Upgrading from the 4" to the 5.5" z axis
howdy folks, steve g. here.
i've been watching here for 6 or 7 years now, waiting for the chance to get one of these for myself. finally got a great deal on a used desktop 3 or 4 weeks ago, and after doing a few small projects, upgraded my z axis to the 5.5" last night.
now, i've been talking with scott p. about several things, and as we both got our upgrade kits on saturday, he asked me to keep an eye out for things that may cause problems for him in the wheelchair while performing the upgrade. he got a bit more than he asked for.
so that everyone who is considering doing this has more information, here is what i sent to scott last night once i completed it.
first off, link to the .pdf for the upgrade instructions:
http://www.shopbottools.com/ShopBotD...%2009%2004.pdf
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ok, tools you will need: (very surprised that they do not tell you with the instructions, also that they did not include a paper copy of the instructions along with the kit)
3mm allen wrench
4mm allen wrench
if like me, supply your own cable ties, none included (no extra bolts, either)
wire strippers
small straight screwdriver, mini
small flashlight (to see circuit board, maybe help with running wire)
recommend at least two 3" thick blocks, or 4 pieces of 2x4 material, 2 pieces stacked. i had to put my wee beastie up on blocks to run the wire.
i recommend getting the ratchet bits for the allen wrenches. i got two short 3mm and one long 3mm ratchets (pic included). i used them as shown in the photo. i left the tag attached to one short, and kind of used it like a screw driver, came in very handy for many parts. i did end up snapping the long bit half way through, luckily after i had loosened everything. really made life interesting without it, really needed. (also stripped the regular allen wrench on the step 4 screws, they were really tough for me).
a good test for whether or not a person in a wheelchair can do this on your own: can you remove the spring from your position? i had to go around the machine to get a good angle on it. running the wire through the support system may or may not be easy either, tho running under the machine will be easier, once you put it up on blocks.
when you unplug the machine, make sure that you also disconnect the usb cable, as this supplies power to the board. if you forget, when you get to the back side to connect the wires, you will see a green light to remind you.
as i removed bolts, i set them in groups in order of removal, so that when putting them back, i just worked in the opposite direction. just a handy hint, as there are some varying sizes.
i started at the 12,0 position, and found that you didn't have enough table to work with. go to 12,5 or so, much better.
when you remove the spindle from the gantry in step 3, disconnect the big orange power cable, if you have not already done so.
in step 11, when you put the black nut back on, just put it on the length of the black nut, no further. if you do, depending on how far the motor swiveled, you may need to dis/reassemble parts later on.
at the start of step 12, remove the proximity switch on your new support bracket. set it and its two screws aside until after step 20. will explain then.
at step 16, as mentioned earlier, watch the rotation of the motor when lining up parts to attach the z axis nut block. i was half way up the shaft with the black nut and had to take things apart afterwards.
at step 18, tighten the bolts most of the way. basically, tighten all the way, then back off slightly. it will be difficult to tighten later during the squaring phase, due to the assembly being in the way.
at step 20, if you have not removed the proximity switch, you will not be able to place assembly on the rail, as it will stop. this surprised me, but easily solved. if you did remove it as i suggested, note how closely you come to the plate on the gantry as you slide things into place.
after step 21, attach your spring. they don't mention it until the very end, last paragraph of the instructions. just easier so that you don't forget about it. if all goes well, you won't need to remove again. you will need a longer wire (maybe) than you needed to take it off, with the longer support.
at the start of step 23, reattach the proximity switch. as you can see, you can only use 1 of the screws to secure it in place, as the z motor drive blocks the second one.
in step 25, as you can see, it is kinda of rough to tighten the bolts back up, and if you don't have the long allen bit, is a huge challenge (as it was for me, with the broken bit). once you have the upper bolts tight, you will have to turn the motor shaft by hand to move it up, in order to tighten the lower ones. yes, you have to move the motor, so do it gently, you don't really have a choice.
step 27: challenge accepted! this may be rough for you (and for the fact that to do it right, you will end up moving the gantry, i'm sorry). and also, if you can't access the top gantry cables, in order to feed through the bundle. (when you do, feed half way and out, pull through, then feed the other direction from that end, easier.
once you get cable to the side and bottom of the gantry, it's time to put your machine up on blocks, the front 2 feet. i didn't bother to redo the cable ties under there, just added one at the start, and one at the entrance to the bundle.
again, feed the wire straight through to you, and pull the extra to you.
and here is where you will not be happy. i tried to feed the wire through the bundle, but could not do it. i had a small screwdriver under to help poke the wire back up (keeps wanting to come out here and there, and to shove wires aside to help). i ended up feeding the wire a couple sections at a time, moving the gantry very slowly towards the rear of the machine, a little at a time. i would say that i ended up about 2/3 of the way back, and feed the wire the last 1/3 of the way in one shot. just had to reach back and pop the wire through the hole. you may get lucky, and not have to move the gantry, but i tried for 20min, then gave in.
once done, you can remove the blocks from under the feet.
at step 28, strip the grey wire sheath back 2 or 3 inches to make life easier. strip about 1/4" off of the actual wires. when you loosen the screw at GND and IP3, you will not remove existing wires, just put the new ones up along side of them and re-tighten. the existing ones are bundled already.
at step 29. you can still hit the top of the gantry using the keypad, not a surprise. but the lights worked for me, so all was good.
overall, not counting the 2 trips to the hardware store, after getting the wrong size bit (thought it was 4mm for most, not 3mm), it took me about 2.5 hours, due to the few parts i had to take back apart, trying to work the short standard allen key in tight spots, and being nice when trying to feed the wire through the system.
aight, think that covers it. think that's enough extra stuff to think about.
oh, when you get the cover off the back of the machine, good chance to blow out the sawdust that has settled in there during your use. interesting to see how much ends up in there over time, good to remember to clean that out now and then.
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so that's what happened for me.
now, talking to scott before hand, he mentioned to me NOT NOT NOT to move the gantry with the power off, as it may damage the circuit board. i would not have thought anything of it, as when i first brought it home, i turned it sideways to get it into the house, and had the gantry move half way, and everything was fine. how should this be handled, if and when you do have to move it? was it the same concern when moving the z axis by hand as well?
should there be a locking pin, say half way along the y axis, to help the gantry stay in place with traveling/shipping? i know some use the crate, and some use the packing foam from the crate, but a locking pin seems like a good idea. just have to remember to remove it before operating.
aight, can't think of anything else extra to add right now. if i think about it, will add it down the thread.
thanks folks, let me know what you think.
steve g.
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Makes me much more comfortable attempting from the chair! Going to hardware store now and going to buy TWO of the long ones.
