Best upgrades to a DIY CNC machine 

You have a vision to make money but at the same time you are thinking about the rest of us that can't afford an expensive already built machine. Best wishes!!!

Nikodem, you are simply a young genius engineer. As an old man that I am, I would say your parents must be really proud of you. The job you are doing is really a dream and wish you all the success you rightly deserve. Please keep it up. I will try to go into your list of parts to see if it is economically viable for me as at 73 years I can only do so much, but since I have been looking out for such a project for some time I would love to go for it. Best of luck to you and wish you great success in the future. Regards, Saviour from Malta

For your own safety, I recommend you use a 4-wire cable as the yellow-green should be connected to ground on the spindle! If it goes wrong, your whole machine can become live!

It’s super dangerous how you connected the new spindle

Hi Niko, I have a recommendation for you. Based on my experience in building and using my CNC. I found that the gantry, if you only use the aluminum extrusions and linear rails, is considerably strong, but when you use a heavy spindle or the spindle is under heavy loads, it tends to bow for the weight and twist under load (less than a milimiter, but translate in larger movements in the cutting tool). This is not gona make imposible to use the machine, but it´s gona be a little bit more imprecise that what is capable. There is a lot of potencial solutions to this problem, but mine for speed and moneay was simply adding a backplate with M6 screws to the extrusions. You can even screw it to the side panels for the other axis to make it more rigid.

Great video. The best upgrades I ever did to my CNC machine were a) a full enclosure which dramatically cuts down the noise b) closed loop steppers made the machine consistently accurate and c) a water-cooled spindle. Having said that, You’ve inspired me to try some of your ideas as well. Thanks.

You are saying in the video that "it's dangerous stuff, high voltage..." yet your wiring of the high voltage part is very sloppy. Especially the spindle motor connections. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VLe03TqoPkM.html You should rewire those using cable lugs, and you also MUST connect an earth wire. The yellow/green PE can literally be your life saver if something goes wrong. You also used a TOTALLY wrong cable, since it is a simple one phase cable (L, N, PE) but it is used as 3 phase cable, using the yellow/green as one of the phases. In most countries that installation is against the law and besides that it is totally illegal, it is very dangerous. You are not supposed to use yellow/green as phase. So my advise is that involve a qualified electrician for the high voltage part, because really, "it's dangerous stuff, high voltage...".

Another video packed with mouth-watering stuff, thanks Nikodem. It is a long way from Poland to my home in New Zealand, yet at 6:40 you are moving your machine on a folding work table identical to the two I have in my workshop! Our planet gets smaller every day. :o)

Why did the old 6600 drivers were unreliable?? The should support the voltage of the new power supply ok and the current of the motors just ok, I’m about to buy the drivers and don’t know if I should get the upgraded ones or not because were I live the 556 cost 3 times more than the 6600

i had a good laugh when you started to explain the strange symptoms you experienced with the freshly installed spindle.. it was nice to see that I'm not alone with that mistake :)

You haven't resistors on your led PCB for your spindle ?

Hi Niko, I designed my own DIY CNC KR8 based on your Indymill & put in the 1.5kw spindle with GRBL control through a Pwm to 10v analogue board and ran into noise issue. If you use limit switches and use homing, the noise from the VFD will cause GRBL to give false hard limit or soft limit alarm. Because of this, I just ordered optically isolated PWM to 10v board to isolate the noise from the VFD to the Arduino board. Are you experiencing any noise issue after switching to the 1.5kw spindle with VFD control ?

Loving your video’s. The “weird” drill bit that taper’s the top of screw holes you referred to is call a “counter sink”.

Those 24 minutes were captivating

Siema! Co to za system szufladek w którym trzymasz wszystkie śrubki? Jakiś gotowiec, albo samoróbka? Fajny pomysł, muszę u siebie uporządkować drobnicę :) Pozdrawiam!

you're a clever young man. The Indymill project has inspired me to build my own Nema-23 based CNC. I've acquired all the C-Beam and v-slot extruded aluminum for the frame and gantry. The next step will be to 3D print all the braces. So excited to see how it turns out.

Always Use a shielded cable with Inverter driven motors to avoid noise!

