[OhNein]

I've been looking over youtube videos and websites and what not and I've an idea now of what I'm getting myself into. However, my electronics background is very sparse, basically nonexistent, so a lot of the technical details elude me. I know enough not to get shocked (famous last words, I know), but I don't know what, say a jumper enabled limit switch pull-up resistor is, so I'm having a tough time going through breakout boards and the like to tell what I actually need and what's just fluff for me at this point.

(url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-ship-Free-ship-Nema-23-Stepper-Motor-270oz-in-3A-3-Axis-DriveBoard-CNC-Mill-/281042739925?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416f73e2d5)This[/url] kit was mentioned in one of the YT videos I watched and it seems a good place to start. However my understanding was that it goes power supply > breakout board > driver > motor. This one seemingly comes with no drivers for the motors, so I figured OK, I'll just buy the drivers. However, when you look at the board in the above link (scroll down a bit) it seems that the drivers have been incorporated into the board itself. Is this a thing? I've not yet seen any videos where they use a breakout board/drive combo, so I'm wondering if it's a scam, or an inferior product (IE having separate drivers for each motor would yield better results rather than combining the breakout board and the drivers).

Also when I was looking at drivers, they seem very expensive at ~$50 each (upwards of $200 each so I figure $50 is the low-end). Is that an accurate price or is that just one with all the bells and whistles?

[wizard]

I've been looking over youtube videos and websites and what not and I've an idea now of what I'm getting myself into. However, my electronics background is very sparse, basically nonexistent, so a lot of the technical details elude me. I know enough not to get shocked (famous last words, I know), but I don't know what, say a jumper enabled limit switch pull-up resistor is, so I'm having a tough time going through breakout boards and the like to tell what I actually need and what's just fluff for me at this point.

Before you can get help with specifics it would be nice to know what exactly you intend to build and what you intend to machine with it.

(url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-ship-Free-ship-Nema-23-Stepper-Motor-270oz-in-3A-3-Axis-DriveBoard-CNC-Mill-/281042739925?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416f73e2d5)This[/url]

Your link appears to be broken.

kit was mentioned in one of the YT videos I watched and it seems a good place to start. However my understanding was that it goes power supply > breakout board > driver > motor. This one seemingly comes with no drivers for the motors, so I figured OK, I'll just buy the drivers. However, when you look at the board in the above link (scroll down a bit) it seems that the drivers have been incorporated into the board itself. Is this a thing?

Is it a thing, well if it wasn't a thing it wouldn't exist. As to driver integrated systems there are good examples and bad. A good example comes from a company called Gecko, a G540 I believe.

I've not yet seen any videos where they use a breakout board/drive combo, so I'm wondering if it's a scam, or an inferior product (IE having separate drivers for each motor would yield better results rather than combining the breakout board and the drivers).

As i said there are good examples and bad. With the broken link it is hard to say what this unit is.

Also when I was looking at drivers, they seem very expensive at ~$50 each (upwards of $200 each so I figure $50 is the low-end). Is that an accurate price or is that just one with all the bells and whistles?

Stepper drives can be very expensive depending upon what you are buying. Go to Compumotor or one of the industrial suppliers to see examples of expensive drives. Expense is relative though, a drive that connects directly to 120 VAC can simplify some aspects of building a comtrol panel.

[OhNein]

The link is good, the formatting was just off and couldn't correct due to moderation approval required. Here's the link sans formatting: ?US SHIP Free SHIP?NEMA 23 Stepper Motor 270oz in 3A 3 Axis Driveboard CNC Mill | eBay

Before you can get help with specifics it would be nice to know what exactly you intend to build and what you intend to machine with it.

Woodworking. I don't know what you mean by what exactly I'm going to build. It's going to be a CNC machine with thread driven shafts on drawer slides. But I wasn't really asking for the specifics, just giving y'all my background.

[ger21]

The low end is what's in your link. 3 drives on one board , made in China, with a very high failure rate.

There are other all in one boards that are higher quality, but the price will be quite a bit more.

