[mrzwing]

Hello
i'm planing my first CNC mill build and have gotten stuck at one part. i have found some good stepper drivers but i need a decennt Breakout board to controll the stepper motors.
Been hovering around forums and looking through different shops and e-bay but havent got a clue what i should get


what is the cheapest but decent breakout board i can use to connect to the drivers?

or is there a "packet solution"? my budget isn't really that big around 200$ and that would include the drivers. the motors will probably draw 3.1A+3.1A+4A =10.2 A/max total but i have a hard time seeing them being all maximum loaded. 1/4 -1/8 stepping.

if i can get below 200$ it would be great but 230+$ is starting to sting. i'm not really after a "top of the line" CNC but something that get the job done in wood,plastic and aluminium (alltough at a snails pace). will probably use Mach3 or LinuxCNC as software.

[ger21]

A breakout board doesn't "control" your motors? It just gives you screw terminals to connect your drives to the parallel port. You can get a decent breakout board for $25.

[A_Camera]

Hello
i'm planing my first CNC mill build and have gotten stuck at one part. i have found some good stepper drivers but i need a decennt Breakout board to controll the stepper motors.
Been hovering around forums and looking through different shops and e-bay but havent got a clue what i should get


what is the cheapest but decent breakout board i can use to connect to the drivers?

or is there a "packet solution"? my budget isn't really that big around 200$ and that would include the drivers. the motors will probably draw 3.1A+3.1A+4A =10.2 A/max total but i have a hard time seeing them being all maximum loaded. 1/4 -1/8 stepping.

if i can get below 200$ it would be great but 230+$ is starting to sting. i'm not really after a "top of the line" CNC but something that get the job done in wood,plastic and aluminium (alltough at a snails pace). will probably use Mach3 or LinuxCNC as software.

...for $200... forget about it. I mean, even cheap drivers + cheap motors + cheap BoB cost more than that, unless you are willing to with the "blue card".

Here is a kit which suits your needs but it cost more than $200. Other than that, you will also need a good PSU, better than those crappy switching supplies sold on eBay. You will also need a USB or Ethernet interface, unless you want to use parallel port on an old PC with XP, Win7 32bits or Linux. Not to mention the spindle, VFD as well as a very well build, sturdy machine if you are going to mill metal. I think you should lower your target or raise your budget. Remember also that Mach3 license cost some money as well, so if you are on tight budget perhaps LinuxCNC is the way to go. So... it is better to be realistic... $200 is not enough for a decent 3 axis stepper + BoB + driver kit, even if you have everything else already.

[mrzwing]

Ah ok So a ok Breakout from E-bay is ok. then just buy a good driver for each axis? hmm will save me some headache.
Think i have been overthinking the whole thing (have a tendency to do that) but i will probably design my own drivers and solutions in the future now i just want something to learn from buy building from finished parts.

Thank you for the answer.

[Cromaglious]

Ah ok So a ok Breakout from E-bay is ok. then just buy a good driver for each axis? hmm will save me some headache.
Think i have been overthinking the whole thing (have a tendency to do that) but i will probably design my own drivers and solutions in the future now i just want something to learn from buy building from finished parts.

Thank you for the answer.

I prefer using the eBay Parallel port BOB breakout board with the THB6600 stepper drivers. 36v transformer with a ebay mosfet pwm voltage regulation board to 32v. With a budget busting l.5kw or 2.2kw spindle with speed control. Or a 400w vdc brushed spindle just to get things going.

[mrzwing]

...for $200... forget about it. I mean, even cheap drivers + cheap motors + cheap BoB cost more than that, unless you are willing to with the "blue card".

Here is a kit which suits your needs but it cost more than $200. Other than that, you will also need a good PSU, better than those crappy switching supplies sold on eBay. You will also need a USB or Ethernet interface, unless you want to use parallel port on an old PC with XP, Win7 32bits or Linux. Not to mention the spindle, VFD as well as a very well build, sturdy machine if you are going to mill metal. I think you should lower your target or raise your budget. Remember also that Mach3 license cost some money as well, so if you are on tight budget perhaps LinuxCNC is the way to go. So... it is better to be realistic... $200 is not enough for a decent 3 axis stepper + BoB + driver kit, even if you have everything else already.

