Wiring up!

Last year I got some proper drag cable from Andy Pugh (LinuxCNC). This is just the dog's dick in terms of cabling - pukka oil resistant sheathing, finely stranded cores and a mixture of shielded and unshielded content. The actual breakdown is printed on the sheath:

• 3 pairs of individually shielded 0.14mm2
• 4 cores of unshielded 0.14mm2
• 2 cores of 0.5mm2

I'll use this stuff for the external connection to the Z axis. The shielded cores will be good for the 0-10V VFD control voltage. The 2 larger unshielded cores will be good for the Z axis power supply (36V). The shielded pairs will be good for the Z axis differential drive signals for step and direction. That leaves a few spare for the Z axis limit and home switches.

The old VFD and its remote panel will be coming off. The (reclaimed) diecast box is fixed to the head by means of a handy loominum block.

Found a convenient and rather neat plastic box that I've had on my shelves for a few years (about 15). This has a sealed cover, so will be IP65 or so. Fits nicely onto the mounting block:

Start prepping the signals wires: