[CNC74]

Hi,

I have an "X2" (Harbor Freight 44991) I purchased to convert to CNC.

I have read a mountian of posts on the subject and am still unsure on the answer to this question:

What is the best of the best for both electronics and hardware?

Here is what I have gathered:

1. CNC FUSION makes an exelent hardware conversion kit and the "#4" kit can be had for $550.00 (Anything Cheaper?)

2. Nema 23 425 oz steppers should be good for X, Y, and 4th axis and can be found for $49.00 each. (Anything Cheaper?)

3. Nema 34 640 oz stepper should be good for the Z axis and can be had for $90.00 (Anything Cheaper?)

4. A model #7212 - 72VOLT 12Amp power supply should be good to drive these steppers. $150.00 (Anything Cheaper?)

5. C11G controller should be good to go for a 4 axis setup of this type. $110.00 (Anything Cheaper?)

6. Geco G203V STEPPER CONTRLLERS = $140.00 x three!!! (OUCH!!) (Anything Cheaper?)


I am chomping at the bit to order the right parts at the right price but in these tough times am taking extreme caution and asking around before making such an important purchase.

Please respond with sugestions pricing and where it can be found for purchase please.

Thanks!!!!
(nuts)

[acondit]

I would think that you could easily use a Geckodrive G540 and a 48v power supply. I don't remember for sure but I believe that Hoss26 uses a Nema23 stepper for the z-axis as well.

Alan

[port_huon]

I also have just bought an X2 mill and have been looking around at CNC options. There is lots of good info in this forum about CNCing the X2. What I found so far:

Use a gecko G540 and a 48V supply. (Already ordered!)

Motors. NEMA23 for XYZ but there is some difference of opinion as to what the necessary torque rating should be. Anything from 285oz-in to 425oz-in have been mentioned. Trying to find an affordable source of these.

Not sure on a CNC kit. The $A is not that strong at the moment and freight from the US is a killer. This also makes the motors an expensive exercise.

Look forward to seeing what you go with for your conversion.


Belt drive. While not part of the CNC requirement, it's certainly rated as a 'must have' accessory.

[Regnar]

1. Yes CNC Fusion makes a great kit I have one my self. I recommend that you purchase the Helicals at the same time. There are cheaper kits out there. Some have a little diy in them and some have a lot. Hoss I think sells 2 different kinds of kits. One that you have to machine yourself ( He provides plans and stock) and another that requires some machining but the screws are already cut and threaded. Dont qoute me though I havent been to his site in a long time.

2. 425oz is a little over kill but is not to bad. 50 dollars sounds about right. You can check out Keling and Xylotex for motors. Beware of crap on ebay.

3. Completely over kill. I should tell you I have 269oz on all 3 axis and have no problems. I can jog at 45ipm, rough cut at that speed and cut at 20ipm.

4. I have a 24v power supply on mine.

5. I dont use a breakout board. My controller has it built into it.

6. Overkill again for this machine. If you plan on moving up in the future and have the funds then 203v are the way to go. If this is the end of the line for you the Gecko 540 or its little brothers would be more than enough. I use a 3 axis kit from Xylotex. By the way you would need three 203 drives. So
$420


Most of what you are looking at should be for a x3 which is bigger and heavier. Im not saying that none of this would work, but I am saying it is overkill. I just posted a video of chip load and I am waiting for it to clear. As soon as it does I will post it here too so you can see what mine is capable of doing with the above components.

Belt drive. While not part of the CNC requirement, it's certainly rated as a 'must have' accessory.

+1
Made machining much more enjoyable. Worth every single red cent!!!!!!

[Regnar]

Video cleared customs.

1/2 endmill @ 45ipm with a depth of .05 cut. Old HSS endmill with a chipped tooth that came in a china package set from Enco (all 12 for 20 dollars)

[ame="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3518469489970451444&hl=en"]CNC FUSION CUTTING 6061[/ame]

[CNC74]

Regnar,

What was the model of your controller and can you give more details on you parts? I beleive you are running what I didnt know I should be running but am getting the drift.

Thank you!!!
:rainfro:

[CNC74]

Is there a cheaper solution for Drive controllers than the GECKO'S G203V at $140 x 3 of them = BIG BUCKS!!!!?????????

It just seems like alot to spend for what it does.

[CNC74]

IS this for real?

EbAY Item: "4 AXIS CNC Router or Mill Stepper Motor complete kit"

Complete kit with everything for $290 +S&H or $325 with BuyItNow

http://cgi.ebay.com/4-AXIS-CNC-Route...3A1%7C294%3A50

It looks like a good deal but seems to good to be true.

Anyone have the skinny on this???

[port_huon]

Is there a cheaper solution for Drive controllers than the GECKO'S G203V at $140 x 3 of them = BIG BUCKS!!!!?????????

It just seems like alot to spend for what it does.

Do you NEED 7 amps at 80 volts?

If not, then the G540 is only $299 for 4 drives. 3.5A at 50V.

[jalessi]

The Chinese stepper driver in the kit is based on a Toshiba TA8435H Driver IC, it only has a 1.5 amp output or 2.5 amp peak.

It would be marginal with the stepper motors suggested for use with the X2.

You will be taking a very big chance purchasing cheap drivers off eBay, most likely they will not provide the power needed and you will have to spend a second time to get what you really need.

