Budget Steppers/Drivers

[JoeDawg]

I have got some good info on my other two posts but i was hoping for a few last opinions before i buy

Jalessi recommended Gecko G251s, the keling pwr supply KL-350-48 48V/7.3A
110V/230V, hobbycnc 205 or 305 steppers, and the cnc4pc breakout board

i read the g251s wont be available untill mid august, i dont really want to wait, but should i?

sansbury then recommended the hobbyCNC pro board, but it says 42v max input, so ild have to go with a different pwr supply right? and it reccomends 24v, isn't that a little low?

are the hobbyCNC package generally considered best in their price range? what are the pros/cons of going 205 vs 305, 305 obviosly had more pwr but i have read that smaller stepper work better with budget drivers

speedy information would be greatly appreciated

[jasminder]

i am new to cnc and this site,
actually i am working on a cnc mini lathe conversion.
i used atmega 16 as micro controller and two 23nm torque steppers to drive the two z and x axis.
now the problem is i don't know anything about the cad or cam

may be i can programm the whole part's "way " mannualy
but i want to learn about how to use it with cad

i am going to use a digital calliper to tell the stepper to keep driving untill desired value is gained by the calliper.
hellp me out please

i just want the motors to be driven with the help of a graph or a line or graphics
i know you guys know more about it then me

[Mike Nash]

Unless you just like slow you might as well skip the cheapest options. I have an X2 minimill that is simply slow with the Xylotex. If it ain't slow it either skips steps or gets sloppy since I have to loosen the gibs too much. Now some of this is due to the crappy fit and finish of the ways. Some may be due to the ~2.5:1 belt reduction losing too much stepper torque at speed due to the 24V power supply on the Xylotex board. And it does have 5TPI ballscrews. But I did make an attempt at comparing performance of the older Xylotex and HobbyCNC boards I have against a Gecko 202. I say attempt, because I could only run the waaay undersized Nema 23 with all three boards and it really didn't seem to like the Gecko. The previously mild mannered Automation Direct 286oz-in motor (that was on the X2 before I pulled it for this test on another table) simply became the Incredible Hulk on the Gecko. I was sold. Now I have to wait until I CAN be sold a few. I do wish the G540 didn't use the DB-9 connectors for the motors though. I hate soldering those things and though I've been doing it for years these later models seem smaller and well, fuzzier. OTOH, I don't know that the regular price on the G251 is going to be so cost effective.

Further info at http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpo...postcount=1187