Outlet location

[thegoldpinecone]

Looking to get an electrician to my shop before the new AR8 I ordered gets here. Apprehensive due to not knowing how long the power supply is. Anyone have a rough estimate as to how long the power supply is? I know it isn't recommended but anyone running an extension cord? I'm attempting to make it as easy as possible for the electrician.

[stevem]

You need to elaborate a little! What do you mean how long of a power supply.

The spindle is 220v and the other electronics are 110v.

I don't have an extention cord connected. My machine is less than 3 feet from the wall outlet of both 220v and 110v.

The local Rockler store that had a AR6 Pro on display was using a 110 to 220 converter to demonstrate the machine, so you only would need a 110 outlet. I am not sure I would actually run the machine for a long time with that setup. That is why everyone is saying to have both 110v and 220v outlets available.

[loren]

I think the power cord on mine was about 4' long - I used a short 220v extension cord to reach an outlet (which are about chest high in my shop).

[johnb]

If you are installing (now or later) a laser, you'll need a "regular" 110-120v plug in addition to your "high voltage" circuit. That need not be on its own circuit. It's a very low-draw "block transformer" that draws almost nothing in the way of amperage.

Look at the AR-8 manual (available online) for the power requirements for the AR-8. Page 16 at this link www.axiomprecision.com/media/axiom-manual-basic.pdf

It's a (modest size) 220-240v circuit. That circuit needs to be dedicated to the machine (only) and it says 10 amps for your machine, but you can confirm with your electrician (who may think that 15 amps is a better call). The manual indicates that a NEMA 6-20 plug is provided. Since that is a 20 amp plug, the receptacle should be "marked" to indicate the breaker size so that (down the line) someone doesn't plug something that "needs" a 20 amp breaker in and think it's gonna work.  The power cord is (likely) a good 6' (measured from plug to back of controller box.

IF I MIGHT SUGGEST...assuming that you're placing the machine with the "right side" of the long (Y) axis along (or near) a wall. Have both plugs installed near each other in the wall to the right of where you will be standing (at the "foot" of the machine with the controller on your right) and just clear of the end of the table. Don't put them at 12" from the floor, but raise them up higher, keeping the level below the aluminum "bed" that supports the spoil boards. The reason for this is to make it EASY to plug & unplug things for those times when you want to protect things from lightning by "pulling the plug" while, at the same time, not placing it where you're liable to knock the plug out of the wall inadvertently when moving material around on the table. "Flipping the breaker" doesn't provide adequate protection in a lightning strike, and breakers aren't meant to be used as "switches". You don't need an A/C disconnect switch in the circuit (since it's not hard-wired) and a plug is easier (and safer) to pull than one of those anyway.

Pay attention to the grounding requirements for the machine (page 17) and also GROUND YOUR DUST COLLECTION SYSTEM!

You could go a little farther with that with a couple of those screw on clear plastic "In-Use" outdoor receptacle covers (available at big box stores) in order to make sure you don't "rump" the plug out of the wall.

[thegoldpinecone]

Thanks for the feedback.

I was just asking how long the cord is from the controller box to the end of the plug. Appreciate the responses.

[stevem]

About 6 feet

[traindriver]

I made up a 15 foot "extension cord" for my machine using 10 gauge 3 conductor SOOW cable, which I used for about 2 years. 10 gauge is overkill, but better safe than sorry.

[aluomala]

I'm in Canada, and I had to order a 9ft extension cord from Amazon that is designed for heavy duty appliances (250V 20 Amp) such as A/C and the like. That was last year, and I have had no problem with it. But when I ordered the same cord for my new machine (AR8Pro) it got as far as the Canadian border and was sent back to the seller, and I am assuming it is due to the fact that it wasn't CSA (Canadian Standards Association) approved, only UL (Underwriters Lab) approved. I had to get the fittings at an electrical supply store, plus 4m (12ft) of 12ga 3 wire cable and make my own extension cord (at approximately 10X the cost of the extension cord I ordered!!).

I'm not sure what the issue with the cord was that I ordered, since it was a "brand" name product (Coleman) with the UL label and the specs right on the label, but I suspect that people in the past have taken a regular cord (14 or thinner gauge) and just slapped on connections that looked "right" with no thought to the correct specifications and caused fires and electrical damage, so government-approved regulators here have banned them (you can't find these cords at any "big box" store in Canada, even when they are listed on the parent companies US site (HomeDepot).

When I had an electrician in to add additional 220V receptacles (I only had one) I asked about the electrical cord issue and he said in his opinion that it doesn't make sense if you use the proper gauge/length of cord (with proper connections naturally).