Good job, but you better get some terminals for that 19:10

Check if your VFD has Modbus digital interface terminals… most similar VFDs do. It will give you full digital control of the VFD using a cheap USB to RS485 dongle. Set RPM precisely, start/stop/reverse, you can even read the spindle amps in real time to give you a 0-100% spindle load display. Much nicer solution than PWM! Also, get some ferrite beads on those spindle cables, it will help reduce EMI which can erroneously trigger limit sensors etc.

cool project! Where can I download the frame details? for milling. made your last machine

The biggest problem with the 500W Spindle (aside from some EMI issues) are the bearings. They are usually using 2 8mm skateboard bearings that are fittet in rubber caps in the motor lids to compensate for bad tolerances which result in too much give in the spindle. I made it better by making a separate spindle with better bearing system that then is driven by the motor over a belt. The 500W performannce is enough for most things in my experience.

These are some of my favorite videos! Once I have the funds, I will be making one of these for myself. I don't know how practical for at home machining this is, but I cut aluminum daily at work and we use alcohol for cooling. We get a 200 proof ethyl alcohol in 55gal barrels that we go through probably too fast, but we are full production producing over a million units a year.

Quick correction... The controller for the spindle isn't an inverter, because it isn't converting DC into ac... It's called a VFD it's the bigger brother of the well know ESC

nice project machine is looking good, just an idea for you if you mount a small solenoid piston above the oil can you should be able to automate when oil is dispensed.

Jak zwykle super! Przy maszynach małej sztywności obróbkę wykańczającą warto puścić przeciwbieżnie. Przy wykańczaniu ustawiam 2-4 krotnie mniejszy posuw i przybranie boczne około 0,2mm i wychodziło niemal lusterko, oczywiście nie może podejść żaden wiór, bo przytrze powierzchnię i będzie matowa, ale jak masz mgłę olejową, to ona super usuwa wióry. Zwróć też uwagę, żeby frez był możliwie najkrótszy i jak najbardziej schowany w tulejkę, to zdecydowanie poprawia sztywność. U siebie ten falownik mam podłączony bezpośrednio do komputera przez konwerter USB-RS485 i przez plugin do Mach3 steruje włączaniem wyłaczaniem i prędkościami z poziomu Gcodu. Bardzo wygodne, tylko jak będziesz robił safety, to styki grzybka puść do falownika też. Pozdrawiam i powodzenia

Great video! I was inspired to build my own cnc, and also made a few upgrades. Something I would Really recommend is replacing the PC with a rasberry pi, maybe your next upgrade?

A lot of great ideas here. I'm glad RU-vid suggested I watch this. Thank you for documented your CNC upgrades.

Nice CNC improvements. Why are you using a 3D printed ball screw nut holder for your spindle plate? It will be your weakest link in the system

Hello. After watching this, I have a suggestion. You should add the spindle controller circuit to a new model Indyshield. The original Indyshield is great, but it has some limitations, and a minor flaw. I propose a larger more powerful version. It starts with the capabilities of the first, but with the following changes and additions. 1) Add the spindle controller circuit. Instead of a separate independent circuit board for spindle control. Add the circuit to a larger more capable Indyshield. 2) Additional "A" axis. I believe grbl also allows for a 4th axis. Adding a 4th axis would allow for more advanced milling. 3) Move the VIN and end stop posts. They interfere with the arduino USB and power terminals. There are ways to mitigate this, but consider moving them. 4) Additional end stop posts. I may be wrong, but I believe grbl allows for two independent circuits for end stops. This may be useful in some instances. 5) Do not limit the shield size, if the shield needs to be larger to accommodate the changes, so be it. The original Indyshield is great for the DremelCNC, but your IndyMill has advanced beyond that, and while the Indyshield will drive the basic Indymill quite capably, a more capable shield will allow for more advanced milling.