Well when i say "budget of 200$" I mean ONLY driver + board I plan a setup for 2x Nema23 and probably a 1x Nema 34 for Y axis. the size of the machine is around 2' x 4' the spindle has its own budget. though I wonder if the Nema 34 is overkill for the X-axis i just want a machine that runs as smoothly as possible. so in truth I don't know how strong motor I need so i often go overkill in these situations.

the cheaper I get away with drivers and other components the more I can spend on a good spindle so it can take bigger cuts in materials and work faster and try and avoid water-cooled since the place I am going to have it doesn't have running water.

[ger21]

the cheaper I get away with drivers and other components the more I can spend on a good spindle so it can take bigger cuts in materials and work faster

If you go cheap on your drives, you won't be able to take bigger cuts and cut faster.

A good drive for a Nema 34 motor will typically be between $100-$150. And overkill with stepper motors, often results in lower performance. Bigger isn't always better when it comes to steppers.

[A_Camera]

Well when i say "budget of 200$" I mean ONLY driver + board I plan a setup for 2x Nema23 and probably a 1x Nema 34 for Y axis. the size of the machine is around 2' x 4' the spindle has its own budget. though I wonder if the Nema 34 is overkill for the X-axis i just want a machine that runs as smoothly as possible. so in truth I don't know how strong motor I need so i often go overkill in these situations.

the cheaper I get away with drivers and other components the more I can spend on a good spindle so it can take bigger cuts in materials and work faster and try and avoid water-cooled since the place I am going to have it doesn't have running water.

I think that one of the problems is that to get decent drivers at that price. OK, I am pretty happy with my DQ542MA drivers, and they are pretty cheap, so perhaps if you buy three of those plus the BoB you may end up around $150-200. On the other hand, I would add at least an UC100 as well to be able to use a fast and modern PC without the need of parallel port. That would add another $100 to the costs, but I think it is worth every penny.

Regarding water cooled... you don't really need running water near the machine, it is enough to have a bucket with cooling fluid in it and a pump. I would not use pure water unless it is distilled, so tap water is no good anyway. I think the best should be water mixed with chemicals, like the one you have in the car cooler or something similar. Personally I chose air cooled because I don't want any fluids or chemicals where I am using my CNC and absolutely don't want to risk leakage. It is a good idea to spend more on the spindle, but in my opinion if you are tight on budget it is better to buy quality VFD than buying a little more expensive and more powerful spindle/VFD combo but still from the cheap eBay sellers. For an extra 50-100 USD you will not get a much better spindle, but you will definitely get a VFD of high quality. Configuring a quality VFD to be used on these motors is pretty easy since the documentation and online support is considerably better than it is for the cheapo Chinese VFDs. But all depends on what you want to cut. Plastic and wood is no problem with any of those, light metal should work well also, unless you want to use large tools or very deep cuts, steel... I wouldn't even dream about. The thing is, the harder the material you want to cut the more rigid you machine MUST be. So, unless you have an extremely rigid and heavy CNC just forget about steel. Also, if you want to cut metal, even aluminium, you need some lubrication, so you might as well use a water cooled spindle. But again, not everybody is using water cooled spindles, even air cooled can be used on metal. So you have a few choices...

By the way... NEMA23 is just a fixture standard. NEMA34 has larger foot print but not necessarily better. If you chose a good power supply and NEMA23 motors with low inductance and high current then you may win much more than buying low cost NEMA34 motors. The DQ542MA drivers I am using can be fed with up to 50V, and the motors can be up to 4.2A type. That can give you a pretty good force and speed, but you must have the power supply for it. You can run with 24 or 36VDC from a cheap switching supply, just like I do now (currently working on an upgrade of the PSU) but that low voltage gives me only 1500mm/min top speed with my 1605 ball screws. I believe that once I am ready with my new PSU I'll be able to get much more than that.

Good luck.

