Upgraded from G540 to 4 x G214
About 15 years ago I purchased a 600 x 900mm CNC (Chinese import) and negotiated to not include the control gear, as I had read nothing but horror stories about things not being earthed, massive electrical noise issues, etc and decided it would be best if I built my own. My build included a Gecko G540 and an Allen Bradley Powerflex VFD for the 2.2kW spindle.
Worked great for the jobs I was doing - few issues with missed steps on the longer projects, but nothing too bad.
So around 3 months ago I began rebuilding my workshop as I had a few new toys that required wall space and decided that I it was time to give my CNC control gear a fresh start. After doing some research, I decided on an Ethernet Smooth Stepper, an MB3 breakoutboard and 4 x Gecko G214.
Finished most of the wiring last night, fired it up and could not believe what I was seeing. These G214's are silky smooth and can drive my machine with incredible accuracy.
My CNC has gone from a cheap clunker to a precision machine.
Anyone out there using a G540 that can afford to upgrade, I highly recommend it.
Re: Upgraded from G540 to 4 x G214
I’m fairly certain you’ve changed too many components to accurately attribute your new found performance directly to the new drivers. The smoothstepper alone likely made the difference. You probably could have kept the G540.
Re: Upgraded from G540 to 4 x G214
You're quite possibly right MotoTech although I have plans for the now spare G540 to go onto another creation I am working, on so no buyers remorse just yet. :)
