Help resurrecting a new to me CNC setup

Hello everyone and thank you in advance!

I just purchased a used setup from a local architect that needs some reassembly and updates to get it going. It is a beast with a working area 22" wide and 8.5' long. The table is framed with 2"x2" square tubular steel as well as the gantry. I need a new bed, I'm thinking MDF but was hoping for advice on that as well as what bit I need to level it.

The electronics that came with it consist of:
3x Stepper Motors (WT86STH118-6004A http://www.wantmotor.com/product/WT86STH_EN.html)
3x Stepper Motor Drivers (DQ860MA DQ860MA)
3x Power Supplies 60v 6 AMP

It came with an old PC running mach 3 software. I live in an area that gets a lot of power outages and would like to go with a dedicated controller with non volatile memory so a job can pick back up after a power outage. I'm curious about your thoughts on using a PC vs. a controller and if anyone can recommend a standalone controller.

I am new to CNC, but have years of professional electronics, programming and IT experience. I also have been 3D printing for four or five years and have an engineering degree.

Thanks,
Carl

None of the controllers will save you from power outages. Even Mach3 has an option: Run From Here.
Every time the power goes out, you will loose position due to motors coasting. You will need to Home the machine after restoring power.
There are some controllers that are keeping track of the job, eg. PLCM-E3 + PLCM-B1-G2 breakout board (costly but reliable) and the accompanying software, all obtainable at: https://pumotix.com/

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Originally Posted by akcarl

Hello everyone and thank you in advance!

I just purchased a used setup from a local architect that needs some reassembly and updates to get it going. It is a beast with a working area 22" wide and 8.5' long. The table is framed with 2"x2" square tubular steel as well as the gantry. I need a new bed, I'm thinking MDF but was hoping for advice on that as well as what bit I need to level it.

The electronics that came with it consist of:
3x Stepper Motors (WT86STH118-6004A WT86STH-WantMotor)
3x Stepper Motor Drivers (DQ860MA DQ860MA)
3x Power Supplies 60v 6 AMP

It came with an old PC running mach 3 software. I live in an area that gets a lot of power outages and would like to go with a dedicated controller with non volatile memory so a job can pick back up after a power outage. I'm curious about your thoughts on using a PC vs. a controller and if anyone can recommend a standalone controller.

I am new to CNC, but have years of professional electronics, programming and IT experience. I also have been 3D printing for four or five years and have an engineering degree.

Thanks,
Carl

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UPS is a suggestion. They are fairly in-expensive for your system capacity.

Power outages, or rather brown-outs are the bigger concern for cnc systems.

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Hello ZASto and Clay,

Thank you for your input! I looked at the pumotix stuff and costly is an understatement, they literally nickel and dime you for every feature, so I'm not going to be paying for that. It seems like I am going to have to do some research about picking up a loss of power from a UPS unit, moving the bit to a specific coordinate and parking it before pausing the job. Then figuring out how to restart the job where it was paused.