Excellent machine

This project is really nice! I have a similar 230v Spindle in my machine and you can easily use your (old) 10V circuit to control this one, but it can also be switched to 5V (PD071 is the parameter I think). You need to have a relay to connect FOR to DCM to turn it on though, and there is no spindle on/off pin on grbl 1.1, only PWM speed control. You can however recompile grbl in the Arduino IDE and set a parameter to remove the spindle direction pin and make it an off/on pin to control the relay. The parameter is USE_SPINDLE_DIR_AS_ENABLE_PIN in the config.h file.

oh another thing! One thing about 3d printed upgrades not being quite as good as metal ones. Just make the CNC with 3d printed parts, then make the metal replacements with that very machine! have it upgrade itself like we do with 3d printers hahaha

Great work, as usual! Funny, Alexandre Chapel did a similar computer table upgrade, recently: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sq5NXv49D-s.html Also have a look at his dust-shoe (in a previous video); very smart. BTW, I read that kitchen oil works fine for micro-lubrification ;o)

🤣 i made the same mistake with 2.2Kw spindle. I ran it in reverse direction for 2 days straight. Once i realized the mistake, i was embarassed for almost 2 days more. 🤣

Olá, What is the fastest speed you can cut with this Nema 23 + 5mm pitch ball screw set?

Hi what setting did you use on the DM556 dip switches for the microstepping setting ?

Hello, I just made my CNC and on my first test something does not seem right. The CNC uses 2.2 KW air cooled spindle at 300 Hz speed. and a Makita drill bit with one cutting teeth as you can see in the picture from the end of my video. Could you please explain why do I have that whistle noise when it cuts? Also the spindle motors is getting very hut, after the cut I could barely hold my hand on it? Cut federate is 800 . The diameter of the drill bit is 6mm. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dsRKRu3pHBw.html

great video, great mods. Only thing to improve is your coolant. Use Isopropanol instead of wd40, it has way better cooling abilities and on top of that it's cheeper. (Alu only, don't use it with steel because of the fire risk)

Nice cnc. Although the X axis seems to look weak compared to the Y axis. Also the Z seems not so rigid. Best to replace the X beams with larger alu profiles and put them vertical for rigidity. I also never like to see a belt transmission. This is also not rigid and causes the z guide to vibrate when doing a lead in.

I don't see a dxf for the 1.5kw spindle - did I miss it somewhere? BTW - I bought the instruction book.

Amazing project, I am copying it, in the process of my making, I want to add knife setting function, is it possible to do this project

Why you do not use a palm router for spindle? It's to loud? Or maybe some other problems? This spindle is quite expensive.

if I happen to build your CNC design, can it be upscale to 1.2m x 1.2m for the x and y axis?

Awesome stuff

One of the most valuable video you've posted. Thank you Nikodem! Instructive and helpful as usual.

I am building an indymill, but with the blackbox motion controller system.

for anyone arriving late to the party (as I have) the link to the 36v power supply now points to a 48 volt one.

17:54 - It is a chamfering bit. Po polsku fazownik

Great stuff! I’m just getting my big cnc working order. One question: what was those small wires from the spindle cables that seemed to connect to each other on spindle end? Seemed odd and interesting at the same time. Something to do with interference? I’m having some interference problems from the spindle to limit sensor inputs.

the power supply broke down because there is no snubber diode when u connected the spindle motor to the PS.

to masz wrzeciono 1.5kW czy jak odsyłasz do Amazan - 2.2kW?

how long can you run this spindle before overheating?

Yep, it is l ike a Barbie Doll, you always want more things! I am the same.

Been eye a similar spindle motor. Need to get some beefy rails first tho.

What CAM software are you using for your CNC?

Super professional upgrade mate 👍I like your style. Keep going forward

1000mm/min (1m/min) is already pretty fasf

Well done, friend. As always, I'm enjoying watching your work.

Over thing things "welcome to the club" 😇

Hey Nikodem, I really love your videos and the IndyMill build, I think I am ready to start my build but I wanted to check is there a sizing guide for the Indymill if I want to build make a unit with a larger build volume? What is the build volume of your machine?

What a stupid way to split the sections with that tiny bit of text on paper

Hello, how is name of your cam program????

19:07 don't you have cable lugs? xDDDD

Two comments regarding your little pcb with the LM358. 1) add bypass capacitors to the +/- 12v rails. two caps each 0.1uf parallel with 4.7uf 2) do not leave the second op amp unconnected. connect - input to the output, and connect + input to ground. If these things are not done even the simple circuit may mis-behave, oscillate,...

