"Frickin" was a word, along with a lot of similar words, that were used a lot last night in my workshop.......
I blew up my cnc machine........
No kidding either.


That is what the parallel break out board which interfaces the PC to the CNC control electronics lok like when you apply 110V ac to a 5v circuit......
Unfortunately the Laser power supply was also connected to the same 5v circuit and also too a hit.


$250 dollars worth of damage in an instant.
How did i manage to do this?
Well, the power supply uses a 5v signal and a potentiometer to vary the intensity of the laser beam. I was using a spare 5v pin on the Break out board to supply the 5v. The supplier suggested that the 5v from the BOB may not be stable enough during operation. And it was true that he voltage was indeed fluctuating a few points even when not running.
So in an effort to find a better ground i mistakenly attached the ground wire (which is black in colour) to the live 110v ac from the cnc power supply (which is also black in colour!!!)
For our international friends for some odd reason in the USA the mains live colour is black mains ground is white and only the green earth makes sense.
My excuse was that the two sets of power terminals from the cnc power supply are next to each other. AC live being blcak and DC negative being black what i meant to do was connect to the DC negative......

The cnc power supply is the big silver box and the DC 36v outlets are the ones wired the three bare terminals are the 10v AC input. (you can also see the colours from the mains power lead in the picture)
The really REALLY frustrating part is I FRIKIN KNEW THIS!!!!!!
I have successfully modified a fair amount of wiring in my Kitchen, i have successfully wired up the CNC system and the Spindle VFD all without issue.
I really feel like a Stupid Arse at this stage and now a substantially poorer Stupid Arse...
There is no way the parallel breakout board can be repaired but then again that's cheap to replace. Its the Laser power supply that stings i am not sure how easy it would be to repair it but right now i just want to get on with rebuilding so i can try again.
Ill keep this supply and maybe try to get it repaired at a later date.
All the new parts, including a new dedicated 5v v reg that can tap off the 36v cnc power supply, will be here Friday so hopefuly i can get it all working by the weekend....hopefully