I am sure this has been done but wondering if any of you guys could tell me if i were to put a relay in series with the DC Motor would MACH3 turn the relay off and on. I assume its a 5 V from MACH3.
Has anyone tried this with a X2 Mill?

if i were to put a relay in series with the DC Motor would MACH3 turn the relay off and on

You would need a relay which has a coil capable of handling the current of the DC motor.

I assume its a 5 V from MACH3.

Not sure what you mean by this

Tweakie.

Hi,
I'm guessing you want Mach to turn a relay on and off and the relay turn the spindle on and off?

Mach doesn't have a voltage per se....but the BOB does. Many BOB's are 5v so it could turn a 5V coil relay on and off.
Note also that most BOBs have fairly limited current output, commonly 20mA or less. Your 5V relay will have to be
pretty small and therefore the output contacts may not last long when switching spindle current.

To improve that situation you can use a small 5V relay to control a bigger relay or contactor. Another way is to use a transistor
with the base controlled by the BOB but the collector/emitter circuit controlling a much larger relay than the BOB could handle
on its own.

Craig

There are some decent low current trigger relays around where the trigger is very low current, but the coil is powered by a direct connection to a power supply.  Unfortunately those I am aware of are 12V not 5V. 

Thanks for the info..
Does anyone know how much voltahe current the motor draws

Hi,
should be written on the motor or at least in the docs that come with the machine.

Craig