Best upgrade EVER

DIP switches don’t control direction. Either swap the wiring or change $3 in GRBL to reverse the Z axis direction

Thanks - I switched the green and black wires. Now to calibrate

I don’t know where you guys are located, but I’m in Columbus Ohio.
If you can get it to me I will tap your holes no charge.

I was looking at the 5" travel version that cnc4newbie still has on their ebay page, the one that keeps the motor mounted towards the back and uses the belt to drive the lead screw still instead of direct coupling over the spindle… If I wanted to upgrade from stock, would this still be a solid option? Or does keeping the belt in the equation make the upgrade only a slight improvement? My concern with the 6" x-carve slider with the coupled motor is the overall height being too much for my limited space and fold-up table. I really want to upgrade to a better slider, and the 5" one looks pretty solid at only $140. Go for it? Or hold out until some day when I (hopefully) have more space and cash for the 6" model?

edit: This model:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/CNC-Z-AXIS-5-TRAVEL-X-CARVE-BOLT-ON-CNC-ROUTER-linear-ACTUATOR-SLIDE-/282734376592

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Thanks for the pic, @RohanSingh, this is an upgrade I am definitely interested in doing.

One thing that’s hard to see from the pic is how much more downward travel you have available. My wasteboard is fastened directly to my table (no rails under the wasteboard), so I have about 3/4" more clearance than you have. And, I’d like to go with longer end plates to add additional clearance.

Is this the 6" travel version of the slider? I know cnc4newbie offers an 8" option, as well as a longer plate option, which adds another 1" of travel.

Also, could you comment on the rigidity of the gantry, considering the weight of the slider, mount, and larger router?

Thanks again …

Yeah, I had looked at that. Does the added weight towards the front from moving the motor above the slide not cause any issues/unbalance? I was more curious if I could get the same amount of rigidity and accuracy out of the 5" travel without having to spend more and without having to add so much height to my machine, because I feel like I’d be fine with only 5 instead of 6… Side note, the 6" model is 10 bucks cheaper on his site than on ebay!

Yep.

Ok, I’ll have to do some more research, then. This whole thread makes it sound really worthwhile. I may just have to hold out a while longer and give up on the notion that I might ever actually fold up the folding workbench I made for my x-carve… :slight_smile: Is the swap from belt drive to direct coupling a noteworthy improvement, too?

Yeah, I practically just finished assembling my first stock machine and I’m already looking at a long list of planned upgrades…

I have! I’m blown away by some of the ingenuity I’ve seen in peoples customization on here. Yours and Phils both come to mind. I love the idea of a metal base, whether it’s extrusion or an aluminum plate. But I also love the idea of extending my Y to 1800… The costs start adding up quick! I need to spend some time actually making stuff with my stock machine before I start spending even more money upgrading it!

A CNC4newbie slider is definitely on the list, it was just a matter of deciding on the right one. And you guys make a good point, the 6" of travel is good future-proofing, even if I don’t need it right now.

Bob, I got the 6 inch version. Should I get Charly’s 1 inch or 2 inch Y axis plates?

Didn’t someone post an easel design of longer arms for the suck-it on the Inventables project page at one point?

:smiley:

Yeah, Jenn helped me out with some wonky parts I got on mine and was super friendly and quick about it. I’d be inclined to do the same. :slight_smile:

Went with the 2 inch plates.

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My machine has two “X” carriages with both having CNC Newbie sliders. I have the 6" models but have one each of the direct drive and the belt drive. On the direct drive I am running a Makita 700 model router and on the belt drive I am running the belt with a Hitachi M12VC router. I chose the belt drive because I was concerned about the extra weight that my 270 oz/in driver motors would add along with the Hitachi on the front of the axis. I have absolutely no concerns about the reliability of the belt drive unit or worries about losing steps because the belt is more than robust enough to handle the mass of the router load. In fact, I have found that the belt drive model runs alot smoother than the direct drive unit. I also have height concerns and am considering purchasing another belt drive to replace the direct drive model on the Makita axis as it is lighter than the Hitachi and therefore even more stable than the heavier Hitachi.DSC00001Picture 002DSC00039

Newbie here just asking if i upgrade to this for x carve z axis other than MOUNTING and loctie what else do i need to do to be up and running . IM USING EASEL and i cut 2-3mm mostly g10 or carbon fiber material.
thanks

thank you guys for all the help got myn up an running everything went smooth after got it all tapped my only issue right now is im getting a lot of biting or jerking going left to right and right to left not sure how i double checked the tightness an re tightened the v wheels and the belt any thoughts i was running at 90ipm at .008 depth cut using a 1/4 downcut bit.it does do it at 70 ipm but not as violent.

@GeorgeWesolowski Yup, it’s the 6" version. The gantry is quite rigid. I think putting a 262oz motor on the X axis helped balance things a bit, but in general it doesn’t seem to be an issue at all.

With the slider and with new motors my machine seems to have smoother movement than ever before.