I’ve just finished going through my set up for a new 5.1 Pro with the 80mm spindle, water cooler, leg set, and Sweepy Pro. I thought I’d share my experience and thoughts - and also make some suggestions for things the user manual might want to highlight to make things a bit clearer.
My impressions of this machine are that it’s pretty awesome. It’s a beast. It’s heavy, solid, and robust. And big. For some reason, the measurements didn’t do it justice and it surprised me a bit. I’m highly impressed. The fit and finish is quite precise, the screws go in easily and the overall quality of the install was excellent… Bravo!
I have very little to complain about (sorry). My biggest complaint is that the 80mm spindle feels like an afterthought within the instructions and components. For one thing, the 80mm spindle is not even mentioned within the main instructions. There is a separate 80mm spindle installation manual, which is not referenced within the main one. I would put a reference early in the main instructions - since some of the steps change due to water lines. I’ll point out where down below.
As I went through the installation, these are things that confused me and, in a couple of cases, caused me to call support (who were terrific, btw). I list them here in case someone reads this before they do their installation - or if Carbide does an update to the manuals, some of these things might help.
First off, the “Open First” box is a misnomer. Other than the hex wrenches, there is nothing in that box that you actually need first. It doesn’t have the instructions (or a link to the instructions) in it…which you might expect. Most of the stuff in that box is going to be used after you set up most of the machine. Why it’s labeled “Open first” was as a bit of a mystery.
Section 3.2: You are instructed to bolt the Y-Left and Y-Right assemblies onto the base frame members. There are four base frame members - but there are FIVE sets of holes in the assemblies. Since you are told to space the base frame members evenly at 15.75", you can probably figure out that you should not use the last set of holes on the assemblies (it turns out they’re for attaching the wire holders)…but I think the manual could be improved by specifically telling you to NOT use those last holes (The photo doesn’t actually show it well enough to help, either).
8.1: The instructions say to open the “Box labeled Shapeoko 5 Pro Wiring Harness and remove harness, drag chains, and bag labeled Drag Chain Hardware” Only, the Drag Chain Hardware bag is not actually in the Wiring Harness box! The chapter 1 “what’s in the box” section correctly states that the Drag Chain Hardware bag is in the “Final Assembly Box”, but the section 8.1 instructions are misleading and should be updated. I ended up thinking the hardware was missing and opened a support ticket - which happened to be on Easter Sunday and poor Will ended up stepping in. Eventually, I found the correct location in the packing list and then found the hardware in the Final Assembly Box in time to stop a new set from being sent.
9.2: Laying out the drag chains…Ugh. This was my biggest stumbling block and I think it was mostly because it’s just not right for the 80mm spindle setup.
At this point in the main manual, there is no mention of the management of the cooler lines and cooler system. This is a major component of the installation of the 80mm spindle and it’s completely left out. This would be the right time to reference the 80mm manual…and warn folks that they need to do things differently. The tubes need to be run within the drag chains…and the fit is TIGHT.
I was warned (thank you, @YellaDog ) to read the 80mm installation manual before closing up my drag chains - which need to be open in order to run the chiller tubes…so, if I had followed the manual, I would have had to redo the whole thing.
Of course, even knowing it ahead of time, I had to fully redo the drag chains… THREE times! The way the manual tells you to deal with the drag chains is to approximate the position of the wires in the chains and then slide them for the correct fit once the drag chains are installed. The issue is, if you’re using the 80mm spindle and water cooler, those water tubes need to occupy the drag chains - and the spindle wire and tubes CANNOT BE MOVED once the the drag chains are closed. So to do a small adjustment, you have to open up the drag chain in small increments, move the wire and work your way through. As I said, I did it three times.
The manual says to leave 65mm of wire outside of the Z drag chain. I found I needed AT LEAST TWICE that amount to make my connections with the 80mm spindle.
Small instruction nit: The photos do not clarify the directions of the end caps and the way the wires need to come out. I ended up having to remove the end caps and turn them over in order to get the wires to come out right - it would be helpful to have better images on this section.
11.1: Installing the bit setter - the photos don’t show the direction that the BitSetter Extension cable fits into the Front Plate Connection Port and it’s not easy to figure it out. It would be helpful to show this better.
With the Sweepy Pro Manual:
The strut kit (which is packed BEAUTIFULLY), doesn’t match the photos in the manual. The mounts for the spindle wires and tubes differ.
The top back bracket for the hose support seems flimsy. The hose is inserted fairly far away from the connectors and there’s a lot of flex. I hope it lasts. I think that part could be beefed up with a central spine.
Last 80mm gripes:
For setting the strut: The manual seems to be written assuming you have a working machine before you’re installing the sweepy pro (like an upgrade). It tells you to initialize and jog the machine to set the position for the strut. Unfortunately, I was installing it as I built the machine and couldn’t initialize or jog.
The pen holder (Quick Draw) doesn’t fit the 80mm spindle. My world went “hello-less”.
Wrap Up
All told, this feels like a great machine. I haven’t cut anything yet…but I plan to this weekend. I’m really looking forward to it!
- Gary
. I look forward to seeing what you produce with your machine. Good luck.
You nailed the many frustrations I endured while setting up the 5.1 XXL. Wiring was an issue for me as well which led to a support ticket. Thanks for the info.