Completing the drag chain installation on the Bantam

I need some reminders how I'd intended to install the drag chain for the carriage electrical (and coolant?) connections on the Bantam.

Luckily I recall making a CAD model of the machine. This wasn't simply a vanity or boredom activity - I actually used it to design the various components used in converting it to CNC. One advantage of not having changed CAD systems for many years is that I can still access and mess with the work I did before my memory's horizon!

Here's the latest version of the complete machine:

Ooof, that's not right. I'd forgotten I'd actually continued to evolve the design so that the Z axis ballscrew and linear encoder were repositioned at the rear of the machine.

This is actually what I've got standing in the workshop right now.

And yes, the cross slide, carriage ad drag chain all articulate. Arguably I could do with finishing off the appearances (ie get the green paint brush out) but that is just superficial.

The original aim here was to find out what I had planned in terms of the drag chain. That is becoming a bit more obvious and the clouds of memory are starting to clear gradually.

I remounted this stainless steel cover plate that I seem to recall was intended to provide a mount for the travelling end of the drag chain. Sure enough, the drag chain fixings line up nicely.

With a few links fitted, it emerges at the rear of the X axis assembly.

And in the CAD assembly, it seems I had intended the fixed end to be mounted somewhere around 19mm from the end of the bed. This is with the carriage at the furthest extent from the headstock (at the home position, FWIW):

The height of the fixed end looks about right, as the separation of the top and bottom mounts measures about 85-90mm. 

That places the bottom side of the mounting bracket around 88mm from the bottom of the chip tray.

I'm measuring about 200mm from the bottom of the top bracket to the chip tray.

Looks as if the height of the fixed end is fairly clear. And the horizontal position (along the Z axis). So let's design some sort of base to locate the base on. Perhaps also forming a degree of shielding of the cable from swarf. Next time....

Got a few minutes on my hands later on and did the paint job:

Looks better.