But, on the bright side, in Canada, Kinder Surprise Eggs are legal

Allan

PS In hindsight it would have been cheaper (or roughly the same cost) to have the electrician put a third 220V receptable to reduce the requirement for extension cords period, if I had a solid plan for where I needed the receptacles placed (I had the electrician come in before my second machine was delivered, and my original plan had to be modified once the 2nd machine was on the ground, since the length of the AR*Pro power cords wasn't long enough for where both machines ended up (to allow for better dust collection, safer passageways in my shop, etc). So, 'thegoldpinecone' is wise to get these things (machine placement, receptable placement, etc) before the electrician does the work, to save time, money and headache.

[johnb]

Apr 3, 2019 10:25:44 GMT -5 aluomala said:

PS In hindsight it would have been cheaper (or roughly the same cost) to have the electrician put a third 220V receptable to reduce the requirement for extension cords period, if I had a solid plan for where I needed the receptacles placed (I had the electrician come in before my second machine was delivered, and my original plan had to be modified once the 2nd machine was on the ground, since the length of the AR*Pro power cords wasn't long enough for where both machines ended up (to allow for better dust collection, safer passageways in my shop, etc). So, 'thegoldpinecone' is wise to get these things (machine placement, receptable placement, etc) before the electrician does the work, to save time, money and headache.

I don't think it's "written" (in the codes) that the receptacle "must" be secured. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I think he could run the wire through the wall with some "excess" and put the receptacle on the end of that wire. You wouldn't want to coil it up too tight (and create a transformer) and it would probably be a good idea to keep it somewhat off of the floor (and definitely not buried in debris).

As long as you didn't drop it into a bucket of water, you should be OK.  My sailboat sits in the water at the marina. Shore power to the boat is through a 50 amp cord that plugs into the power pedestal on the dock with the female end being a molded on plug that is connected onboard (the rest in between swings in the breeze.) When connecting the power, it's best to hook up the boat FIRST, rather than the dock side power as many people have found out the hard way when "missing the boat" while attempting to toss a coil of (energized) power cord on board.  

[stevem]

I made a 20 foot cord for my table saw that is also 220v. Just use a nice heavy duty piece of wire and put good plugs on both ends. It has been on my saw for 4 years and no problems.

[traindriver]

An additional note: If you are going to make an extension cord, it's a good idea to change out the plug on the machine so you can use the twistlock type of plug and receptacle - that provides a little extra security to keep them from accidentally becoming unplugged from each other.

[redwood]

You guys have made me feel a lot better about my setup. Before my machine arrived I had my electrician run 10 gauge romex from a breaker in my subpanel and run it on the ceiling of my garage/workshop and drop it about where I thought I would need it, with the correct receptacle attached. I had always expected that I would hardwire it at some point, but 3 years later, I still have that cord dropped down from the ceiling.

[johnb]

Apr 4, 2019 13:34:52 GMT -5 redwood said:

You guys have made me feel a lot better about my setup. Before my machine arrived I had my electrician run 10 gauge romex from a breaker in my subpanel and run it on the ceiling of my garage/workshop and drop it about where I thought I would need it, with the correct receptacle attached. I had always expected that I would hardwire it at some point, but 3 years later, I still have that cord dropped down from the ceiling.

Why mess with success?  If you want to "pretty it up", get an appropriate size of pvc conduit, pull the plug off, pull the staples off the wire, strap the conduit to the ceiling, push the wire through the conduit (before gluing on your elbows), put the plug back on and go to the house.

[traindriver]

Apr 4, 2019 15:06:05 GMT -5 johnb said:

Apr 4, 2019 13:34:52 GMT -5 redwood said:

You guys have made me feel a lot better about my setup. Before my machine arrived I had my electrician run 10 gauge romex from a breaker in my subpanel and run it on the ceiling of my garage/workshop and drop it about where I thought I would need it, with the correct receptacle attached. I had always expected that I would hardwire it at some point, but 3 years later, I still have that cord dropped down from the ceiling.

Why mess with success?  If you want to "pretty it up", get an appropriate size of pvc conduit, pull the plug off, pull the staples off the wire, strap the conduit to the ceiling, push the wire through the conduit (before gluing on your elbows), put the plug back on and go to the house.

Important installation tip:  glue is not to be applied to the elbows on your arms, but rather the conduit elbows.  Doing it the other way may inhibit your ability to operate the shop equipment properly.  

[jrg]

Have been running several CNCs with 110 to 220 converter for years and have had no problems with the 2.2Kw spindles running for 30 or 40 hours.

[stevem]

Like I said before! My local Rockler store had a Axiom Pro and it was connected to a converter and they ran demonstrations on it all the time without any problems. I don't remember the brand they had, but it was only about $140 if I remember correctly.

[johnb]

Why screw around with a voltage converter on a permanent installation?? There are plenty of things that can go wrong (including "getting dead"). Converting a 120 v 20 amp circuit to 240 v 20 amp is not difficult. You do this by installing a two pole 20 amp breaker, use the white and black wire for the two hots. Tape the white wire blue where it is visible so that nobody confuses it with being a neutral. Change the outlet(s) to NEMA 6-20R. Double the power without running new wire.