince, would be wrong if the main earthing home system has attached multiple rods placed in different locations around the house like one in the workshop area, one in the garage area and one to the other end of the house ? Would this way each power socket drain the ground to the closest grounding rod but in the same time rely on the other rods if the first one becomes less conductive for any reason ? Thank you.

[@corvetteguy50]

Hey John, thank you for your support. Its not wrong, but not optimal as the distance of the grounding rods would create more resistance. Optimally a ground rod placed as close to the chassis as possible will provide the best overall grounding solution. Thank you, Vince

[@TheDIYer]

Do the drains from shielded wire used for inputs such as limit switches go to the same ground which is connected via the bus bar to the ground rod?

[@corvetteguy50]

Thank you for your support. In best practice the ground drains from your switches are to be allocated to the electrical enclosures ground bus as seen in my latest SMCU build here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e53dp2SartGFoK8 Thank you, Vince

[@documentmobile]

Thank you Vince!

[@corvetteguy50]

You bet.. :) Vince

[@AlexandrosNikolakis]

Hi there and thanks for the great info!I do own a diy cnc with dm542 drivers...i dint connect the cnc electronics and the person who did it has the controllers to share a common ground that leads to the chassis.So a cable from GND controller to the others controllers GND.Is this correct? Also the stepper motors have no shielded cable but i intend to buy one.The shield of the stepper motor ends how do you connect it to the ground?With another piece of cable?And also only the one end or both ends?thanks and sorry for the large post!

[@corvetteguy50]

Alex, Thank you for your support. The drives don't require a chassis ground, so their common should be connected to the breakout boards ground using a splitter as discussed in my video. Shielded cable is mandatory for any wiring on a CNC system. Change the cable as soon as possible. I cover in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zmmvq3uXnMiii7c near the end how to connect the shield drains to the ground bar. You will only ground one shield drain on one end to avoid the possibility of ground loops. Thank you, Vince

[@AlexandrosNikolakis]

@@corvetteguy50 thanks for the quick reply!Could i maybe send you some photos by email to have a look ? I will also see the video again so as to see if i understand it better...i have almost no knowledge of electronics...

[@corvetteguy50]

Alex, if you send me an email of pics I can review the system, and discuss my consultation pricing. Thank you, Vince

[@shaunwhiteley3544]

Thanks for sharing this information. In the UK, our plugs have live, return and earth in the one plug, so it’s best it all goes to one socket? (Providing you are not exceeding max amps!) Cheers

[@corvetteguy50]

Shaun, Thank you for your support. If your using the socket itself for grounding rather than the grounding rod method then I would use one socket as a simple ground point by using a grounding plug as described after using a socket tester to verify the outlet supports a ground. In the US many older homes may have issues with ground plugs, so its always better to verify first. Thank you, Vince

[@darshanaacha6469]

so, I should connect a wire from control box to my chassis and then i should connect a cable from my chassis to the ground pin on my power outlet? (I cant use a ground rod but my wall power outlet are properly grounded). thanks for the video.

[@corvetteguy50]

Yes that will work if once again your power outlet is providing a proper ground. Thank you, Vince

[@davidturney9813]

Thanks Vince

[@corvetteguy50]

You bet :) Thank you as well for your support. Vince

[@shaunwhiteley3544]

At 11.40 when using 2 Mains socket, if you cannot join the 2 units with a large gauge cable, would it be better to have each unit on the same ring main or separate circuits to the consumer unit (fuse box) ? Cheers

[@corvetteguy50]

You would optimally always prefer to have each component grounded separately. There are however instances where that may not always be possible with certain components. This is why I discussed the option of breaking a ground loop by introducing a lower resistance, thick gauge cable between the two components when required. Best practice will always be isolation whenever possible. Thank you again, Vince

[@JODY-ej5qy]

Do you find that servos with encoders are more susceptible to electrical noise than stepper motors?

[@corvetteguy50]

JODY0048, thank you for your support. Servos are less vulnerable to EMI noise, but they still can be effected if the system isn't built properly utilizing grounded shielded drains, and proper grounding. Thank you, Vince

[@JODY-ej5qy]

THANKS

[@corvetteguy50]

You bet :) Thank you, Vince