1. IET 499C
Troubleshooting and Re-modeling of
USB CNC Control System at the AET
Manufacturing Systems Lab
CHRISTOPHER J. A MULLINS
Mentor: Dr. William Grise
Instructor: Dr. Hans Chapman
March 27, 2015
2. Table of Contents
• Problem Statement
• Solution Approach
• Project Timeline
• Research Phase
• Concept Phase
• Wiring and Connections
• Connection Testing
• What’s Next?
• Expected Outcomes
3. PROBLEM STATEMENT
• A CNC machine in the
Reed Hall AET lab calls for
reinstatement of a
controls system.
• Without this control
system, the stepper
motors will not be perform
as the user would desire.
• It is the intent of this
project to get the control
system fully implemented
and have the machine at
operation standards.
4. SOLUTION APPROACH
• Research Phase/Concept Phase. Researching
schematic, wiring guides, motor connections.
Planning layout
• Wiring connections, doing troubleshooting of wiring
• Connection and Testing of Motors/ Circuit
• CAD/Workstation layout, CAD Circuit Layout
• Final setup/testing
6. RESEARCH PHASE
• Researched Micro-step
Drivers
• Found motor wiring guides
• Power Supply
connections/grounding
wiring
• Hand control operation
• Spindle speed connections Figure 2: Simple motor connection guide.
7. CONCEPT PHASE
• Labeled connections to
circuit
• Motor placement and
movement
• Hand control and USB
pictures
Figure 3: Control system before new wiring job and
connections.
8. WIRING AND
CONNECTIONS
• Current Phase
• Connection of
motors and testing
for correct
Voltage to circuit
without destroying
all the drivers and
circuit.
• Power switch was
connected.
• All accomplished
with 16 G wiring.
Figure 4: New circuit wiring. Including the motor power
connections.
9. TESTING CONNECTION
• Testing the circuit to make sure none of the components will
be damaged from too much voltage into the power supply or
into the circuit board.
Figure 5: Checking power supply to
check if it is receiving the 120 volts
of input.
Figure 5: Motor connection guide. 3 A Motors
10. WHATS NEXT?
• Doing finalized motor connections (using 20 G wires)
• Installation of the CNC program onto the PC.
• Calibration of the CNC machine after program is
loaded.
• Running tests with program and toggle remote and
do any troubleshooting if needed.
• Doing AUTOCAD drawing of circuit layout.
11. Expected Outcomes
• Get the CNC moving successfully for student use.
• The main goal of this project is to leave behind a
CNC machine that can be used for instruction or
small student projects within the AET department.
• The machine should be able to perform small tasks
and projects successfully.
12. References
• Giorgos Lazaridis (7 May, 2010) How Stepper Motors
Work. Retrieved from
http://www.pcbheaven.com/wikipages/How_Step
per_Motors_Work/
• Changzhou RATTM Motor Co. 4 Axis USBCNC
Breakout Board User Manual.