I just buy the exactly same 1.5 kW spindle :-) ... but I'll use it on just finished mpcnc (next time I'll make yours :-) First of all thanks a lot for the video. And second, please tell us in a video if you can connect the inverter of spindle to the... I don't know... to the software maybe ??? (for now I use marlin) Thanks again

plz put a Plexiglas between the computer and CNC to avoid debris and dust from the CNC. I enjoy watching you video. thanks for sharing

Great work , i love your videos, they do are very inspiring, i will be soon building a cnc like yours very soon, just wanted to ask you, what would be the largest working area for a cnc like this using nema 23 motors? you think 1x1 meter would work well ? or 1.3x1.3 meter? thank you

Why not use the CNC to carve the other PCB instyead of this awful transfer paper method?

When you switched to 36V power supply, did you do something with the power to the Aurdino board? Can the Aurdino board work with 36V or have you used a voltage regulator? Thanks for answer

Well, maybe your old 500W spindel power supply is 48V. Using 48V is even better for the motor drivers than 36V!

Funny how a such a drastically improved, ergonomic solution can stall by our brains, wanting the perfect design. Happens to me all the time, "should've done that ages ago" solutions!

so that parts list you have on the site: does it have these upgrades in it? i want to CNC wood and aluminum in 4x4' area. id like to run 48v system i think, given its faster and such. i do not own a 3d printer (thats next) but i own bandsaws, plasma cutter, router tables, and mig welder. so id be find welding framework and such. what is your recommendation to build a good system here? thanks

Where did you buy the vacuum hose from?

also, im having great fun with mine and yes learn and brake some endmills along the way, its part of the process :)

I want to collect gold dust particles to regain it... Help me to suggest which dust collector will be good? I want in compact size... Mini in size.

Nice and inspirational video!

Great work. It would be great to do a PCB video showing how to order an assembled PCB from one of the online companies.

The wrong spindle direction was a Reasonable mistake. As you know, you can't see what direction it is going when it is operating. There is only a small window of opportunity as it is about to come to a stop.

Can the Steel plate for the Z be modified for my 80mm 2.2kw spindle? Thanks!

Dear sir, make a tutorial related Arduino button LCD menu with a lot of led output without any library. Please sir.

keep in mind, increasing the voltage going into the motor does lower the life of it. its not a huge deal, but might be important for some people

Please try building a 5 axis machine. You can add 2 axis to the original machine!

Great videos- I have a diy cnc machine and have the same spindle-will the plate for the 1.5kw spindle be on your site and can you do stainless?

I like the 1.5kw spindle upgrade. On your DXF file have you considered having holes for both the 500w and 1.5kw spindle option, or have an option for two dedicated plates? Maybe you could have three plate options 500w, 1.5kw and custom drill plate. Also are you planning on having more steel plates kits on your website in the near future.

Upgrade show 👏👏👏😁

Hello! Where are you ordering those laser cut parts? (eg. spindle mount plate)

The weird bit is called a countersink bit. Some might call it a chamfer bit too

for the pwm converter, what value did you use for r1 and c1? as they are not included in the parts list

That was AWSOME. Just Another upgrade 4th AXIS. PLEASE!

Drill bit change option? I would like to do that also maybe you should do it first.

Congrasts, from Brazil!

Just make sure you don’t inhale wd-40 fumes.

The air mixer system looks like a great tip ! Tnx ! I didn't know it.

Hi Indy, Whats the feed rate and Rpm you are running it?

Another fantastic video. Glade I found your RU-vid channel. Keep up the good work

@17:43 , the weird drilling bit is called a countersink bit

What is your idea about making 5 axis diy cnc machine ?

I think you should add some endstops for auto homing and resuming.

Nice video, cool to see how you are tackling your cnc. I do think that bracket that you showed at @18:05 looks a bit weak! Also there is no backslash nut on it aren't you afraid it is going to vibrate in the z height?

Perfect! I just bought the same spindle recently, but haven't mounted it up, yet. I'm excited for what it can do on aluminum!