[crossleymarko]

just wanted to ask as im now in research mode..

what is this package like...


3 Axis CNC Router Stepper Motor Driver Kit 2.8A NEMA 23 56x56x57mm Motor 24V PSU | eBay

im on a budget. a 6 x 2 table is my thinking. gantry not too heavy (i hope)

this is my first build.
thanks all
also are there plans for gantrys etc, dxf, im thinking use a rough cnc to build a tidy a cnc ..

lol

[IBBruin]

Run far and fast from that controller. Search this site for TB6560 and you'll have all the info you need. Almost 500 posts in this thread alone.

[crossleymarko]

so what do we sudgest. my budget is pretty tight.
i thought a complete kit was the way to go.
all i get from that post is the ground is the same for each driver.

is that a problem.

thanks

[OCNC]

all i get from that post is the ground is the same for each driver.

If that's all you got from that thread I have to wonder how much of it you read. There are obviously some serious design and implementation issues with that driver board. If you're an electronics guy it looks like you can hack it back into a usable condition but otherwise you'd be wasting your time and money.

There seems to be a sense sometimes of false economy regarding cnc electronics but without good drivers the rest of the machine will never perform up to it's potential. With good drivers you can start with a small machine and move up to a larger one later without having to re-invest in new driving gear. Alternatively should you decide to sell your equipment at some point it will have legitimate resale value.

My own opinion is don't be cheap with drivers. I bought Geckos. They're robust and trouble free and basically plug and play and can accommodate a range of motor sizes.

Chris

[HorridHenry]

Can your budget stretch to this....

3 axis Nema23 stepper motor 425oz-in& Drivers CNC controller kit Longs Motor | eBay

The motors are higher spec than what you chose.
The Drivers are better.
You get a breakout board and power supply.

[enixidfrag]

You DEFFINATLEY don't want that kit. Also your steppers would be best if you used 425 oz cause they dont cost much more but give more then double the power of those. For a beginner controller do what I did, buy a used one from here from someone that upgraded cause if you get hooked on CNC you will upgrade your driver later. I got a Probtix setup from here a while ago and I use it now on my 4' x 8' and will until i get money for my Gecko Drivers. Theres a few folks selling Xylotex driver setups for cheap, go to the classifieds on here and browse through.

[HorridHenry]

Can people offering advice on buying checkout were the op's are situated in the world.

To buy from the states new or seconhand cost a lot more importing than getting it free p&p from China.

[rowbare]

You DEFFINATLEY don't want that kit. Also your steppers would be best if you used 425 oz cause they dont cost much more but give more then double the power of those.

They might give you more holding torque but they won't necessarily give you better performance. Holding torque doesn't cut anything... A 280 oz/in motor that is well matched to the drive and power supply will blow a poorly matched 425 oz/in motor out of the water every time.

Matching motors and drives is a bit trickier than it looks but done right will give you great performance. Blindly choosing a bigger motor because bigger must be better is a recipe for disaster.

But you are right about that kit, stay away. Oddly enough, spending a bit more money is the most economical way to do this.


bob

[crossleymarko]

Thanks. I've been told to go for the m524 drivers..
What do you all think

Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk

[HorridHenry]

Blindly choosing a bigger motor because bigger must be better is a recipe for disaster.

I think thats depends on the material you use for the CNC itself.

And also hindsight is a valuable excersise ie what if a change is wanted in the near future to steel framework.

[rowbare]

I think thats depends on the material you use for the CNC itself.

And also hindsight is a valuable excersise ie what if a change is wanted in the near future to steel framework.

My comment had nothing to do with the actual construction of the machine. The key word in what you quoted was "Blindly". My point was that if you are using a crappy underpowered drive with a weak power supply, getting bigger motors in the hope of better performance is misguided. In such cases, performance will usually be worse.

In other words, if you are already hamstrung by an inadequate drive system, a bigger motor won't help. It's sort of like trying to tow a bus with a rubber band. If the bus won't move because the band is stretching having a friend help you won't do a thing for you.

Using a bigger motor run by a drive with suitable voltage and current capacity and using the proper power supply in anticipation of later upgrades or reuse is a different story altogether and not what I was addressing.

bob

[aarggh]

Are you meaning M542's? If so they are very good drivers and rock solid, but again if budget is a problem, you need three of them, plus you need to integrate a break out or interface board. But with a gecko you get 4 drivers so you can add a rotary, and it has all the smarts and protection built in that you could want.

