Hey everyone,
First post here as you can see. I am very interested in building my own CNC for cutting PCBs. I wouldn't mind doing some light wood engraving but it will be mostly for PCBs and future PIC Microcontroller projects when I have more time. I am very into the do it yourself deal and don't want a kit, just want to do it from scratch.
But I had a few questions before I get started on my own machine.
First, how do I overcome the serial port for the Stepper motor controller plans that populate the internet? I don't have a computer that still has that type of port. Not even sure the first computer I built in high school had one. Are there some plans for a usb one that I can build myself?
How can I learn a bit more about stepper motors? I've got ideas of how I want to build the frame and will probably model it using IronCAD or Inventor first but don't know much about the stepper motors. Just need help deciding what kind I ought to get.
And the last question that I have for now is on the spindle. I was thinking I would make the first machine using my Dremel tool since all I want to cut is plastic with copper in it. But are there cheap alternatives that offer a little more power? This machine only needs travel of about 12" X 12" X 3". That is all I want to start with and from there I will go bigger. The Millbox is what I want to make at some point, the versatility of a 3D printer as well would be cool (what the designer wanted it to be able to do at some point).
For now this build will be super cheap as I don't have a lot of money to throw at it. Or time for that matter, very heavy semester in the fall. I realize these questions are frequently asked but I didn't see much that pertained to such a small scale machine so figured that I would ask. Thanks everyone.