I’m pretty new to engravers and particularly wiring. I am installing a solenoid for the air assist and I noticed some things that I had some questions on.
I noticed the limit switches are wired to CND1 which seems different than the wiring schematics for the Ruida controller. I also noticed there’s only a limit switch on the gantry and the Y axis. Is this normal?
Opinion: If that hulk was sold to you as “new” or “used in good condition”, you have been straight-up robbed.
The two red proximity switches are the homing switches and they’re in the normal place to put the home position in the right rear of the platform. The one on the gantry is for the X axis (the laser head moving left-right along the gantry) and the one mounted to the machine frame is for the Y axis (the gantry moving front-rear).
The CN4 connector is where the X & Y switches should go, both to the corresponding “-” input. I think that’s how it’s wired.
If the machine homes correctly when you turn it on, by moving to the right-rear corner until the red switches light up, then backing off a few millimeters, that part of the setup is working correctly.
The terminal blocks are numbered from top to bottom in your picture, so CN3 is vacant and CN4 is plugged in. If that’s how the machine arrived, is “CND4 is unplugged” a typo?
The connector you’re holding in the last picture apparently came from CN3, which has the limit switches for the U and Z axes, which are generally used for the platform up-down motor and perhaps a dedicated rotary. Without knowing the model number of the controller and what hardware (you think) you got with the machine, it’s hard to tell what’s going on, but you should expect the Z-axis will not home or auto-focus correctly with that connector dangling in mid-air.
Is that the high-voltage anode lead going to the laser tube? If so, DO NOT FIRE THE LASER until you replace the HV wiring.
If it’s a low-voltage wire going from a power supply to something else, then it’s just an incompetent low-budget repair. However, that damage may account for the unplugged connector: the Z-axis motor / driver / power supply may be fried. Where do the ends of that wire go?
Hold that project in abeyance until you sort out the rest of the issues with that machine.
You’re inadvertently standing at the base of a very steep learning curve, but it’s not insurmountable.
I should note that I received this machine for free so I’m not upset about the condition of the wiring. You are correct that the CND3 terminal strip was unplugged. The janky wiring is not for the HV, but I have yet to trace it down.
I did have a lot of success using this machine the past few weeks for engraving SS and wood so I know it functions. I have been shocked though when touching components near the bed which is also another reason I and digging into the wiring.
I’ll take a look again, I did find it strange that the limit switches are wired to CND1 in the terminations dedicated for relays per the RDC644XG-A manual that I revived with this machine.
Those wires go to the +24 V and GND terminals, so they’re powering the internal circuitry of the proximity switches. Each switch has three wires: power, ground (“common”), and the signal output. The signal wire goes to the CN4 connector, where the controller has its home (“limit”) switch inputs.
That should not be possible if the machine has a standard three-wire power cord and its safety ground wire is firmly screwed to the frame inside the cabinet. If you’re powering it from a GFI-protected breaker, that tingle you feel should trip the breaker.
You must fix that before doing anything else, because a new-to-you laser is not a hill you want to die on.
Just curious on the 24V+ and ground wiring from CND1. According the the Ruida controller drawings these should be going to some sort of relay. Does the manufacturer typically just locate any spare power/ground terminations and wire to these? The reason I ask is I’ve seen other controllers people posted online that do not having any wiring in these terminations.
You’ve got it. All the power & ground terminals connect to the same place inside the controller, so they’re interchangeable.
The controller in my laser has +5V and GND terminals in the same block as the limit switches, but the proximity switches require 10-36 V. So the signal & ground wires terminate in that block, but the supply wire wanders off to another connector with a +24 V pin.
Important things to keep in mind:
Different controllers have different connection pinouts
Other folks, myself included, can be convincingly wrong
CN6-2 (or CN6 pin 2) will ID the proper connector and pin, but I don’t have one of these laying around to reference what that pin does, so I have to look it up.
A much better way is simply using it’s mnemonic as L-On2, this eliminates model type, the connector identifier and clearly identifies what signal you are referring. If I have a different controller, I can relate to the signal, not the connector.
Do you mean the ground on CN1?
There is no home/limit switch input on CN1.
Can you show us what is different from the Ruida manual?
Simply because these are not limit switches they are home switches. Once the machine boots, these are ignored and the Ruida senses the Lmt*+ inputs for limits, if enabled.
On a different note, the machine did not come with a e-stop wired and instead has a janky light switch installed in place.
I’ve read that there’s been issues with estops failed in the past and I wanted to see if it is recommended to install or if there is another better switch that can be installed.
