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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking Machines > Novakon > stepper motors for sale ?
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  1. #1

    stepper motors for sale ?

    anyone on here convert their torus over to servo from steppers and have some steppers sitting on a shelf .
    Reason I ask is I need a string of backup plans in place in the event that I won't be able to get my ordered motors from novakon . If it's possible to get some second hand motors then it may be my next best hope .

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    400

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Has Novakon gone off the radar? It should be easy to source some steppers from elsewhere. Steppers are very common and from what I recall not terribly expensive.

  3. #3

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Not off the radar but lets say their problems are compounding my problems

    Steppers are a dime a dozen worst case , but the torus steppers have a nice cable connection . I honestly don't want to butcher this thing , except for the fact that it's lucky there is no cutting torch in my shop .

    within the last hour I was replacing the bearings on the y axis I once again snapped the motor coupler . The pos things seem to get brittle over time
    2 cooked steppers over the month was ok , the bearings were expected , and a stupid $30 coupler is what has finally broke me with this machine

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    400

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Ok hope you get it figured out. I have not run mine enough for the couplers to get brittle. Sounds like it might be a good idea for me to order in a few of them from China to have just in case.

  5. #5

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    I've had one snap on the z out of the blue but I've popped a few on the y while loosening and re-tightening . It would be easy to assume that it's from over tightening but I know well enough not to go nuts on them . For the most part they are fine if left alone and when I was messing around with my dead z it was fine to , but that coupler was replaced not long back .
    It's such a great design but the material is crap cast , it's too bad they aren't made out of steel or at least 6061

  6. #6

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    btw , I was wrong to say they " get brittle " , they just are a brittle material and I think they have memory which why they fracture

  7. #7

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    let the butchery begin , sorta kinda . After spending $700 dollars for a parts order last weekend , I've dropped a few hundred more elsewhere for a couple day shipping so that I can ensure my mill will be running again . I hate throwing around money but having this mill sitting for a week already isn't good .

    The stepper is a close match aside from the shaft diameter and it should perform the same if not a tad better . Luckily I found another coupler that I had on hand which will need to be bored out to fit , so at least I'll have that covered as well .

    I hoped to not modify this thing from original to uphold some resale value and keep it simple but now the plan is gearing towards running it into the ground over the next yr or 2 then turf it . At least thats how I feel about it right now

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    400

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Some times you have to do what you have to do in order to get things going. ITs not ideal but the way it is. I don't think changing the motor will affect the resale price much. I certainly would not hesitate to buy one just because it had a slightly different motor. Hope it goes better for you it sucks to have a machine down when you need it. Mine is currently sitting idle because I have no work for it.

  9. #9

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    I agree , do what you gotta do , chopping a $150 cable and swapping a motor isn't going to drop the value , but once it starts where does it end . My biggest fear isn't swapping parts , thats easy , my biggest fear is that once I begin to turn this into a project machine , there will be no end . Or , wth I'm supposed to do if this was a blown spindle , finding a quick drop in solution when I live in Canada is near impossible .

    Novakon has done well for me in the past and I've been able to have my mill back up and running within 3 days , but this and a past order has me wondering what direction the company is going . I placed an order last saturday , when I called thursday my order hadn't even been looked at , then I was informed that my parts may be accessible tuesday . I can't wait for maybe I can get parts without moving forward as I probably won't get .
    I've got parts coming in every direction to cover my ass and it shouldn't be this way . I'm not looking to slam John or novakon and so far I've been able to keep my temper in check but this sucks period .

    I try to have spare parts and I had a spare stepper till a few weeks ago when the x seized up . I also try to have couplers on hand but they were out of stock the last time I tried to order a couple and I've forgotten since .

    I built a small business on the backs of diy project cnc's . When the time came I bought turnkey so that I don't have to worry about the headaches that come with project machines . I need readily available plug and play parts . I blew a vfd on one of my tormachs , a new one was on my door the next day . Thats the service I need and expect from a machine company

    Edit ,
    lmfao because thats all I can do . I just checked my email and the stepper I ordered from elsewhere is out of stock , this is precisely why I wanted reliable turnkey

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Oh you live in Canada that adds some extra problems. Getting stuff across the border adds some problems. What part of Canada are you in? There are a few places in Canada that do carry stepper motors. I was going to suggest motion tek but they do not have big enough steppers.

    I can't say I consider my novakon mill to be turnkey. It had its issues for sure but all were solvable. It looks like parts may be an ongoing issue I really hope Novakon improves on that. I think I will put together a parts kit just in case.

  11. #11

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    I'm in BC . I was going to get my stepper from stepper motors Canada or something to that effect but he contacted me to inform me the one I bought is out of stock . Getting stuff shipped here fast isn't usually a problem as long as a guy is will to pay the high cost , I'm that guy when needs be . But , China seems to be the only resort left to get the motor I need .

    Turnkey wasn't much of a problem , meeting specs was and still is . 65-70ipm is the best I can get and be confident that it won't lose steps , which is 2/3's what I was told it will do . I can live with that since the fastest I cut is 70ipm .

