I am curious as to know why SiEnCi elected to NOT use shielded cables to the steppers?
Anyone?
Chris? Andy?
Why are you concerned? I’ve got two 3d printers and the Longmill and none of then have shielded cables to the stepper motors and I haven’t experienced any issues. Are you worried about emissions?
My machine had been running fine but the last few weeks here have been extremely dry here and I believe some static charges are building up and screwing up my work. (missed steps, lost connections)
I was just curious as why SiEnCi decided to NOT use shielded stepper cables. Seems like it would be an easy way to avoid a potential problem.
Do you have a dust collection system? That’s the most likely source of static. Your won’t get static from the stepper motor cables.
@paullarson @LosOjosRojos I’ve read far too much about the various sources than can and sometimes do cause issues with grbl/uno based systems. As Paul says, these systems are frequently affected by static and the chief static generator in our system is any sort of dust control. However, the other big problem-generator is EMI. One of the possible EMI sources is the power cord for the router. It can be of particular concern to us as it actually touches the X axis stepper motor cable in the drag chain. I cannot say for a fact that a Makita router is a source of EMI. I wrote to Makita and asked and they were very vague about this. In short, though, they said that they could not say that the cord could not be an issue, as in common use, it’s not something that they care much about. IMHO, though, there is no doubt at all that it COULD be an issue and with no shielding on the stepper motor cable, it is open to interference.
@gwilki my Makita router has what I believe to be a ferrite choke on the power cord near the router. I don’t know how effective it is.
@paullarson Interesting, Paul. Mine does not. It has the usual strain relief, but that’s it. For a ferrite choke to do any good, it would need to be near the plug end, not the router end, as I understand their function.
@gwilki i think the router end is correct. The noise is created it the router and and an effective choke at the router end of the cord would block it before it went down the cord and could possibly cause emissions that would violate FCC limits.
@paullarson You’re right, of course, Paul. My brain was out yesterday. Tks. Mine does not have that choke. I wonder if the Canadian version is different from the US version.
@gwilki maybe it’s needed to meet US FCC requirements?
@paullarson That’s what I am thinking. Canada’s rules on such things are pretty much non-existent.
I am in Canada and mine has the choke on it, maybe the one you bought was just old stock
@James Good to know. I bought mine at Home Depot a bit more than a year ago. I didn’t know enough then to look for a choke on the cable. Tks, James.
I got mine at Home Depot, too, a little over a year ago - late 2019.
Sounds like I was just unlucky. 
I need some help from those of you in Canada with a Makita RT0701C router, with the choke on the power cable. I spoke to the factory service centre in Ottawa. The guy there thought that I was nuts. He has never seen this router with a choke on the cable. The service guy said that the “bulge” on the cable was an anti-theft device that slides along the cable. With the current restrictions, I can’t go into a Home Depot to look at what they have.
I can’t find a picture or schematic anywhere online that shows the cable with a choke on it on a Canadian-sourced unit.
Can someone here please take a pic and post it here?
Thanks.
@chrismakesstuff Chris: Can you confirm that the ones that you stock have a choke on the power cord?
@paullarson I have the posted pic of yours, Paul, but I’m assuming that you bought yours in the US. Yes?
@gwilki I’m assuming it’s a choke. I never considered an anti theft device. Choke still makes more sense to me. I did buy it in the US.
@paullarson Does it slide up and down the cable, Paul?
@gwilki i’m out of town so can’t check right now. It does spin on the cable but I’m not sure if it slides. It seems to stay in place.
Tks much, Paul. My research continues. 