Tomorrow will check that Pi to see if it’s set to hibernate, then we are taking a 2 hour test run on that part with no router after setting the chains, we will see what happens. More to come on if the Arduino loses USB connection during the cut. I am going to use the 6 inch USB, but this one I found is under 6 feet so should be ok for now…
Thanks. I was talking about the spaghetti wires inside my system. I’m most pleased with the laser etched front acrylic and the buttons. I can help you get the buttons working. I learned how to make a pyinstaller distribution for the raspberry pi, so I can roll out an installer with the button service if you don’t want to do the developer setup, which can be very involved and time consuming. The issue is getting the two services to start correctly and sorting through the gpio options I had a vision of adding. I need to build another z axis sled though and I had intended on making a z axis zero switch video, but it is a bit further down my list.
So I was going to ask about that, I was referring to the switches on the side of Orobs machine to turn things on. Is that a little power converter your using to feed the power in the box with maybe a toggle to turn the power on and off on side?? If so I do something similar in arcade with a power supply. Power comes into machine from whip that I buy, other end stripped and shield cut etc when you get it. One end goes directly to the happ power supply, the other end up the machine using 14-2 or 12-2 to One side of waterproof toggle, back down where other end plugs into feed the happ power supply. Then OUT from the supply I use a short whip that is female. This way into I can plug in a power strip to plug to power whatever is needed. Pi or computer, speakers, encoder, whatever. Now that one toggle up top the machine controls the main power to everything all while staying plugged in. Is that what you are doing essentially with those little boxes and wires on a more compact scale? It sounds like your delaying the startup of one pi until the other boots maybe and is powered up though, so maybe what I do is totally different. Hard to tell but looks like a
Mini power supply in that box which is really cool!!!
Not sure if you were asking me or Orob this question. In my case i wanted to power the Arduino and RasPI with a common power supply. I didnt want an internal one due to heat load and potential electrical interference issues so that meant an external 12v power brick. The 12v powers the Arduino and the two cooling fans. It also feeds the 12v to 5v buck converter (Generic Chinese Product that i think you were asking about) to feed power to the RasPI. There is a plate on the side with a rocker switch and power jack for the brick.
I used to design automation and control cabinets for a living so I have a bunch of parts laying around accumulated over 20 years, gotta use them somewhere.
The severe downside to my installation is that I cant kill power to my Arduino without also crashing the PI so that option isnt available to me in my E-Stop trip string. I’ll have to shoe horn in an interposing relay in the Arduino power circuit or rout the arduino power supply through a secondary contact on my trip pushbutton. Going to a single power supply definitely added some unnecessary complexity.
A little late to the converation here, but it took me a while to read through all of the 665 messages. but looking through the last few, I was just curious if the arduino and the shield would be able to work off a 24v power supply? I am going to be doing som upgrades to my 3D printer, one of which is the Meanwell 350, and was thinking about @jonatpridesleap’s comment about a single power supply and use of buck converters to power the Pi and everything else. I would really like to repurpose the old power supply from the printer for this purpose, but if it is specifically 12v, I guess I’ll be searching for a 12v one as well.
@jonatpridesleap Depending on your power supply (if using one like the Meanwell) and you have extra power outputs, you can just run a line out to the buck converter for the Pi, and then a separate line to your E-Stop to your Mega/Shield/fans so you don’t kill the Pi in that abrupt stop. Just a thought!
@Virgs1 I’m glad you were able to get your machine up and running, and I can attest that the Linear rail/Meticulous Z is much better than the standard router base sled setup. Unfortunately, I have to redo my Meticulous, so I am stuck going back to the router base setup so I can re-cut the Meticulous parts. Good luck with your builds, and don’t forget to post them on the Latest Projects page.
Rick
This is pretty much what i did with the terminal blocks. The 12v brick is fed to distribution blocks. There is a pigtail from a set of terminal blocks that feeds the Arduino / Shield directly. There are two more that feed the two push/pull fans. There is another that feeds the buck converter which then feeds the RasPI.
I suppose if you had the 24v supply you could add a second buck converter to power the arduino/shield as long as you could find one that could handle the current. I actualy had thought about doing this with my 24v meanwell but opted for the external brick because i didnt want to have a second vented enclosure just for the power supply and didnt want the power supply to be in the enclosure with the electronics for heat and interference issues. Getting a larger external brick was just easier for me in the long run.
@jonatpridesleap I see! I will think about this and figure out what I’m going to do. I know you can do the buck converter down to the 12v from 24 (I have a handful for a rebuild of my electronics case for my Ender 3 that I know I won’t use all of them), but I also think that if I just need 12v, then the power draw for the 24v power supply to just step it down to 12v may be more than is necessary when I can just get a 12v and go from there. But that is where my knowledge of electronics and the math involved to figure all that stuff out. I’ll need to watch a lot of youtube and asking Mr. Googles to get learn-ed up on all of that. One of the reasons why I asked if anyone here knew. I’ll do some more research on the forum here to see if someone has already asked, and if not then hit the Googles.
Thanks!
Rick
yes, that is what I was referring to and to either of you. yeah so a setup like mine would kill both. What I have not is a little flip on and off switch you plug into the power strip, that kills the power to the shield…then I have the standard Pi on/off switch for that. Which since the arduino (not the shield) is powered by pi, I can just turn off pi push button once the pi is powered down. Then I flick the switch for the shield. So based on your past career, this is child’s play for you making a setup like this!!
