Need Help!- Confused

[bodi]

This is my first CNC machine I'm building. I have no experience so could use a little help choosing boards and motors. I'm building a 3 x 4 work table with
light weight aluminium, the lead screw is 1/2" 10 threads per inch. I'm looking to get a good quality break-out board, stepper motor board, Etc. I'm retired and on a limited budget, so I want the most bang for my buck.

I've narrowed it down to three sellers.

The first is this one. From what I understand this is a very good controller. Any opinions??

Geckodiver G540 4 axis kit (One G540 + Four
NEMA 23 KL23H284-35-4B (1/4” Dual shaft with a flat) 387 oz-
in + one KL-600-48 48V/12.5A 115V /230Vpower supply):
$574.95

The second one is this one:

Stepper Driver and Electronics for CNC Routers

4 Axis Electronics Combo - $470.00
(4) 425 oz-in stepping motors
(4) Drivers (3.0Amp 24-40 Volts, 1-1/64 microstepping)
(1) 36v 8.8a Power Supply
(1) Breakout board

And the third is:

4-Axis CNC Stepper Motor Driver Kits

Kit Includes: $459.00
4x ProboStep VX Uni-Polar Stepper Motor Driver
4x HT23-400-8 400ozin Stepper Motor
PBX-2 Parallel Port Breakout Board
24Volt 8.5Amp Switching Power Supply
6ft. DB25 Male-to-Male Cable
4x 4" IDC Cable 10-pin

They all seem to be very good people to deal with. Hopefully there are people here that can help me make a decision. Thanks

[ger21]

The G540 is the best of the 3, imo.

If you haven't yet purchased the 1/2-10 acme, Dont! They will severely limit the performance of your machine
Go with a 2 start or 5 start screw instead. If you don't do it now, you'll end up doing it soon enough anyway. Better off spending once.

[Fastest1]

I agree with Ger regarding the G540, especially for a first timer. Much less set up understanding required. Use a 48v power supply though. The gecko is small, self contained, well designed and has excellent support. Not knocking the others but they will consume more space and time to get running. If it is not too late the screw suggestion is a valid one. OTOH speed of rapids is relative. They all seem too fast if you are crashing!

[ger21]

OTOH speed of rapids is relative. They all seem too fast if you are crashing!

With single start 1/2-10 acme, you'll be limited to 70-100ipm max.
I do the majority of my cutting at 150ipm or more.

[dfmiller]

+1 on the G540.
I like mine.
And if Gerry thinks is good it's hard to go wrong.
They have a reputation of just working. And I think they have a good warranty.
Dave

[DonFrambach]

Agree with the G540 suggestion. I use 1/2" x 10 single start ACME leadscrews on my small router. As others have advised, I think you'll much happier with multistart leadscrews on your larger router.

[ssutton]

IMHO go for the G540. Mine has been bulletproof so far in 100 degree heat. I am running a rack and pinion for my X and Y axis but I am using a 10 TPI acme rod for my Z. It works well for the Z but other than that I would not use it for X or Y.

Scott

[CarveOne]

I also recommend going with the G540, in addition to the multi-start ACME screws. The G540 and 1/2-10 5 start is easily giving me 600 ipm jog speeds. Mine is the CNC Routerparts kit with 380 in-ounce motors.

CarveOne

[bodi]

Thanks for your opinions. Do you have any thoughts good or bad about the other two I'm deciding on?? I was kinda leaning towards the second one, it was more in my budget. I like the tech support on the probotix one, the guy talked to me about it for over an hour. Len seems to be a super guy and he said he would help get me through the whole thing. He said he could sell me one with two green motors 400 oz. for x and y and two yellow motors 280 oz. for z and lathe for $409.95. tech support means alot to an old jarhead.

[TarHeelTom]

I'm not using the G540, as it's a little light for my application. Using the G203V instead.

Gecko has excellent tech support, usually given by the boss himself. He'll spend maybe 2 minutes with you on the phone and solve your problem.

Not to mention his warranty. If you put your Gecko out in the street and run over it with a bulldozer, then cut it into several pieces with a torch, he replace it for you free the first time.

So, plus one on the Geckos.

Tom

[DonFrambach]

I know we're all saying the same bottom line about the G540 but with regards to techinical support, your're likely not to need any because the connections are very straightforward. I bought my G540 as part of a kit from CNCRouterParts.com and was up and running literally in a few minutes!

Do you really need four motors for your first build? There will be considerable savings if you just buy three motors. I did that but also got the larger 12.5 amp power supply just in case I wanted to do more later. If you can live with three motors and the smaller power supply your cost will fall substantially! Here's a link to the CNCRouterParts.com 3 motor kit for $519 (with cables!): CNCRouterParts.

[DonFrambach]

Here's a nice thread for connecting the G540: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-cn...ecko_g540.html