Shapeoko 5 pro MASSO conversion

I was always planning on an ATC and have some ideas for other additions, like a rotary. Still not 100% sure if I am going with PwnCNC, since I did some custom connections I would have to probably make more cables. Also when I factor in the costs of the upgrade kit, it starts getting close to the CNCDepot FM30C costs, just would need to setup my own pneumatics.

Mainly Fusion 360, but I did end up using vcarve for the psu plates.

May I ask what resolution you get with this controller/steppers?

Thanks

I would go for the FM30C if it’s in your budget range with it being US made, no liquid cooling needed, iso30 holders, that can be swapped over to a better chassis when you out grow the 5pro chassis.

The JGL is 1/2 the price but it has direct wiring with a short pig tail from the factory for all the electronic connections and if I have an issue I would have to ship it back to China.

It does suck that I ordered my ATC 6 weeks before PWNCNC started selling a full Plug and Play Masso ready ATC kit. The spindle they use has a different air line configuration so I can’t order their air control setup or I would with their V5 VFD KIT.

This is going to force Carbide to step up their offerings and I’m happy for the CnC community.

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When I tested them they had 0.809Nm of torque at 0 RPM.

Well I would buy the upgrade kit for sure if available. I have the 5 pro 4x2 and was thinking of doing as you have done as I also wanted ATC. Was gutted when the PWNCNC ATC came out for masso with no options for Shapeoko.

Best
Chris

Here are some screen grabs of the settings



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They are working on getting their ATC kit to work with other machines but wanted to start with Onefinity Masso CnCs because they are partnered with them “I think but I could be wrong” plus adding ATC to the Masso is very easy so it makes the most sense to start there. So maybe next year there might be a Carbide compatible version but you would have to reach out to PWN to see what platforms are on the list for development.

When Onefinity comes out with a Masso powered hgh15 rail chassis on par with the Pro5 Carbide will be in a tough position and it wouldn’t surprise me if Onefinity is already working on one.

Luke has been dabbling with ATC on carbide machines over the years so lets hope they step up.

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Brilliant, thank you so much :blush:

I’m curious, but why would you buy the PWN kit when you could buy all the kit directly? Masso, as a whole, has comprehensive documentation, making this pretty easy to setup.

I’m trying to understand pwn cnc’s value proposition in this instance.

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I assume you’re talking about their ATC kit? If so I think PwnCNC’s value prop is the same as their spindle kit, just a nicely packaged set of components that removes some of the research you would have to do otherwise. Also I imagine a lot of consumers are weary of spending several thousands of dollars on AliExpress without confidence it will work for their system. With their ATC they might be using a spindle similar to off the shelf $1400 ones but they are doing 90% of the assembly and wiring/plumbing for you.

It seems like a trend with ATC resellers where they will sell you a spindle for relatively at cost, but when you get a prepackaged kit from them the price doubles the cost of the components. CNCDepot as example, their FM30C is about $3500. If you diy the pneumatics and cables it cost you maybe $200 with a nice case. Add a Dura VFD and you’re still under $4k. But if you buy the their kit, with pneumatics, spindle, and VFD, they charge you $4800. PwnCNC seems to be going a similar route.

Now a novice person without a background in electronics, might spend a week or two researching how to assemble everything themselves, but could hook up a kit in under an hour.

My thinking for potentially getting a few PCB’s made up and offering a cabling kit to streamline MASSO installs, is that you could reduce the wiring and research time down to just a couple hours.

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Isn’t the value proposition exactly the same as the C3D spindle? Follow the instructions and it works?

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I don’t expect to see an ATC for a C3D machine. The controller lacks the unused inputs/outputs and doesn’t support the logic required for an ATC.

I thought pwncnc was working on a manual version of the ATC which is the option for C3D machines AFAIK.

Yeah there is no way the warthog could be expanded easily to accommodate an ATC. You could potentially do something similar to Mach4/UCCNC/linuxcnc, where you have multiple devices connected to a pc and just send the appropriate gcode to the corresponding controller.

I understand it when they make the spindles. The likes of CNC depot makes their spindles (I believe USA made) and spinogy, which are German-made. PWN is a China-made ATC cartridge.

When it comes to atcs and spindles, they all have limited warranties related to run time (1000 hours is common). If a user breaks a spindle or it wears out, it becomes expensive fast. A typical China ATC cartridge would run in between $1-2000 as such vendors who make their own kit can factor in warranty support which is a ultamte cost to the total kit cost. We’ve had to replace our datron atc a number of times; the bill has four zeros.

Actually, it’s something we could support on the s5 pro; however, at present, we have not published our accessory functionality. If we did have an atc there is a good chance we’d have to mandate an enclosure.

ATC’s present a liability issue, and I don’t think anyone should assume they just work. A prime example is what happens if an iso20 tool holder flys out at 24,000 rpm. I can first-hand tell you it does and can happen.

I don’t think the assumption should be they just work - I’d think it prudent to be familiar with the function, setup, and possible dangers of using an etc.

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Same as others have said in why PWNCNC - ease of getting going and good after sales service / help. While you could spend a few weeks working it out I would argue it’s worth the extra $$$ to know it works and has been tested.

On another topic I genuinely don’t know why you have not published the specs to your accessory port - surely having others making accessories for your platform is a a good thing in the long run - builds community etc / gives you ideas for future products.

Best
Chris

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Probably because they have not finished the software needed to make it work as they have no products for it. From what I have traced out, it looks like they have a RS485/RS422 transceiver and 1 additional IO hooked up to the ESP32 for the accessory port. For them to get it to work, the ESP32 would be doing the signaling and not the 328p running grbl. I’m surprised they didn’t hook the ESP32 up to a 8 bit register to give additional IO. They also have a 24v 2.6A fuse on the AUX port so I am wondering what they plan to power.

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If their kit would have worked with my JGL I would have got it because no matter what way I go I have to pay someone to be my hands and run my wiring and plumbing. It would be different if I could do it myself but that’s beyond my limited physical ability so buying a turn key kit would have save me time and the hassle of making my own setup.

I didn’t luck out so here I am laying out components planning my setup little by little. It will probably end up better in the end but it’s a lot of wiring and plumbing.

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Can you recommend a more affordable stepper motor cable option?

I plan on wiring similar to your aviation plug setup so the motors can easily be connected / disconnected without messing with the internal wiring and was looking at this as an option but I am not sure exactly what way to go for a good mid range 22 AWG 6 core twisted pair shielded cable that will be flexible enough.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800559180947.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

I don’t really have a cheap recommendation, but I went with Igus chainflex stranded ethernet for the signal, and just trimmed off one unused pair. This was cheaper than getting 6 conductor twisted pair. For the power cable I went with thicker unshielded 2 conductor wire.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/igus/CF888-045/11684747