As Wizard mentioned, the Gecko G540 is the best value you'll find. It offers much better performance and reliability than anything else in it's price range.
If you can solder, take a look at the HobbyCNC drives, which will give you the best bang for the buck.

[Spk64]

I highly recommend getting the kit from CNCRouterParts if you are wanting an easy wiring setup. Mostly plug and play with some minor wiring. This will get you going with less problems.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[DonFrambach]

Totally agree with Spk64's comment about the G540 kit from CNCRouterParts.com. Electrical wiring was easy and straightforward. My machine runs like a champ.

Don

[P.Passuello]

You are probably sick of hearing this but the Gecko G540 is the way to go.
The kit from CNCRouterparts.com with the 380ozin motors a good option. He offers good service and a well matched Driver, motors and power supply. His kit is also plug and play so no wiring knowledge is needed.
It may seem expensive but if you skimp on the driver you will end up with a machine you will curse. It is also the one part you will be moving to your next machine and make no mistake, there will be a next machine. There always is.

If you want to understand why the Ebay option is not a good idea.
The TB6560 driver is one of the cheapest and most complained about driver on this forum.
The motors supplied with this driver need a voltage of about 60 volts so 24 volts isn't going to cut it. The motors will run slow at best.
I'm not sure what Mach3 free offering means but it costs $175USD if you were to buy it, so I suspect it will be the free trial version limited to 500 lines of Gcode, which you can download yourself.


The reason the question on what you are building is was asked is there is no point trying to drive a heavy gantry machine with an undersized motor or a mini machine with a huge motor. First you plan your machine then you select your motor and driver. A lot of people do it the other way around and wonder why their Ferrari doesn't run well with the lawn mower motor they bought on day 1.

Cheers
Peter

[wizard]

The link is good, the formatting was just off and couldn't correct due to moderation approval required. Here's the link sans formatting: ?US SHIP Free SHIP?NEMA 23 Stepper Motor 270oz in 3A 3 Axis Driveboard CNC Mill | eBay




Woodworking. I don't know what you mean by what exactly I'm going to build. It's going to be a CNC machine with thread driven shafts on drawer slides. But I wasn't really asking for the specifics, just giving y'all my background.

Even though this is a "router" forum thread routers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Further some users coid be targeting aluminum instead of wood, maybe even lexan or other sheet goods. Due to this very wide range of possibilities people have to guess at what you have in mind. Your machine old weigh 100 pounds or one ton.

As for your electronics background that will be a problem if you are to DIY the controls. I'd suggest getting some online home study materials to get you started. Or you can look of on line copies of old Navy electrical / electronic training manuals. There is free stuff out there to help though I can't say this is what you need. Sometimes formal training works better.

Of course people on the forums are willing to help but it works much better if you communicate the problem well. That means knowing a resistor from a fuse, the difference between current and voltage, what a DIP switch is and other things. Your background won't matter as much as the willingness to get the machine up and running.

[wizard]

You are probably sick of hearing this but the Gecko G540 is the way to go.
The kit from CNCRouterparts.com with the 380ozin motors a good option. He offers good service and a well matched Driver, motors and power supply. His kit is also plug and play so no wiring knowledge is needed.
It may seem expensive but if you skimp on the driver you will end up with a machine you will curse. It is also the one part you will be moving to your next machine and make no mistake, there will be a next machine. There always is.

If you shop around you will find other solutions providers. In this case though I would suggest to the original poster to not buy anything until he understands the technology better.

If you want to understand why the Ebay option is not a good idea.
The TB6560 driver is one of the cheapest and most complained about driver on this forum.

The issue with the TB6560 is ( to me anyways) the fact that the manufacture doesn't support the product or revs it properly. Fixes to some of the problems with this driver have been known for years. A manufacture that can't rev a product to meet customer expectations isn't worth any bodies time.

By the way there are cheap drivers that can be had if one is electronically inclined and wishes to do the assembly work and engineering work to get them to do the job.