Thanks Rick yes its been a long journey trying to get it all up and running, but everyone has been so wonderful in taking the time to help me out!! That is good to know, I actually have the Meticulous Z sitting on one of my workbenches right now (I have the metal maslow one). I need to spray the base, and since it’s 65 out now finally…may do that in a little bit. Then once dry a good 24 hours, start piecing it together using Orob’s video. Which I have watched 2 times already just to get a good feel what I am in store for. Right now heading into to Putty to make sure those ports are not going to sleep on the pi. Then after some indoor baseball training for my kid, going to try and run sled with no router tonight and see if she stalls out again.
I wonder if the Happ power supplies I use for my arcades would work for you guys? They have internal protection as well, and if wanted to run anything +5 you can dial it in perfectly. I run coin doors, marquee lights, the pi, sometimes fans depending on setup, monitor, encoders…sometimes LED lights for the buttons off one, and never an issue. Again though it is on or off, BUT you could put one of those little plug in on/off switches which accept one plug into them to turn something off first if you want, then kill the main power with another toggle for the power supply. Just a thought. I mean one of these do dads…
This is the power supply I am referring to, there is a slightly cheaper one as well. I get them from
Arcade Renovations, more expensive directly from Happ with shipping. The owner lives in CT strangely enough, so I like to support him anyhow. I wonder if a combo of these items could work for you all. He sells the little whip I was referring to then I make the female side one to plug the power strip into. Then you can use that plug above to turn certain things off before killing the main power if you like.
Orob watching your video now in Spindle relay. I think maybe I lost my mind, as pretty sure my shield has 2 sets of Aux pins on it already. Going to keep my order for another with metal maslow, but maybe I have the shield already with the extended aux? I was thinking it was the Ardiuno that needed the aux extension but it is the shield. You even corrected me the other day, that I meant shield and did not catch that. if the pins are on there already, I don’t need to solder anything correct? Pop on the wire with the servo clip on it, then go setup the GPIO. Does that sound correct that maybe I did not need another board?
can you post a picture of the shield and aux pins you are talking about?
Thanks for the kind words. It may not be the best way of doing things (its arguably even bad) but its the only way i know how so i ran with that. there have been a lot of really good ideas on this forum and some really jankey setups too that work just as well if not better than mine. This was my 9th and final iteration of Maslow so i spent more time being neat and tidy. Honestly though, it doesn’t work much better than the version 1 machine. Im no good at the software side of things which is where all of the improvements need to be made and real work is. so i focus on the things i can do.
im just glad youve been able to get things up and running. yes you are still having some problems but they are also problems others have had so thats progress. Maslow is both a good idea and a tremendous time and energy suck. its so easy to get bogged down with a pile of problems and just give up. so many maslows on the marketplace that got partially built but never finished. everyone needs an early success to give them the motivation to press on.
your idea is a good one. it didnt work for me only because i chose a different path out of lazyness. stand by, im going to post a link to the buck converter i used for my PI. if i remember correctly the units i used were rated for 12v OR 24v inputs and they had units for 12vdc or 5vdc outputs. watch for an edit to this response.
EDIT:
Here is the linkto the buck converter I used. There are several available.
12/12vdc to 5vdc 10A Buck Converter
They also have one that is 24vdc to 12vdc 10A. 10amps may be cutting it a bit close, im not sure. I seem to remember someone actualy measuring current draw of the shield while under load and not seeing anywhere near th 10 amps though. I’ll search and see if I can find something. So, I searched and I couldnt find anything regarding the current draw.
Hi Jon. Well I think looks fantastic, and like me (even though I have not made much) I know what you mean…I keep thinking of things to make mine just the way I want it. items like this for example, as I learn more should of been considered by me months ago (like met-Z, touch zero). I know I am getting there thanks to your all’s kindness and patience. It’s more to get it going than I thought, but the deeper I get, the more I learn which is very rewarding. Even the 45 mins it cut yesterday, so see maslow make what I designed, its an awesome feeling. Yes please send me those pic. I am going to send you the pic of the board, I assumed I was correct as did not see your reply (was extending the wire for the servo plug, and wanted it done cleanly so taking a while. Let me send you a pic, it is plugged in now…but have not turned the pi on yet…one sec
not sure if you can see, but the lower one is the pins…a set up top, then skips 2, then another set. I put this servo clip for the spindle relay, yellow wire towards the outside…red towards the inside on the top set of pins. It looked like that is how it saw in there when I paused Orob’s video. It’s hard for me to see, but I think I got it in there properly…I hope?? Now I just need to figure out how to activate it, still need to continue with the video…
Yeah, The day I was able to get my machine to start cutting highly acurate and precise parts I almost cried. Looking at the picture I believe that you already have the pins soldered in for AUX1 and AUX4. Which is good. I have the older Maslow shields so I need to solder in the pins 
Which is fine because everything is still through hole. The day the electronics world fully transitions to Surface Mount Technology, I’m hosed.
oh awesome! Thanks for checking that out. I could of sworn I looked over that entire set of boards for those pins…didn’t see and ordered another board. I feel foolish oh well right, live and learn. It didnt look too bad to solder the pins…if you have the pins! lol I have to travel like 50 mins to one remaining real deal hobby type electronics store, but I would if needed to. They even sell a ton of Ardiuno add on stuff there, which was a shock to see in a store. hahah it maybe sooner when we think 
I am still waiting for electronic paper to take over the TVs we are all used to lol
Jon, super excited, just got the spindle relay up and working!! great video Orob, thank you!!
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