I found this forum while researching a winter project.

I have been interested in the hardware side of cnc, having been involved with running and programming cnc for quite awhile.

I have basic knowledge of the components required and the type of system I will build.

For the first project I am going to retrofit my unimat 3 lathe with 3 axis control, the third being a motor driven tailstock.

I have two pc power supplies a 90 watt max and a 200 watt.
They are 5V10A,3.3V6A,12V1.5A5VSB1.4A and 5V20A,12V7.5A,12V.5A,5V.5A respectively.

Being a small machine cheap steppers to start would suffice and the above power would be OK. My problem is the drivers as they seem to be the expensive components in this system.

I want to reuse the drives along with upgrading power supply and stepper motors on a planned benchtop mill.

The budget for this first phase is two to three hundred dollars, the question is can drivers be had for this plan of action?