CNC3D Nighthawk User manual

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Version 3 –Revised 08/12/22
Nighthawk CNC Controller
User Manual

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Safety precautions
•Please read this entire manual before using your new Nighthawk controller or
CNC3D Commander software.
•Please ensure any relevant PPE equipment is worn or used when operating
any CNC machine. This includes safety glasses for using any lasers.
•CNC machines can be dangerous and must be operated with diligence and
safety in mind.
By using this controller and or any associated software, you acknowledge and
agree that you are taking full responsibility for any damage to property,
machinery, person or persons that could potentially occur as a result of using
this product. CNC3D PTY LTD will not be held liable or responsible in any way
for the misuse or use of this product.
All 240V wiring MUST be done by a licensed electrician. Failure to do
so can cause fire or electric shock!
DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY 240V WIRING WITHOUT AN
ELECTRICAL LICENSE

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Nighthawk Controller Specifications
Input Voltage
14-40V DC (max)
Power Usage
320W (max)
Onboard Drivers
4 x 4.5A (max)
Total Axes
4 (XYYZA)
SD Support
Class 4-10 (Up to 32Gb)
SD Format
FAT32 Required
WiFi Frequency
2.4GHz
Operating Frequency
240MHz
Antenna
4.5db Gain
Enclosure
Folded Steel
Mounting
Bench/Wall
Enclosure Finish
Powder Coating

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Hardware setup
This section relates to our Full-Stack controller.
For stand-alone cards please skip to page 12
Did you get your Nighthawk controller with a CNC3D CNC machine or are you
retrofitting your Nighthawk CNC Controller to an existing machine?
Every Nighthawk controller provided with our fully assembled machines are tuned by our team for the
best performance and longevity. You will not need to change any hardware settings on your controller,
you can skip this section and move on to the Connection setup section of these instructions on page 22.
Power input orientation
The positive terminal is located closest to the Antenna plug. Please ensure to use a 14V minimum power
supply with a total wattage rating greater than 300w.
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Setting your micro-stepping and current
The drivers included with your controller have physical settings that can be adjusted to suit your needs
these include micro-stepping and current output settings.
**PLEASE NOTE**
Always ensure the unit is powered OFF and the USB cable is disconnected before performing any micro-stepping
changes.
Setting Micro-stepping
Each drive has the option of 1 / [1, 2, 4, 8, 16] micro-stepping settings. For most CNC routing applications, a
1/8 ratio is a good balance of torque, accuracy and maximum speed.
The front of your Nighthawk controller shows 4 blue tactile switch blocks. These blocks are used to set your
micro-stepping. They can be seen here:
A small pick or screwdriver can be used to set the micro-stepping from the front of the unit or the
controller cover can be removed to make setting the values easier, see below for removing cover.
Each of these switch blocks has 3 small switches for
setting your micro-stepping.
The default on your controller will be 1/8.
Please note the ON position and switch number:

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Micro-stepping settings chart
Set the switches for each drive in the order as per the table below to choose your micro-stepping options.
Setting the current for each driver
Each driver can have its current set to match the motors you are using on your machine. As noted above, if
you have purchased your machine from CNC3D and it came with a Nighthawk controller then the current
has already been set for you and you will not need to do this step.
As a general rule you should always set the current of your motors slightly lower than the value as per your
motor’s datasheet.
There are 2 methods for setting your motors current, the first is a “quick” method and should be used with
caution to ensure you do not overdrive your motors.
1. Remove the controller cover
Ensure all plugs or leads on the front of the controller are unplugged and the SD Card is removed
Tip: Try using a flat head screwdriver to lever the plugs out gently:
•Remove the plastic antenna (if attached) by unscrewing it from the gripped black plastic part of the
antenna. The brass thread can stay attached to the case.
•Using a Phillips head screwdriver, carefully unscrew the black power connector from the controller
housing. Take note of the orientation of the RED power cable to ensure it goes back in the same
orientation.

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•Carefully lever the fan cover off the side of controller to expose the bolts attaching the fan. Loosen
these bolts and carefully remove the fan. Take care to ensure no stress is put on the fan cable in the
cable slot. Remember the orientation of the fan. The Nighthawk is designed to have cool air blowing into
the enclosure.
•Now remove the remaining 4 bolts on top of the enclosure. Once removed, carefully lever the front of
the housing upward. It should lift away quite easily by using one hand to hold blue the heatsink at the
bottom while removing the top cover. Now that the front cover is loose, flip it towards the back of the
enclosure taking care not to unplug or damage any wires. Everything should look like this:

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2. Set the current for each stepper.
There are 4 blue screw trim pots and setting guides at the rear of the controller on the lower green driver
board, they are used for setting the current, see photo of what they look like:
Each dial has a guide above it to indicate roughly what the current setting is. The quick method for setting
your current is by visually adjusting the dial using a small Phillips head screw driver. See diagram below of
where the indicator is, there are 2 notches either side of it. See also below the approximate value of each
chevron on the dial:
It is important to note that this is a very rough method of setting your motor current and the following
finetuning method will be a better option.
Fine tuning your motor current
Firstly, you must connect power to the power input terminal on the side of the controller. Please be careful
with the orientation of the connections.
Just to the left of each of the blue dials there is a small solder-tinned hole, these are labelled as V(axis) i.e:
VX. These holes are used for precisely setting your motor current. There is also another hole on the far left
of all the blue dials labelled “GND”.

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Using a multimeter set to voltage mode we can position the black probe on the GND hole on the board and
position the red probe on the hole closest to the driver you wish to set.
Close-up image showing the location of the
axis-specific voltage test point (VX) and the
common ground location (GND)
Testing the voltage on VY using a multimeter with the black probe on GND and the red probe on VY

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Once your multimer probes are in position and a voltage is showing, use a small screw driver to carefully
turn the blue dial being set, rotate clockwise to increase current and counter-clockwise to decrease the
current. While turning, check the voltage change on your multimeter for the expected value.
The equations used for setting your current are:
Current = Voltage / 0.62
Which is equivalent to:
Voltage = Current x 0.62
Current is represented in amps (A) and 1000mA = 1A
Based on these equations if we are trying to set our current to 3A exactly we must have a reading of 1.86V.
As advised above, it is recommended to go slightly lower than the rated current. In this case we would set
the voltage reading to 1.84V.
Once you have set the current for each axis, you can power off the controller and reassemble the enclosure
in the same order it came apart from, keeping on mind to ensure the power connector and fan go back in
the same orientation. When fitting the enclosure back onto the electronics, take note to ensure the
antenna cable, fan cable and ribbon cable are not pinched anywhere by the case. Also remember to re-
attach the antenna. Once everything is fitted, use your fingers to push the fan cable back inside the
enclosure. It should look like this: