VFD and Control box mounting

[KennWoodson (Kenn Crowell)]

I have a 5.1 Pro 4 x 2 with leg kit.

Is there any reason why I cannot mount a piece of plywood on the backside hanging down to mount my VFD and control box without having it extend the width of the CNC?

Mounted on the outboard of the legs, as the instruction states, takes up valuable room as well as becomes an area that I would be concerned about snagging the cable connections.

Thanks in advance for any advice and feedback.

Kenn

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

No reason beyond the added work and added complexity of cable routing — it’s what I did.

While on the outside, here’s one example:

5.1 Upgrade + Leg Kit

I just finished mounting all my electronics yesterday. I made a panel to attach the stuff. [IMG_8933] Like you said though it does make the table wider. I thought about inside but crawling under isn’t attractive. You could probably rig up a recessed panel with a little creativity. My solution makes doing the shelf not viable but I am not sold on the shelf idea anyway as it creates a lot of dead space under the machine. Feels like it should have been a little lower. I drilled many holes in t…

and an arguably better approach from that thread:

5.1 Upgrade + Leg Kit

I ended up recessing the VFD and Controller. I used wheels and didn’t want to risk catching wires anymore than necessary. I also wanted some drawers to store accessories. I haven’t finished yet but I think this is the route I’m going to take. [IMG_1360] [IMG_1359]

or see this dedicated thread:

Electronics Mounting?

Hi Folks - I’m assembling my first Shapeoko - the new Pro 5 and I’ve got it on the Kreg mobile table with a 3/4" plywood top. My question for some of the more experienced people is - do you have any recommendations for where to mount the Electronics and the VFD (for the spindle)? I’m just not sure how often these are needed to be accessible and there are definitely some limits on cable lengths for the VFD controller (I don’t really think it can get a foot or so from the left Y assembly). I’ve …

[CullenS (Cullen Simpson)]

Note that I felt challenged to move the equipment into to footprint of the machine so I switched to this:

5.1 Upgrade + Leg Kit

I took your challenge to get things within the footprint of the table. I removed the board I had things mounted on and built a shelf on one side for the controller and VFD. [IMG_8977] I am not sure if the controller and VFD should really be on their backs, need to check into that. On the other side I built a shelf for the vac, dust separator and the coolant bucket (I use a bucket and pond pump rather than a chiller). The vac nestles into a hole in the shelf to get it low enough. [IMG_8979] …

[David_HGP (David Seiffert)]

I made my own legs, and mounted everything on the inside. I ran the cables through the back cross rail. A 3/4" hole is not going to weaken it. I also drilled 1/8" holes on the inside or the back cross rail for a few cables. You can see it on my build post.

Shapoko 5.1 Pro - Plywood Legs

I am mostly done with the legs. I still need to add some front drawers, but that might be a while. Several other projects to do. I used a single sheet of 18mm Birch Plywood. It was also my first real project, after having it for over a year. I am setting it up for PE foam production. There were a lot of other projects I needed to complete, and life got in the way. I am also done with the high volume dust collection system, and the PwnCNC 30mm spacer. I am in the process of designing a quick, h…

[KennWoodson (Kenn Crowell)]

Thanks for all the suggestions and pics.

Here is my solution. Very basic.

I can unclamp the power strips when I need pass through.

Thanks again!

Kenn