The motors supplied with this driver need a voltage of about 60 volts so 24 volts isn't going to cut it. The motors will run slow at best.
I'm not sure what Mach3 free offering means but it costs $175USD if you were to buy it, so I suspect it will be the free trial version limited to 500 lines of Gcode, which you can download yourself.

Everyone doing a budget machine should at the very least consider LinuxCNC. Of course setup is an issue and you get no support.

The reason the question on what you are building is was asked is there is no point trying to drive a heavy gantry machine with an undersized motor or a mini machine with a huge motor. First you plan your machine then you select your motor and driver. A lot of people do it the other way around and wonder why their Ferrari doesn't run well with the lawn mower motor they bought on day 1.

Cheers
Peter

That last bit was phrased much better than I did. The original poster did respond and indicate a rather light duty machine. So in that respect I don't have any problem with a G540' but your point should be taken to heart, buying to much in the way of steppers is a waste of money.

[aarggh]

I would steer clear of any Chinese TB6560 based drivers, for the well known issues with them, but even that aside, that power supply in combination with that drivers are only capable of delivering half the rated power to the steppers, so it's going to lose a lot of torque and speed.

Sometimes cheap isn't cheap, and in this case I wouldn't touch it. A G540 as everyone has said is the way, and preferably with a decent 48VDC power supply, and steppers as close to 2.5-3uH inductance as you can get would be ideal.

cheers, Ian

[coherent]

I hate to beat a dead horse, but follow the advice already given. Stay away from the Import drivers and get the Gecko G540. You won't regret it. It is a quality driver, easy to use, there is lots of support and will suffice for most all stepper builds. I know. been there done that. If you decide down the road, CNC is not for you, you'll have no problem quickly finding a buyer and getting a fair resale price for the Gecko. Trying to find a used G540 is a tough task in itself.
Good Luck!

[louieatienza]

I've been looking over youtube videos and websites and what not and I've an idea now of what I'm getting myself into. However, my electronics background is very sparse, basically nonexistent, so a lot of the technical details elude me. I know enough not to get shocked (famous last words, I know), but I don't know what, say a jumper enabled limit switch pull-up resistor is, so I'm having a tough time going through breakout boards and the like to tell what I actually need and what's just fluff for me at this point.

(url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-ship-Free-ship-Nema-23-Stepper-Motor-270oz-in-3A-3-Axis-DriveBoard-CNC-Mill-/281042739925?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item416f73e2d5)This[/url] kit was mentioned in one of the YT videos I watched and it seems a good place to start. However my understanding was that it goes power supply > breakout board > driver > motor. This one seemingly comes with no drivers for the motors, so I figured OK, I'll just buy the drivers. However, when you look at the board in the above link (scroll down a bit) it seems that the drivers have been incorporated into the board itself. Is this a thing? I've not yet seen any videos where they use a breakout board/drive combo, so I'm wondering if it's a scam, or an inferior product (IE having separate drivers for each motor would yield better results rather than combining the breakout board and the drivers).

Also when I was looking at drivers, they seem very expensive at ~$50 each (upwards of $200 each so I figure $50 is the low-end). Is that an accurate price or is that just one with all the bells and whistles?

Check out eBay for user deepgroove1. He sells a G540 kit, with the G540 (the G540 has its own breakout board so you only need plug parallel port cable in), 48V PSU, enclosure, for a pretty good deal. You could then get the cables and motors from CNCRP. This is as plug-and-play as you can get. A cheaper alternative would be xylotex. But without any idea as to how large a machine you are making, how heavy you expect it to be, what linear motion system you plan to use, and what you plan to cut, it would be tough to recommend any driver/stepper combo.

[skegemog]

I built my first machine a few months ago and was having problems understanding the wiring. I purchased a china kit also and found the wiring very confusing. I then purchased a name brand breakout board that was labeled in English and everything became crystal clear. I wired the machine with the china motors, drivers and power supplies only and used the name brand breakout board and everything worked first time.