    Issues , I've had my share and I lean on my tormachs far more than I do my torus for reliability , but , the torus has done a lot for me to so issues are to be expected .
    I've already gained enough on my 440's to get 10.5" on the x , I'm contemplating a ballscrew swap and see if I can gain an extra inch . If I can then I'll have no more need for the torus , and I'll drop 3 more 440's where that thing sits

    I really hope getting the proper parts for this mill isn't going to be a problem in the future , but the now has me deflated , concerned , screwed , and wondering whats to come

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Can you elaborate a bit on what specs you are having trouble meeting? I had issues in the past and chalked it up to Mach 3 issues. I now have an acorn and did a 4 hour test run and lost no steps. Test speeds were 50ipm feeds and 70 ipm rapids. It was not actually cutting just going through the motions. I will be making some parts soon and will see what the accuracy is like. When I had Mach 3 and had up to 150 ipm rapids and I recall trying 200 ipm once. I found both to be too fast and with some of the other issues I never trusted it.

    I do hope the parts issues get sorted, In a pinch there is a company in Australia that has the same mill but I'm sure that will be an expensive option.

    BC that is by far my favorite part of Canada. I lived there for about 6 years. I loved it there but wanted some land and moved back east where land and houses are a lot cheaper to buy.

  13. #13

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    welp , there was a least a pot of something at the end of my rainbow .
    A ballscrew swap on my pcnc440 has gained me the ability to machine the ends of my 11" parts . It's not ideal and the end of the table is into the dovetail , but I'll make a little cover and it'll get me out of a bind .
    The 440 ballscrew has a dia of .622" which makes no sense because these are without a doubt chinese screws . They went stupid on coupling that screw and it's not end machined , it's clamped right onto the screw . It works but that is absolutely lazy . Fortunately I have a 16mm reamer on hand to get a fit on the new screw . By eye everything looks to be about right and it just needs a dial to determine that it's spot on

    the specs I've never met were y travel , by right the x travel isn't up to spec unless a guy moves the stop and exposes the dovetail . I was told it would do 100 ipm no problem , that was absolute bs . I used mach for a long time then ran it with ucnc , and now pathpilot which runs incredibly well , though I still can get near a reliable 100 ipm


    BC is awesome . I grew up in northern Ont and I don't miss the snow the cold , or the flies , I'm sure you know what I mean

  14. #14
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    Oct 2009
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    481

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Quote Originally Posted by metalmayhem View Post
    ... when I called thursday my order hadn't even been looked at , then I was informed that my parts may be accessible tuesday...

    Wait a minute. You’ve actually been in touch with John?

    Please bring us up to speed with what you know about John and Novakon. John going AWOL has a lot of us very concerned with the future of our machines.

  15. #15
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    481

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Quote Originally Posted by metalmayhem
    welp , there was a least a pot of something at the end of my rainbow .
    A ballscrew swap on my pcnc440 has gained me the ability to machine the ends of my 11" parts

    Good news! I’m glad to hear that you are in back in business. I’m not so glad to hear that it is with your Tormach instead of your Novakon.

    What kind of parts are you making?

  16. #16

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Titaniumboy View Post
    Wait a minute. You’ve actually been in touch with John?

    Please bring us up to speed with what you know about John and Novakon. John going AWOL has a lot of us very concerned with the future of our machines.
    I did get a hold of him but I'm not going to jump to speak of the personal aspects of our conversation . No offense but if he wants to announce his issues then he can but I won't betray another man's words . Best that I can say is things are more or less held up and he hopes to have things back on track soon (my words not his) .
    . It's not life or death either which is why I'm pissed off that by thursday he hadn't even looked at my order .

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
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    481

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Well, dang.

    I can understand and appreciate your reticence in relaying the private parts of your conversation with John. That doesn’t make the situation suck any less.

    It would sure help soothe the anxiety out in Novakon land if John would put in an appearance here on the forum. Who knows? Maybe whatever trials and tribulations John is going through could be helped by the amassed knowledge and experience of the Novakon users?

  18. #18

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Titaniumboy View Post
    the anxiety out in Novakon land
    I think it's a waste land !

    I expected a message on tuesday since it was promised but I heard NOTHING . I've been out of town an really would have appreciated coming back to my parts or at least a word about wtf is going on with them . Motors from China arrived thursday 4 days from being ordered , and with a mod to the broken coupler my mill is back up and running

    It's been 2 weeks since I ordered those parts from novakon and tomorrow I'll be requesting a refund . I don't give a rats ass what a man's excuses are for poor service , poor service = poor service period . Contacting him numerous days after placing my order and finding out he hadn't even looked at it was a good indication what to expect this week , and it went as expected . He flaked out on me

  19. #19

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Does anyone know a decent North American source for motor couplers . I'm not having much luck matching up anything to the current couplers , especially on length . I've found a couple from China that should work from ebay but I'm probably looking at a couple months before I see those .
    As it stands I'm running on 2 broken couplers that have been modified to clamp using 3/8 set screws . It works but it's only a matter of time before they let go , when the y goes the devastation isn't going to be near as bad as when the z goes , but it's do or die trying now .

  20. #20
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    790

    Re: stepper motors for sale ?

    Quote Originally Posted by metalmayhem View Post
    Does anyone know a decent North American source for motor couplers . I'm not having much luck matching up anything to the current couplers , especially on length . I've found a couple from China that should work from ebay but I'm probably looking at a couple months before I see those .
    https://www.mcmaster.com/motor-couplings

    There's always McMaster Carr. Kinda pricey though.

    I've had stuff come from China in 3 days via EMS, but that was from Aliexpress, not from EBay. Fast shipping from China is possible, it just costs more.

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