Novusun Controller Wiring and MACH3 Software Setup

Safety Statement

The author of this document is not liable or responsible for any accidents, injuries, equipment damage, property damage, loss of money or loss of time resulting from improper use of electrical or mechanical or software products.

Assembling electrical and mechanical CNC machine components like power supplies, motors, drivers or other electrical and mechanical components involves dealing with high voltage AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current) and other hazardous items which can be extremely dangerous and needs high attention to detail, experience, knowledge of software, electricity, electro-mechanics and mechanics.

BEFORE MAKING ANY CONNECTIONS OR DISCONNECTIONS POWER MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE DEVICE AND THE CONTROLLER. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL VOID ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES.

Before starting please read though all the instructions.

Note : Any Mains power connections must be installed by a Licensed electrician or suitability qualified person.

Errors and omissions excepted

This document will cover how to wire and setup the following components:

Novusun CNC Controller – both NVUM and NVEM
TB6600 Stepper Drivers
Mean Well LRS-350 24V Power Supply
MACH3 CNC Controller Software

The wiring and software configuration work well for us and are a result of extensive trial and error and customer feedback. This does not mean that it will work for you and your machine. As always, do your own research and read the manuals for each component and software – errors and omissions excepted.

Number Axis: 3-6
Inputs: 12 channel programmable input port
Output: 10 channel programmable output port
MPG: 1 channel standard hand-wheel pendant MPG port
PWM: 0-10V Spindle PWM output control
Software: Support MACH3
Interface: USB/Ethernet
DCDC electrical isolation
Optocoupler isolation
Max 200khz stepper motor pulse output – suitable for most CNC milling machine system
Support extend encoder to adjust FRO, SRO, SJR parameters
ARM motion control chip

Manuals, MACH3 Plugins and more information available from:

For USB version NVUM: https://www.nvcnc.net/nvum.html
For Ethernet version NVEM: https://www.nvcnc.net/nvem.html

Make sure to download the correct plugin version and type of controller. Extract the RAR file (7-ZIP https://www.7-zip.org/ is a free and can extract the RAR files) and copy the “.dll” file to the Mach3 Plugin directory (usually “C:\Mach3\PlugIns”).

Support 8 kinds of current control
Support 7 kinds of micro steps adjustable
The interface adopts high-speed optocoupler isolation
Automatic semi-flow to reduce heat
Large area heat sink
Anti-high-frequency interference ability
Input anti-reverse protection
Overheat, over current and short circuit protection
Input Current: 0-5A
Output Current: 0.5-4.0A
Power (MAX): 160W
Micro Step: 1, 2/A, 2/B, 4, 8, 16, 32
Dimension: 96x56x33 mm
Weight: 0.2 kg

Manufacturer: Mean Well
Output Voltage-Channel 1: 24 V
Output Power: 350.4 W
Open Frame/Enclosed: Enclosed
Input Voltage: 90 VAC to 132 VAC/180 VAC to 264 VAC, 240 VDC to 370 VDC
Output Current-Channel 1: 14.6 A
Mounting Style: Chassis
Length: 215 mm
Width: 115 mm
Height: 30 mm
Input Frequency: 47 Hz to 63 Hz
Unit Weight: 760 g

Converts a standard PC to a fully featured, 6-axis CNC controller
Allows direct import of DXF, BMP, JPG, and HPGL files through LazyCam
Visual Gcode display
Generates Gcode via LazyCam or Wizards
Fully customizable interface
Customizable M-Codes and Macros using VBscript
Spindle Speed control
Multiple relay control
Manual pulse generation
Video display of machine
Touch screen ability
Full screen eligibility

NOTE: It is critical to use the correctly rated/sized wire for all connections. For more details of each connection refer to the Novusun manual.

The Controller, TB6600 Drivers, Power Supply, Stepper Motors, Switches and etc are connected as per the diagram below:

Below are some images of the wiring:

Note the crimp connectors on the power and stepper cables. This makes for cleaner and better connections.

Also note that each TB6600 has a pair of power cables running from the Power Supply to the Driver and are NOT daisy chained, that is, NOT from Power Supply to X Axis Driver, then from X Axis Driver to Y Axis Driver and so forth. If the power is daisy chained then, if all drivers are active, the current on the wire from the Power Supply to the first Driver will carry 4x the current and means the last Driver in the chain will be under powered – DO NOT DAISY CHAIN POWER TO THE DRIVERS.

See below for an example of how to layout a controller case. Note fans on the right to assist in cooling the TB6600 and prominent location the Emergency Stop Switch.

The above also has wiring for a spindle control, see the right-side bottom 4 wires on the NVEM.

The TB6600 supports from 1 to 32 microsteps and a stepper motor current from 0.5A to 3.5A. The DIP Switch located on the side is used to set the microstep and current settings. The first 3 DIP switches are used to set the micro steps, and the last 3 set the current.

Micro-Step Setting

Micro Step	Pulse/Rev	S1	S2	S3
NC	NC	ON	ON	ON
1	200	ON	ON	OFF
2/A	400	ON	OFF	ON
2/B	400	OFF	ON	ON
4	800	ON	OFF	OFF
8	1600	OFF	ON	OFF
16	3200	OFF	OFF	ON
32	6400	OFF	OFF	OFF

Current Control Setting

Current (A)	S4	S5	S6
0.5	ON	ON	ON
1	ON	OFF	ON
1.5	ON	ON	OFF
2	ON	OFF	OFF
2.5	OFF	ON	ON
2.8	OFF	OFF	ON
3	OFF	ON	OFF
3.5	OFF	OFF	OFF

For lead screw driven CNC machines, such as the WorkBee and Lead CNC, a setting of 4 microsteps and 3A is a common setting – ON-OFF-OFF-OFF-ON-OFF.

Please note that the above is a good place to start when tuning your machine. However your configuration and/or needs may require different settings.

MACH3 is a complex program and there are many settings that can be used to personalise a machine configuration. Below are some, more or less, generic settings that are a good place to start when setting up a lead screw driven machine.

It is outside the scope of this document to detail each setting. For more comprehensive information see the MACH3 and Novusun manuals.

Motor Port and Pin Settings:

Input Port and Pin Settings:

Spindle Output Port and Pin Settings:

Spindle Control Settings:

Motor Tuning Settings:

General Configuration Settings:

Before calibrating, make sure you have set your units (best to use mm, set by “Config/Set Native Units”).

To calibrate each axis go to the “Settings” screen in MACH3 and click on the button “Set Steps per Unit” on the bottom left.

Choose the axis to calibrate:

Choose the distance you want the axis to move. Make sure to mark or note the start location on the axis (a post-it note is a good way to mark the start point). Then, after the axis moves, measure and enter the actual distance of movement. It is best to start with a small number and run 2-3 times to increase accuracy.