[georgeburns]

Thinking about purchasing Gecko drives for my build.

What is the big hubub about them? Why are they so much better than others? That seems to be the general opinion. I have read that they can increase inch times and power on most machines, etc. What gives them this ability?

I can get a 4 axis xylotex system (plug and play for 475)...

Why pay 417 for 3 gecko drives, no motors and no controller?

Is it worth it?

Thanks for your time.

GB

[jhowelb]

The controller is your computer. If you go for the G203Vs you have idiot proof drives. Unkillable!

I bought, paid for and built four other four axis drives and watched them smoke for one reason or another one at a time.

I've bought 5 (one for a spare) G203Vs and had to send one back for adjustment. (no cost other than shipping)

You get what you pay for with Gecko. Quality equipment (the kind of quality that flies on the shuttle) at a bargain price. We are his proving ground and industry the bread and butter.

Let me hasten to say that I don't nor never have I ever, worked for Gecko or any other electronics firm. I'm just an old retired dumb cluck user up in Bakersfield, Ca. poking about in my favorite hobby. ......and I am one HUGE Gecko 203V fan!

Him what has ears, let him hear!

[Stepper Monkey]

A lot of it is voltage. Xylotex run only 2 amps, which is serviceable if a bit low, but they only run at 24 volts. This really kills any motor performance over a few IPM. Xylotex can be a fine budget option for small mills, but especially with a router they are bad news for rapids and fast cutting.
Geckos are good to something like 80 volts. They also handle up to 7 amps or so if I remember correctly. Nice if you need the extra power, but even if you are only running the Geckos at 2 amps, the ability to run a 72 volt supply means great performance at ALL speeds, not just a slow crawl like with 24 v. The difference is truly unreal.
Given the fact you can run a broader variety of motors with the Geckos, making surplus motors a good option, you may well wind up not too far off of the cost of the Xylotex kit anyway. Even if you go with all new motors, the difference is only going to be a couple of hundred bucks, or about half again more, for about three times or better the performance. If you can at all afford it, it's silly not to go with the Geckos. Has the side benefit of the legendary reliability and service too, but the voltage difference is the real meat of the issue here for a router.

[georgeburns]

Thanks jhowelb and Stepper Monkey,

I think I'm just about sold. I really prefer quality. Also thinking that if I upgrade the table later I can use the same equipment if I want to do something bigger.

jhowelb. I was under the fasle impression that you had to have a controller, drivers, and a computer. Ignorant me... not thinking the controller was a computer. Guess it is just a breakout board between the RS-232 port and the drivers. Thanks for your help again.

[jhowelb]

Now, you will need control software.
My recommendation is Mach 3.
Demo version is free to download and use. with the demo limit of lines of code you can still do lots of work till you convinced and buy the license. You pop the license file into the Mach directory and off you go.

[jeffmorris]

How are the Gecko drives connected to the computer? Do I need breakout boards? If so, which breakout board should I buy?

[chester1957]

I bought cnc4pc's, designed for gecko's (I think about $10-$15 less than the other boards.) as they have opto-iso built in. Makes wiring a snap. I run two machines with gecko's.

[jhowelb]

How are the Gecko drives connected to the computer? Do I need breakout boards? If so, which breakout board should I buy?

Geckos are connected by way of the printer port. The are already opto isolated and therefore have a thresh hold voltage for operation that some computers have difficulty producing at the printer port. Both these sites have a board that will do.

http://www.pmdx.com/

http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/

[hybidder]

I bought cnc4pc's, designed for gecko's (I think about $10-$15 less than the other boards.) as they have opto-iso built in. Makes wiring a snap. I run two machines with gecko's.

Same here, it's the C11G breakout board and I'm running 3 203v's and have had absolutely no problems. Well ok, one problem but it was entirely my fault. I accidentally connected my Z axis polarity wrong and popped the inetrnal fuse. Even though it was my fault Gecko sent a replacement fuse along with a couple of spares free of charge right away.

I was just reading this last night regarding a Xylotex customer-

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56134



This thread was originated by the owner of Gecko and shows his dedication to the industry and interest in customer service-

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34428

Gecko is currently developing some low price (under $50) lower power (about 3.5 amp, 60 volt) drivers that should be hitting the market in the next few weeks. I plan to buy a couple for a small lathe conversion I have been toying with.

Good luck and Go Gecko...

[zenbot]

Gecko drives will actually far outperform the other drivers even at the same voltage. It really is astonishing.

[jeffmorris]

I found out that the PMDX-131 BOB isn't compatible with Gecko 203V boards. I like the way that the PMDX-131 BOB is connected to Gecko driver boards.

[georgeburns]

I found out that the PMDX-131 BOB isn't compatible with Gecko 203V boards. I like the way that the PMDX-131 BOB is connected to Gecko driver boards.

What connections is it missing?

[jhowelb]

What connections is it missing?

The 203V uses a serial port ground as a common connection while the other modules use a *5vdc common.

[jeffmorris]

Which BOB is better for Gecko G203V- PMDX-122 at $81 or CNC4PC C11G at $109? Can the Probotix PBX-RF BOB be used with G203V?

[ger21]

Which BOB is better for Gecko G203V- PMDX-122 at $81 or CNC4PC C11G at $109? Can the Probotix PBX-RF BOB be used with G203V?

The one that's "better" would be the one that has the features you need. If you don't know what you need, you should do some more research.

[chester1957]

Do some research and you can save some money, for my plasma I saved money by buying the c1g bob and cb-ac from cnc4pc at $50-60 total. Figure out the functions you want to control. My router draws 9 amps so the above combo wouldn't work. Knowledge = Savings.

[jhowelb]

I've had great luck with the C13 for $8.29! I'm running three 203V's, a limit switch and a spindle pulse generator.

DO your research!!

[georgeburns]

I've seen a lot of the breakout boards advertise that they protect the computers port via optical isolation.

1. What does optical isolation mean?

2. Has anybody ever fried their parallel port?

[georgeburns]

I've had great luck with the C13 for $8.29! I'm running three 203V's, a limit switch and a spindle pulse generator.

DO your research!!

On CNC4PCs website it states, "Do not use this board for wiring Geckodrvies, these drives require 16 milliamps signals, the parallel port can only deliver 10 milliamps. Using this board for these drives can cause lose of steps and unreliable operation."

Does the loss of 6 milliamps cause any unrealiability for you, or are they just wanting people to buy a more expensive breakout?

[acondit]

On CNC4PCs website it states, "Do not use this board for wiring Geckodrvies, these drives require 16 milliamps signals, the parallel port can only deliver 10 milliamps. Using this board for these drives can cause lose of steps and unreliable operation."

Does the loss of 6 milliamps cause any unrealiability for you, or are they just wanting people to buy a more expensive breakout?

Originally Posted by Mariss Freimanis

...
2) Current sourcing requires ground on COMMON. The STEP input then works with 1.8V, 2.5V, 3.3V and 5V logic level signals. The G203V needs only 2.5mA LED current to operate, so driver current sourcing is not so important anymore.
...
Mariss

That current requirement is talking about the older generations of Gecko drives. My main concern would be the lack of opto isolation on the CNC4PC C13 BOB.

Alan