Any real differences here?

[SwampDonkey]

Hello, Im cheap. Also, im putting together a LMS X2 CNC mill. Im shopping around and came across this:

4 Axis Nema 23 Stepper Motor 287oz-in & Driver CNC Kit | eBay

Its a 4 axis stepper motor, driver, and power supply kit. How does it compare to the much more expensive Probotix kit?

4-Axis ProboStep Stepper Motor Driver Kit - 4-Axis ProboStep Stepper Motor Driver Kit

Is this really a good deal or is it really too good to be true?

Thank you all!

[HorridHenry]

Think of it this way....

What if the board in the first link should happen to burn a hole in the board for some reason? making it useless to all stepper motors and the need to go and buy another.

Now what if ONE of the seperate drivers in the second link should burn out,this will reneder only one stepper motor useless and will be far cheaper to replace the driver.

[SwampDonkey]

Think of it this way....

What if the board in the first link should happen to burn a hole in the board for some reason? making it useless to all stepper motors and the need to go and buy another.

Now what if ONE of the seperate drivers in the second link should burn out,this will reneder only one stepper motor useless and will be far cheaper to replace the driver.

Thanks for the input Im as new as possible to this (though not to manual machining) so I may ask goofy questions. So this "all in one" controller board does the job of the 3 individual drivers? Would I have the same functionality with either? Assuming the board doesnt fail, would it be comparable and a better deal?

[port_huon]

The biggest difference is one of support.
You won't get much of it from your eBay seller but Probotix will be able to help you with any setup issues you may have as well as being able to repair/replace parts as required.

You might want to check out what's available from Kelinginc as they have a good reputation for quality and support.

[SwampDonkey]

The biggest difference is one of support.
You won't get much of it from your eBay seller but Probotix will be able to help you with any setup issues you may have as well as being able to repair/replace parts as required.

You might want to check out what's available from Kelinginc as they have a good reputation for quality and support.

Are there many issues associated with these driver boards with regards to the install and operation?

[HorridHenry]

Are there many issues associated with these driver boards with regards to the install and operation?

This begs the question of whether you have come across this situation by reading here or elsewhere about these boards?

But to answer your Q....its debatable whether these boards are poorly designed? or people are trying to get the max power from the boards,I for one would not entertain an all-in one driver board and BOB,but thats only my own preference.

[SwampDonkey]

This begs the question of whether you have come across this situation by reading here or elsewhere about these boards?

Not yet, but im still looking around. If anything I may get the motors and power supply out of the deal (if the board fails). It seems it would still be cheaper than Probotix for these components even without the board. Im trying to get some background/ review about this board before buying it. I actually just contacted another ebay member who bought one over a month ago. I asked him how it went and if there's anything he would warn a potential buyer about.

[Fixittt]

one major issue I see is that the first one from ebay is only a 24v system. If its anything like the xylotex you are severely neutering the motors. I know the numbers look cool and all but find out what the motors "WANT" as far as power goes. Then do some math and see what your giving them. Chances are they are way under powered with that kit. Also im pretty sure there will be resonance with that system. The cheaper drives do not compensate for it. This will also hinder the machine.

The second link, or have you though of a 48v power supply, and a gecko G540? Cheap, stable, quality 4 axis drive. Great support and its pretty much an all in one unit that is serviceable.

[SwampDonkey]

one major issue I see is that the first one from ebay is only a 24v system. If its anything like the xylotex you are severely neutering the motors. I know the numbers look cool and all but find out what the motors "WANT" as far as power goes. Then do some math and see what your giving them. Chances are they are way under powered with that kit. Also im pretty sure there will be resonance with that system. The cheaper drives do not compensate for it. This will also hinder the machine.

The second link, or have you though of a 48v power supply, and a gecko G540? Cheap, stable, quality 4 axis drive. Great support and its pretty much an all in one unit that is serviceable.

