Hey Guys,
New here, so I hope this is the right place to post.
I currently have a RF31 (round column) Mill/Drill with an off the shelve CNC kit. I went this route 1st (a) bolt it on and go (b) technical support (c) wasn’t sure if I would keep the mill or buy a bigger one. After 2yrs I have found that the round column is not a problem for me, how ever, 2amps and small steppers (260 oz/in) is. I have decided to “Roll my Own”. After countless hours of reading on the web here is my plan.
(3) Gecko G202 Drivers > Geckodrive
(3) 640 oz/in Steppers (sealed) > Campbell Designs
(1) Breakout – Combo Board > Campbell Designs
(1) Mach 3 software > Artsoft Software
(1) 48vdc ~ 15amp power supply > Transformer Technology Inc.
(extra amperage is for 4th axis down the road)
(1) I-Pac keyboard emulator > Ultimarc
(A) 0.875” Ball screws on the “X” & “Y” > undecided on a vendor
I’m in the process of building a stand from 2” sq tubing to support the machine then adding an 11ga pan and sides for flood coolant (similar to the Tormach stand) then off to have it powder coated. I constructed an aluminum enclosure that houses the PC, 15”LCD monitor, USB mini keyboard and Joy Stick. There is still plenty of room in there for the other items listed above, I’m hoping with shielded wire and good placement of components that this wont be a problem (electrical noise). To the left of the monitor is panel 6.25” wide by 17” tall to add buttons and switches and possibly an MPG down the road. There are still things that need to be worked out and/or purchased, but I believe these will be minor hurdles. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to paint the best picture I could so that anyone wanting respond would have a better idea of what I was doing. I’m sure there are other products out there that would cost less, but these guys seem to go the extra mile to help out.
Robert