Hello,
i am looking for hardware reccomendations for a lowrider 2 8x4" setup. Any necessary modififcations to make it more ridgid or not needed?
Then i would like to ask if u can use the Openbuilds “Blackbox” CNC Controller with the lowrider? I assume so but i would like to be sure.
hhttps://openbuilds.com/builds/blackbox-motion-control-system.8320/
Thx & Best regards,
Arnd
The Low rider 2 is designed for 4’x8’ by default. No modifications are necessary. My strong advice is to build it as spec’ed before trying to change anything. It isn’t magic, and it works great, despite the simplicity. If you upgrade one component, you might break the balance and end up needing a lot more changes to restore the balance.
Pretty much any cnc controller (from the uno grbl to a mach 3 PC) can run the Low Rider. If you go that route, you’re on your own (or nearly) with working out the details. Most of us use Marlin and a Rambo, SKR Pro. Some use grbl or the grbl_esp32.
I’m building mine now. My advice is as Jeff said, but allow for longer tubes than what’s documented from the calculator. I’m building mine now, and I’m finding that the pipe is several inches short due to how I built my table. the way it’s designed, it’s easy to leave yourself some extra room and trim later.
Interesting. Is your table too big? It sounds like you’ll end up with a work area larger than you put in the calculator.
The table is the size that the calculator laid out, I just didn’t account for having any overhang. That’s where I lost the 3 inches. Totally my error.
Thanks for the reply Jeff,
So far i did only build a maslow but i have the Lowrider as next Project on my list for quite some time now. What could be the possible difficulties when using the Blackbox? Its a controller for Stepper motors and this should be standard? Is the way the stepper motors are controlled different from a standard gantry setup?
I like that its a solid metal box with build in control for Analog Spindle Signal Output for VFD Spindles as well as power relays.
I agree leave the tubes a little longer, I too had the issue with tube sizing, luckily I didn’t cut them down before the tabe was finished. My table was calculated to be for a 24"w x 36L" work surface, giving me a table of 32 x 51! I ordered 36 inch tube for the x axis if I would have cut them to the recommended size they would not have fit.
I don’t know. I don’t know what kind of issues it gets. I know most of the common issues on the skr and rambo.
If you use the same steps/mm, max feedrates, and max accelerations from the Marlin firmware you should be close. We’ve had issues with the jerk settings, arc settings, max feedrates on Z.
But that is a bit fear mongerey. If you are confident you can research the setup and find solutions to any problems then you will be fine. If you have experience with another cnc (maslow) then you’ll do fine.
It does not seem like a great value either. $190 for 4 drivers, 8bit.
Do you have a spindle picked out? The dw611 is a champ and doesn’t need any special spindle control (but it can’t do automatic speed control).
Hi Arnd. I was looking over the specs for the Blackbox controller you want to use. As Jeff mentioned, maybe it’s not the greatest value, but it is a plug and play type setup. I’ve assembled many different board and driver types out of curiosity and enjoy the process. Some people just want to ‘get on with it’ and avoid the screw around factor so something like the Blackbox would work fine. Of some concern though is that the stepper drivers are rated for 3.2 Amps which is way more than the specified Nema17 motors need to run a Lowrider. The Blackbox is intended for Nema23 motors. These little Nema17s only need a 2 Amp driver at most usually. It’s a nice looking well ventilated package. The topic has come up here before:
I’ve been using the BlackBox for a couple of months on my MPCNC and I can’t say enough nice things about it.
Pretty much plug and play, able to run my nema 17’s at 24V.
I love the openbuilds control software.
As Jeff says most use a Rambo & Marlin, which I must admit do not need a PC connected to run, but I already had the BlackBox before I started building anything (I got in early when they were only $99)
In the process of building a lowrider and I fully intend to move the BlackBox over to it.
I am currently building a BlackBox clone, based on a Uno R3, still waiting on some parts, but I will post a full review when I get it done.
The good thing about the clone is it will run the same openbuilds software…
Hello,
i am just getting back the Lowrider V2. I am currently kinda devasted that i cant find any matching tubes in south-east asia (Indonesia) except on 6m long one from China which is about 256 USD plus import tax and maybe transport.
The tubing topic is basicly the only “thing” keeping me from ordering. I did check the table calculator:
So for a full, 8x4 work-area i need 56 inch / 143 cm long tubing OR is it 56 inch + 3 inch = 59 inch?
And thanks everyone for the replies/tips. David did encourage me to go for the openbuild blackbox. Even i am now owner of a rambo board because i did just setup a Prusa MK3s 3D printer.
PS: Any idea what delivery time to expetc to SE Asia?
cheers
Could you tell me which lenght your rods now have? Thx.
I had been considering the shop solutions but “archim” and “rambo” are sold out…
A tio: You may find tubes that are meant for other uses. My tubes (located in Sweden) are closet hanger pipes. Search around if you can find something similar.
WoW, they are strong enough?
My Lowrider is not finished yet, so cant know for sure. But as long as the material and thickness is good enough, it should be fine.
