OK - the internal debate is over and a Taig/Mach 3 is where I'm headed. There appear to be several sources:

Taig directly (appears to use 200oz/in steppers and a (?) drive box

Carter Tools - So far as I can tell, this is the OEM Taig unit - has a very good reputation for customer service and a very useful web site

eBay vendor #1 CNCZone - slightly larger steppers but a control box that, from my reading, is unreliable - at the moment, not on my list

eBay vendor #2 Deepgroove - again, a slightly larger stepper and Xylotex drivers which seem to have a good reputation

Any comments on Deepgroove? - any sources that I have overlooked?

Thanks

EM

You can also get the CNC ready Taig from any dealer and the set up your own control/stepper system, such as that from Xylotex. This allows you to get the control system that reflects your needs and desires...

Nick

Nick is supposed to be all around the best Taig source for equipment and support.
I got mine through Deepgroove and the equipment was fine, not so much on support though.
I have worked on two Taigs that people have bought from that third guy, and the controllers were sketchy (though the new one are supposed to be much better now), the power supplies subpar, the motors were actually single stacks and so not as powerful as advertised, and no service or support at all.

Nick is also correct in that it may be just as easy to get a mill and set up your own driver and stepper combo to fit your needs. It isn't that tough, he can walk you through it if you want to go that route.

Nick's suggestion to put together your own system is good. I followed that path with a CNC ready Taig, then bought Bob Campbell's Mach 3 Enclosure all wired up and ready to go with Gecko stepper drivers. I also bought my steppers and cables from Bob. Things went together without a hitch. Bob Campbell offers good customer support, in my opinion. This control may be over kill for a Taig, but it will drive a larger system if you decide to move up to a larger mill at some point. At this point I am still on the learning curve with CNC.

http://www.campbelldesigns.com/

Regards,

Chuck Kuhn

I bought mine from Nick and was not disappointed. He goes above and beyond for support. He is absolutely knowledgeable.

I went with the xylotex full setup kit. I have had no problems there either.

I looked at the deepgroove one as well when I was first looking. One of the things that deterred me from that was the stepper motors.

I forget now exactly what the information I found was but it was something to this extent:

I had posted or read on a thread that for a smaller machine a larger stepper like on the deepgroove is unecissary and in fact undesireable. From what I recall they provide more low end torque than the small taig can handle and they dont perform as well at highr speeds. I forget the specifics but that was close to the gist of it.


I do remember that the 260 oz steppers that come with the xylotex were said to be ideal.

Saved some cash doing it this way..





I would definately use Nick for the mill at least and the controller too if you feel more comfortable.


I have been interacting with another thread wiith some poor guy who bought a complete system from someone else and cant get the guy he bought it from to respond to get any support to get it running. Been over a week and his mill hasnt moved

I can tell you by going with nick and xylotex they responded quickly to get me up an running. I was a complete novice and the first day I had movement and believe me I asked questions up the wazoo.



Just my 2 cents about my experience.

I got my 2019CR-ER from Nick and 280 oz-in steppers from Deepgroove (Paul). It was very easy to hook up the stepper motors to the mill. It took me a while to set up the stepper drivers (IM483) and the computer (EMC2) though but I got it done with help from cnczone.

As many people have said, support from Nick is great. I talked with Paul (Deepgroove) over e-mail and it wasn't bad.

Juzwuz,
How do you like the IM483's? Not too many people use them, they have some nice features though.
Did you have any difficulty with heatsinking them or do they not get hot enough to need them with a Taig?

Check out:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18254&highlight=nudrive

The IM483's I'm using were pretty much all wired up and in a nice case. They are mounted on an aluminum angle (heatsink) and some large fans provide cooling. So far I don't seem to have any problems with heating. I have around 42VDC supplied to the drivers and the steppers are (3V 2.8A). I have cut several small lithophanes at 25ipm running for around 8 hours straight and the stepper motors do not get very hot. Maybe I should be pushing them harder??

Anyway, I've been happy with the Taig mill from Nick, stepper motors from Deepgroove, drivers from ebay, surplus pc, EMC2 and Ubuntu linux, and the Vectric software suite, endmills from bits & bits.