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Thank you! That's a very solid lead, and I don't think I ever would have found it on my own. Also, its 2" legth adds to its desirability, since the measurements I'll be taking (described here: ...

I just now noticed that you live in Antarctica, so, yes, good on ya, being entirely self-reliant and crafting your own when nothing can get to you in the thick of winter would make perfect sense...

Well, OK, how do I craft a test bar? I don't own a lathe, and test bars cost a lot less than a lathe that could make a good test bar--or so I assume. You're right that a purchased test bar could be...

I think the reason no one answered is that there are so many different factors that could affect accuracy. 6040Z is more like a concept than a spec--a lot depends on how it was put together--though...

First of all, thank you for your reply.

Well, suppose I did that, and suppose that when I measure the TIR, it comes out too high. To what should I attribute the high TIR? If it's a broken...

I've looked high and low, and so far I've found only one place (precisebits) that seems to carry them (they call them calibration blanks). For due diligence reasons I'd like to compare what they...

By the way, if you look at time index 20:00 on this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otOVJv_FA8k

you'll see that he does the same kind of rapid "return to zero" repeatability test on the...

Good idea! Yes, that should work. :) I suppose a block plus feeler gauges would also do the business.

OK, I think I may have dreamed up an inexpensive solution: I'll electrify the spring bit, similar to how it's done with a standard bit during auto-levelling. Then, after ramming the z-axis down at...

This might be the best so far, except that it comes at a cost of $364:
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=447380&stc=1

...

Something like this might work:
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=447378&stc=1
It claims to have an accuracy of 0.0005". I just wish it had better resolution!

Also,...

Well, I contacted a different manufacturer who makes these kinds of tramming tools, and they're offering to fabricate something custom if I can specify it. So, hopefully I can dream up something...

Good point! Thank you for posting it. :)

I need to investigate whether GRBL allows for different acceleration/deceleration in one direction vs its opposite (to account for different z-axis...

It depends. If I move it long distances at a high speed, it may not return to the same zero. If I send it short distances or at very low speeds, I think it may be OK, but I'm not 100% sure. That's...

Actually, I think we are in "violent agreement" on the points you raised. However, I have at least one thing (see post directly below) that I need to fix first. Without that in place, I don't see...

Because at the moment if I were to position an end-mill such that it just barely touches the top of a workpiece, zero the z-axis, then raise spindle 30mm, and then execute a "return to zero" at...

I ordered one of these tramming tools:
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=447310&stc=1
so that I can do accurate repeatability tests on the z-axis, and that is because I...

Thanks for clarifying. I misunderstood your earlier post because I normally understand drive and driver to be two different things. I'll take a closer look at the driver documentation.

Thanks...

Which data exactly? Here's the datasheet: https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/download/17HS24-2104S.pdf

Is that a typical datasheet? Not much there. Certainly no guidance as to preferred...

Agreed. That's how I'm assuming it works.

So, based on that, do you agree that being able to drive from higher voltages is a good thing? I mean it may not be strictly necessary (lower voltages...

Yes, most likely, since with stepsticks going a lot higher maybe requires more effort than its worth. So, if it turns out that the 24-45v range doesn't satisfy, then adopting some higher voltage...

Agreed. Most likely an external driver wouldn't have these limitations, but, then again, you can't really be sure without looking under the hood. Just as the Woodpecker board's silkscreen says...

Yes, it's 17HS24-2104S

I don't think there is such a thing as "max voltage" per se though. Maximum current is all that matters. Name plate voltage is just max current times the winding...

Well, according to one blog,
Stepper Motor Voltage Explained – Blog

The nema 17's that I'm upgrading to have a nameplate voltage of 3.36 volts. So, according to the quoted rule of thumb, they...

Reporting back: I received the el cheapo GRBL boards (below). The good news is that they don't have a buck converter getting in the way, the way the woodpecker does. The bad news is that the caps...

The TMC5160 chip can handle up to 60v. However, the two lower priced breakout boards that Trinamic offer for it are voltage limited to 36v, and Trinamic says that this is do to their choice of...

Easier said than done. How exactly do I clamp it from the back, and to what do I clamp it?

Time to upgrade the motion controller. The woodpecker is hopeless because it takes 12v-36v input voltage and downconverts it to 12v:...

Other than a two dial tramming tool, what other tool or tools might be used to measure z-axis repeatability? I don't currently have a tramming tool, so I tried using a digital weight scale, which...

Sure, will do, although looking back I think you're original reaction was right: no benefit for CNC over simply using adequately powered stepper motors in the first place other than maybe as an...