Hello,
I am trying to decide which way to go with the controllers/motors for my build. I really like the idea of the Blackbox and the xPRO V5 for their simplicity but I am not sure if I would be getting the best bang for my buck. From what I have read they are great controllers but due to the limited power (24v) I would be limiting my motor selection/performance.

I originally planned to purchase the stepperonline nema 23s (425oz) but have read that it is better to go with lower torque ones with either of these controllers. I read this snippit from an article comparing the two control systems.
So what do the values imply in terms of the stepper motors that can be run by these controllers?

The peak current of 6A for the driver implies that the xPRO v5 can run stepper motors with up to a 6A rating (theoretically).

But since you need to extract the full output (torque at high speeds) of the stepper motor, ideally the peak current of the driver should be 1.4 times that of the stepper motor.

Using this thumb rule, you can use a 4.2A stepper motor (NEMA 23 and some NEMA 34 stepper motors) with the xPRO v5.

And you can use up to a 2.8A stepper motor with the BlackBox controller such as this highly popular 269 oz.in NEMA 23 stepper motor.

However, even with the xPRO v5, the power that you can supply is limited to 24 volts.

High torque NEMA 23 motors such as this 425 oz.in NEMA 23 motor requires 36V of power to deliver the high torque you need at high RPMs.

Powering it at 24V is fine but it will limit the torque you get.

For knowing how much torque you can extract out of a stepper motor at each voltage and RPM, you need to refer to the torque vs RPM chart of the motor.

To know if you'll get higher torque out of your stepper motor with the xPRO v5 compared to BlackBox, you need to see how much torque the high torque stepper motor can generate at 24V, which is the maximum recommended power for the xPRO v5.
I have tried to find torque specs for the different nema 23s at 24v but have been unable to. Was hoping you guys can help shed some light on this for me (and others in my same situation).

The above snippit mentions that you can use up to 4.2a motors on the xPRO and 2.8a on the Blackbox. Does this mean that although we would be limiting the performance because of the lower volts, the xPRO would provide higher torque/performance than the BB using the same motors? It is my understanding that...
  • Speed is proportional to voltage
  • Torque is proportional to current (amps)
  • Power is the product of speed x torque

Please correct me if I am completely off here. Still trying to learn all this.

I am having a hard time really understanding what all this means.

I would be open to buying individual pieces instead of one these if it is not too technical or difficult to get up and running and if it were a much better value to performance ratio.

Would love to get some advice and personal experience with any/either/all of these options.

BTW, my setup is a 48"x48" with plans for wood, plastics and aluminum.

Thanks for any advice!