There are many other good ones out there like the Linistepeprs, etc, but the gecko is what i'm most familiar with and what I would buy without a moments hesitation. Anything but a good driver such as those types listed and recommended by others is simply throwing your money away.

cheers,
Ian

[aarggh]

In other words, if you are already hamstrung by an inadequate drive system, a bigger motor won't help. It's sort of like trying to tow a bus with a rubber band. If the bus won't move because the band is stretching having a friend help you won't do a thing for you.

bob

Trouble is there's always someone who will come along with a bigger rubber band! :idea:

cheers,
Ian

[HorridHenry]

Are you meaning M542's? If so they are very good drivers and rock solid

Anything but a good driver such as those types listed and recommended by others is simply throwing your money away.

Weird, are you saying the the drivers in the ebay link I posted are useless and a waste of money? when you have just said they are rock solid

Ps they're M542 drivers.

[aarggh]

Weird, are you saying the the drivers in the ebay link I posted are useless and a waste of money? when you have just said they are rock solid

Ps they're M542 drivers.

Not at all, I have these same drivers on one machine, and they do work well and are quite robust, but I don't know how good the supplied BOB with that set is, and from memory they don't handle some of the features of the gecko such as the mid-band resonance, and idle current. I could be wrong there and often am, but I know my steppers do run quite warm all the time, so I suspect they aren't reducing current.

But having said that, I'll be changing them over on that machine when I can allocate the time to a gecko with new steppers, admittedly partly to also get some of the nice software features in Mach3 like auto-zero as i'm stuck with NCStudio currently.

The pack itself though on ebay is very good value and in itself would be worth getting, especially compared to some of the crappier ones that go around the same costs, it's just hard when after having used gecko's that the benchmark has been set so high because of them.

Again, as mentioned earlier, consider into the equation if you'll be wanting a 4th axis? This may change the whole aspect.

cheers,
Ian

[HorridHenry]

it's just hard when after having used gecko's that the benchmark has been set so high because of them.

What you don't understand is and it happens a lot on here CNCzone.com,that the op is in the UK and to buy and import Gecko's from the US would double the price of the drives to which would be a ludicrous exercise,whereas if the OP was getting free shipping from China then its a bargain as it works out cheaper from buying in his own backyard,unless he has the misfortune to be stung by HMC(Customs)which is generally overlooked most of the time?

[aarggh]

What you don't understand is and it happens a lot on here CNCzone.com,that the op is in the UK and to buy and import Gecko's from the US would double the price of the drives to which would be a ludicrous exercise,whereas if the OP was getting free shipping from China then its a bargain as it works out cheaper from buying in his own backyard,unless he has the misfortune to be stung by HMC(Customs)which is generally overlooked most of the time?

In OZ we know all about getting reamed on pricing just too well, lack of suppliers, high import costs, etc, etc, which is why I earlier checked pricing on ebay and the two sellers in the states that came up with G540's charge the same standard shipping cost to the UK as for OZ (which oddly enough after conversion and with shipping is almost the same cost as me buying it local and picking it up!), so it's hardly double. Free shipping is great, and I love buying Chinese stuff, but I would still pay a premium for the better (IMO anyway) drivers, especially when the ones in question are below 3.5A.
After running my machines and learning more about the many different aspects of CNC hardware over time, I try to look for the better hardware where suitable for higher performance, more efficiency, higher reliability, etc, but what suits my wants may not be what suits others needs.
But it's horses for courses, and everyone buys what suits themselves in the end.

cheers,
Ian

[louieatienza]

What you don't understand is and it happens a lot on here CNCzone.com,that the op is in the UK and to buy and import Gecko's from the US would double the price of the drives to which would be a ludicrous exercise,whereas if the OP was getting free shipping from China then its a bargain as it works out cheaper from buying in his own backyard,unless he has the misfortune to be stung by HMC(Customs)which is generally overlooked most of the time?

Well a lot of folks here buy cheap Chinese ballscrews and blocks from eBay, and they might think they're getting a good deal... but think about how much it really cost them to make if they can blow it out for so little. It's all relative I suppose.

That said there are some very good drive manufacturers in Europe, Granite Devices comes to mind for both stepper and servo controls.

[vtx1029]

Gecko has a UK distributor.
International Distributors

[HorridHenry]

Gecko has a UK distributor.

Pretty expensive if I may say so,and one hell of an awful site layout.