[mrzwing]

[QUOTE=A_Camera;1921570
By the way... NEMA23 is just a fixture standard. NEMA34 has larger foot print but not necessarily better. If you chose a good power supply and NEMA23 motors with low inductance and high current then you may win much more than buying low cost NEMA34 motors. The DQ542MA drivers I am using can be fed with up to 50V, and the motors can be up to 4.2A type. That can give you a pretty good force and speed, but you must have the power supply for it. You can run with 24 or 36VDC from a cheap switching supply, just like I do now (currently working on an upgrade of the PSU) but that low voltage gives me only 1500mm/min top speed with my 1605 ball screws. I believe that once I am ready with my new PSU I'll be able to get much more than that.

Good luck.[/QUOTE]

well my plan is to have at least 3A Steppers on the machine, and if I have 3x3A steppers the power supply must be able to give at least 9 but I have been looking at a 11A power supply so it wont be overheated when under full use. so maybe a Nema 23 around 3-4A should be enough. perhaps?

[A_Camera]

well my plan is to have at least 3A Steppers on the machine, and if I have 3x3A steppers the power supply must be able to give at least 9 but I have been looking at a 11A power supply so it wont be overheated when under full use. so maybe a Nema 23 around 3-4A should be enough. perhaps?

Yes, I am pretty sure that NEMA23 should be enough, but I think you should aim at a more powerful PSU. In my opinion, if you use 3A motors you should at least have 36V 12A supply, ~400W. The best is if you could get higher voltage than 36V because the higher the voltage the higher the speed of the steppers without loosing steps. Remember though that you will still need to keep the current, so your wattage will have to increase as well if you increase the voltage., so with 48V you should use a 600W PSU. Voltage and current is limited by the driver, so if you get the same drivers I have then 50V is the maximum voltage and 4.2A is the maximum current.

[mrzwing]

Yes, I am pretty sure that NEMA23 should be enough, but I think you should aim at a more powerful PSU. In my opinion, if you use 3A motors you should at least have 36V 12A supply, ~400W. The best is if you could get higher voltage than 36V because the higher the voltage the higher the speed of the steppers without loosing steps. Remember though that you will still need to keep the current, so your wattage will have to increase as well if you increase the voltage., so with 48V you should use a 600W PSU. Voltage and current is limited by the driver, so if you get the same drivers I have then 50V is the maximum voltage and 4.2A is the maximum current.

Learning so much here I love it!

So if I have move voltage (as long as it is with in the driver specs) it makes the motor go smoother? and the driver will adapt and give the motor what it needs?

if I get a 40+ V / 12+A power supply the machine will run much smoother and be more accurate since it will keep the steps better?

for example the TB6600 driver can handle up to 40V/4A is more likely to miss-step due to the low voltage? but the DQ542MA can handle more it will be more reliable?

[Andreiir]

With that driver u can't do much , try dm542 , and try 48v u have more speed and more torque .

[A_Camera]

Learning so much here I love it!

So if I have move voltage (as long as it is with in the driver specs) it makes the motor go smoother? and the driver will adapt and give the motor what it needs?

With higher voltage you get more speed, the motor can be turned faster without loosing steps.

if I get a 40+ V / 12+A power supply the machine will run much smoother and be more accurate since it will keep the steps better?

More accurate and smoother at higher speed. That does not necessarily mean your machine in itself is getting more accuracy. You might still have the same accuracy as you would have with lower voltage, just that with lower voltage you get the same accuracy at lower speed and you reach the stall speed long before you would at higher voltage.

for example the TB6600 driver can handle up to 40V/4A is more likely to miss-step due to the low voltage? but the DQ542MA can handle more it will be more reliable?

I don't trust any Toshiba driver, but there are those who swear that they can work well also. However, ANY driver, if driven with lower voltage will produce lower speed, even the DQ542. This is well known and this is one of the reasons why I am upgrading my power supply from 24V switching to 48V analog with a huge toroid transformer inside.

The other thing about smooth running and losing steps is that before the DQ542 drivers I tried to use TB6560 based drivers and those were really crap. The speed I could get before stalling or losing steps was really low and the motors never really run smooth. With the DQ542 speed and smoothness increased dramatically without any other change in my CNC, which is why I continued using the 24V switching PSU, but now it is time for the next level.