Saturday Work Day 5.6.17

Wiring Exo Arm Conduit and Control Box

Date: 5.6.17
Location: Logan HS
Time: 5 hours
Goal: Pull wire though conduit and reconfigure the control box for another receptacle with main power switch.


We needed to get a lot of the wiring done today so we can connect to the main circuit board and begin to test the electronics. Much of today was spent fabricating covers, attaching boxes, measuring wire and conduit, finding places to connect and attach everything without taking away from arm functionality.

The metal flexible conduit we saved from last years project came in handy. We tried some other types of conduit, but they were not flexible enough. This material is very flexible for a metal product. Pulling wire though flexible conduit is a challenge so we fished the wire though. The flex connectors that were used to connect to the arm and electrical boxes seem to hold the conduit firmly yet allow for arm movement. Plastic inserts were placed in the ends of the conduit to protect the wire from the sharp edge.

16 gauge wire was run through the conduit along with the power cable for the grinder. This will have to be terminated in the junction box we attached.

Control box is ready for more additions. The GFCI box was a tight fit and that receptacle is so much bigger than a regular receptacle, we had to go out the top of the box with 90 degree elbows and EMT pipe. The larger quad  box is where we will mount the relay.

Work night planned on Thursday.

Linear actuator and pipe attached to the mounting plate.

Close up of linear actuator and mounting placement. The 1/4" bolts will be replaced with graded.

The plastic control box had to be trimmed to receive the electrical boxes and wiring.

Cutting EMT pipe for conduit.

Electrical boxes mounted.

Receptacles wired in.

Getting ready to wire the grinder switch back to control box.

Hole drilled in with grommet for grinder power cable.

Box mounted on underside of arm.

Wire running through grinder arm.

Showing how conduit is attached. A metal cover was fabricated to hold the flex connector.

Arm with wire pulled through conduit to electrical box.