Install a Tower Light

This is something i wish I had done sooner.  Let's install a tower light.

A tower tells you the status of your machine when you aren't staring at it.  You might be in a part of your shop where you can't see the CNC.  It's nice to be able to give a quick glance to the tower light to confirm that things are working normally, if it's waiting for a tool change, if the job is done, etc.

 

It's also nice to hear the buzzer when the machine goes into alarm.   If there's an issue, you'd probably what to know right away so you fix the issue and get the machine back to work.

 

It's important to find a 24V tower light, which isn't hard.  I also wanted one with a buzzer.  You can always decide not to wire the buzzer up if you don't want to use it, and then you at least have it if you want to use it some day in the future.

 

You probably also want a three color tower with red, yellow and green, so you can properly display all conditions the Masso is capable of.

 

I chose one by ANDONT, which has worked flawlessly for me.

 

22/4 security wire is fine.  You probably don't to get too fancy here, but shielded cable in a plenum sheath is your safest bet.   

 

You'll definitely need some relays to handle the tower.  Masso specifically designed their relay module for use with their G3.  They also warn that cheap relays may damage the G3 controller. One huge selling point is that the G3 enclosure comes with standoffs for mounting their relay module.  I took the safe/convenient round and sprung for the Masso module. 

 

You can't power the relay board off of the TTL outputs on the G3 controller.  If you're not going to install a separate 24V power supply the only place to draw power for the relay is from the output from the Onefinity power supply.   This is where I finally got around to breaking that out with a terminal block, so I could power other 24V devices without trying to jam many wires/ferrules into the G3's power input terminal.  

 

I had a terminal block laying around, but I'd recommend using one like this, https://amzn.to/3xj4hI3,  so you can break out both your power and ground wires.  I'll probably even do this in mine to clean things up. 

 

 Installation:

 Just watch the video linked up top.

 

 

Masso Docs (Tower Light): https://docs.masso.com.au/wiring-and-setup/setup-and-calibration/tower-lights

Masso Docs (Relay Module): https://docs.masso.com.au/wiring-and-setup/setup-and-calibration/masso-relay-module

Masso Relay: https://www.cnc4pc.com/masso-controller-relay-module.html

Fuse Holder: https://amzn.to/3Vv1QMI

750mA Fuse: https://amzn.to/43zNKLV

Tower Light: https://amzn.to/3uqH4mx

22/4 Wire: https://amzn.to/4cxcsks

Terminal block: https://amzn.to/4cv81Gy

Ferrules: https://amzn.to/3SytLs4

Crimp Connectors: https://amzn.to/3TO52BW 

 

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