Be very careful you don't $crew yourself in the process.

Reinventing the wheel wont be pleasant, many of the members have already been down that path.

Jeff...

[port_huon]

IS this for real?

EbAY Item: "4 AXIS CNC Router or Mill Stepper Motor complete kit"

Complete kit with everything for $290 +S&H or $325 with BuyItNow

It looks like a good deal but seems to good to be true.

Anyone have the skinny on this???

It would depend on just how good the drive controller is. $290 for 4 stepper motors and a power supply is a lot of money

[jalessi]

If you want an inexpensive kit that will work well take a look at this:

http://www.kelinginc.net/ThreeXCNCPackage.html

$379.00

Hoss2006 runs the same system and it works very well.

http://www.hossmachine.info/

Jeff...

[CNC74]

What about this:

at $55 its cheap as hell but is it for sh#t?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=120372436003

Add a cheap decent 5-12-24volt PW supply and 3 NEMA 23 -264oz steppers and stick a fork in it!

My rough math says that this whole setup could be as low as $200 for the electronics.

I realize this would be a bottom of the line system but would it work good enough to function correctly for a very part time hobbyist working with metal fabrication???

Thoughts?

[jalessi]

Are you reading the posts?

[Regnar]

I bought this systems a few years ago. http://www.xylotex.com/3AxSysKit.htm

If and when I do have to replace the driver I will go with the Gecko 540. I dont think you would be disappointed. Built in breakout board and the same feature as the 203v. Just not the same power.

One more thing I forgot to mention. If you have a signifigant other that doesnt enjoy metal working as much as you. You will want a enclosure. I seemed when the carpet started to turn sparkly the complaining about everything got turn up a notch. New enclosure no complaining

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Video cleared customs.

1/2 endmill @ 45ipm with a depth of .05 cut. Old HSS endmill with a chipped tooth that came in a china package set from Enco (all 12 for 20 dollars)

CNC FUSION CUTTING 6061

I wonder what your tool life is like doing that kind of cut. Even at 4K RPM, you'd be running a 0.006" chipload, which is 2-3X most manufascturers recommendations for a 1/2" HSS endmill. I would expect you to end up with chipped teeth pretty quickly. Or is this a 4-flute?

Regards,
Ray L.

[acondit]

Is there a cheaper solution for Drive controllers than the GECKO'S G203V at $140 x 3 of them = BIG BUCKS!!!!?????????

It just seems like alot to spend for what it does.

CNC74,

Several of us have told you that you could save a lot of money by using the Geckodrive G540. It costs $299 for a box with 4 drives and built in BOB. What is the point of trying to help you if you aren't going to read the posts carefully.

Alan

[CNC74]

Thank you all for your detailed and guided input.

I asked about other less expensive options to draw comparison to the Gecko product. If you want to jump down my throat for asking about other products I would rather you not reply at all.

Is there a detailed comparison chart of the different controllers that can handle an X2 in 4 axis configuration floating around somewhere?

If not

Would anyone be willing to draw a comparison between the gecko 540 and any of the other less expensive boards?

Thanks to all!!

(nuts)

[Hirudin]

I'm no expert, just a beginner really... From what I've seen the biggest 2 factors you need to consider when buying a driver are the voltage and amperage ratings.

That last driver you posted can only handle 36 volts (about ~72% of what the G540 can do) and I don't see any amperage rating. The lack of an amperage information is worrying - to me it suggests that driver doesn't have a very good rating.

I think the other people here are answering a question you didn't ask "is it worth it to buy a no-name driver?" It looks like the prevailing answer is "no".

Gecko drives are known to be reliable, you're taking a risk with a no-name driver. It's a tough call, but I'd say the "reputation" of Gecko drives is worth at least $50... to ME. Meaning if I found a driver with equal specs to the Gecko and it was $50 less I'd still buy the Gecko.

The fact that there are a lot of other people here using Gecko drives makes them more valuable as well, 'specially to newbies like you and I.

In addition to the anti-resonance feature jalessi mentions below the g540 also has a "charge pump". A charge pump is a mechanism that prevents the driver from turning the motors unless you want them to by detecting a special signal from your computer. If the signal isn't there the motors wont turn. "They" say that the parallel port can send out signals when the computer is booting up and stuff. It might also send out strange stuff if the computer crashes or something too. Those errant signals could cause the motors to do stuff you wouldn't want. The charge pump protects against this.

The $300 price of the g540 also includes connectors for your motors, which would probably save you around $10. Not the biggest selling point, but worth noting.

[jalessi]

CNC74,

None of the less expensive eBay stepper drivers have anti resonance features built in.

Without anti resonance the performance will be greatly reduced.

The second issue is the current capacity and voltage output of the less expensive drives and again much less performance.

If you want to take a fifty percent performance hit buy any of the other products.

None of the less expensive drivers come close as far as speed and reliability.

If you also want lots of problems buy the cheap eBay stuff.

There are lots of posts here on the Zone that talk about what we are suggesting, do yourself a favor and take the time to read them.

The Keling KL- 4030, Xylotex and HobbyCNC are decent products, however still have shortcomings compared to the G540

http://www.kelinginc.net/KLDriver.html
http://www.xylotex.com/
http://www.hobbycnc.com/

In a nutshell there are no products in the price range that compare!

Have a most awesome day.

Jeff...