I would absolutely love that Gecko, but alas, it doesn't fit into the budget at this time. I know the 24V@ 8.5A power supply isnt much, but it is what Probotix is packaging with their (larger) 400oz 4 axis kit. Actually, the "cheapo" is 8.3A, but that difference seems negligible. Im guessing the Probotix kits work OK with this power supply?
Im going to try to do all of this on a budget. It may not work, but I need to grab bargains where I find them unfortunately.

[rowbare]

The biggest bargain is to get stuff that is known to work from the get go. I started with a Taig using a Xylotek board. It was an exercise in frustration (this was pre G540). When the G540 came out, I got one of those and a decent power supply and it was a whole new world.

Have you been to Hossmachine Homepage He has a lot of information on converting X2s in the CNC Conversion section. One of the Keling packages he mentions is price competitive with the Probotix package you mention.

The Probotix kit you linked to is 280 oz in not 400 btw. Note also that the kit you pointed to is Unipolar so you only get about half the rated holding torque (see the UniPolar vs BiPolar page in the Probotix site). You would certainly be better off with the higher voltage power supply option. As well, the 280 motor will probably perform as well or better than the 400 given the available drives and power supplies. Holding torque doesn't tell the whole story.

Btw that eBay kit you list is all but worthless. I was going to suggest that it might be worth buying for the motors but the inductance is 18mh thus those motors need about 130V to run at their peak.

It doesn't cost a whole lot more to get something that works well vs something that will drive you nuts...

good luck!
bob

[doorknob]

The motors in that eBay listing have a high inductance and are poorly matched to the electrical characteristics of the driver board. The motors have 6 wires, and they were probably designed to be driven by a unipolar driver, while the accompanying driver is designed to drive bipolar motors with 4 wires, so you will have to choose which 4 out of 6 wires you will use. The motors are rated at 1 amp per phase, while the driver is rated for 3.5 amps per phase. So the kit was thrown together with apparently little or no thought given to matching the driver with the motors. It may look like you are getting a good price for the motors and power supply alone, however if you look at it more closely, it's not clear that you would actually want those motors.

For more info about that driver board, see:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/genera...y_chinese.html

The Probotix kit to which you linked is designed to drive unipolar motors (it may come with 8-wire motors, which are designed to be hooked up for bipolar or unipolar use).

[SwampDonkey]

The biggest bargain is to get stuff that is known to work from the get go. I started with a Taig using a Xylotek board. It was an exercise in frustration (this was pre G540). When the G540 came out, I got one of those and a decent power supply and it was a whole new world.

Have you been to Hossmachine Homepage He has a lot of information on converting X2s in the CNC Conversion section. One of the Keling packages he mentions is price competitive with the Probotix package you mention.

The Probotix kit you linked to is 280 oz in not 400 btw. Note also that the kit you pointed to is Unipolar so you only get about half the rated holding torque (see the UniPolar vs BiPolar page in the Probotix site). You would certainly be better off with the higher voltage power supply option. As well, the 280 motor will probably perform as well or better than the 400 given the available drives and power supplies. Holding torque doesn't tell the whole story.

Btw that eBay kit you list is all but worthless. I was going to suggest that it might be worth buying for the motors but the inductance is 18mh thus those motors need about 130V to run at their peak.

It doesn't cost a whole lot more to get something that works well vs something that will drive you nuts...

good luck!
bob

Thanks Bob,
What kind of issues were you having? Im just in learning mode now and appreciate your info. I have seen the Hossmachine site and gleaned as much as I could, not that I understood half of it lol.
I take it the inductance relates to what kind of voltage the motor prefers? Oh and I should have provided a link to the probotix 400oz kit with the 24V 8.5A power supply:

4-Axis Monster CNC Stepper Motor Driver Kit - 4-Axis Monster CNC Stepper Motor Driver Kit

Edit: I forgot to add, I was under the impression that the NEMA 23 motors were standardized (identical specs per oz rating). How wildly can they vary and what should I look for?