[Eclipze]

The X axis for me is the long axis. I assume you're looking at the belt clearance on the Y axis. It only has 2.2mm as it goes over the brown camera bracket support, which is less than I'd like. I look at machining a slot on that bracket to extend the clearance.

The potentiometers in the servos do tend to wear out, which I'm aware of. You pay for what you get with these things. I've got some cheap GWS servos to start with, which after they die I'II replace with a good quality set. I plan to have an adjustment control via the software to control the servo offset, something that can be adjusted on the fly.

I already have a Gecko G540 for this project, which is a 4 axis 10 step stepper controller. I need 10 bit to get the resolution I was aiming for, while relying on their mid band resonance control to get fast/smooth acceleration rapids. I'II run them at a high enough voltage to get good torque at higher speeds. I could fit a NEMA 23 for the X axis by pocketing it lower in the base board. I've actually already bought it too, a 185oz/in suited to fast RPM apps. It seemed such a big motor for the application that I was worried about it being strong it might cause damage if I hit the limits (even though I have limit switches). Picture below shows the size comparison. The NEMA 23 is on standby.

The ribbon cable may not be good enough without shielding. It's definitely a low cost and very low movement resistance, which is why I'm keen to see if it could work. But if necessary, I have the room to put tracks in to take normal cables. Otherwise, I may need to do some filtering for the servos or try to use some thin flexible metal to adhere to the cable.