Questions on building small (18" x 24" x 3") machine

[bikedude880]

Ok, so I have done some research on these forums and a few other sites as well, and have reached the point where JGRO's design is seeming to be the most appropriate for my needs:

• The ability to etch and drill through sheet metal.
• Cut through 1" plastic (preferably derlin)
• Have a workable area of 18" x 24" x 3"
• Not cost more than $250 USD

The only questions I have are:

• What materials would be most appropriate? (I was thinking wood)
• What motor system, stepper or servo, should be used? (Not looking for speed, just accuracy and cost-effective)

I am thoroughly impressed by the support here and am looking forward to working on this with your help.

[joecnc2006]

250.00 maybe for the parts of machine.

But you will need motors (steppers 50.00 each min.)
Controllor board (80.00 min)
Power supply, (maybe 50.00)

so you can see 250.00 will not really cover it, but there have been a few that have got things free or real cheap, depending on your resourcefulness and location.

[bikedude880]

Regarding the power supply: are there any technical specifications or criteria that it needs to meet?

Right now I am rebuilding JGRO's design on a smaller scale (and hopefully doing it right)

[randyf1965]

Daisy chain PC power supplies.... Newegg.com has some cheap power supplies under $15 connect 3 together for ~33V dc@ 20+amps (probably less than 20 but not bad) or cheaper find used power supplies at a resale/good will .

[designer]

hi I would advise you to get steppers first then sort out power supply. there are so many options with power supplys, cheapest way is to build your self it is very easy,
you should be able to find cheap toroid/transformer on ebay you may have to be patient but one with the specs that you require will either be there or turn up soon. usually sell for £5 to £15 you could expect to pay over £7 for postage unless you find one locally
rectifiers are generally less than £5 electrolytic capacitors are often cheap on ebay £5 to £15 for the specs that you will need I think that over kill is a good idea when considering steppers and these can be found very cheap on ebay. also check german ebay for stepper motors in german it is spelt Schrittmotor also for some reason ballscrews sell quite ceap in germany. some scrap yards can have amazing bits at very low cost.
Best Regards
Trevor