Newbie- Xylotex or Stepperworld

[pencilneck]

I'm gathering parts for my first CNC build. I'm building it out of 80/20 T-Slot, awethum stuff. I figure I'll be cutting wood, plastic, foam and maybe, but not likely, aluminum (be nice if I could, but won't care if I can't). My mill will have about a 2' X 3' cutting area.

One area I'm kind of getting lost in is all the different options to pick for the stepper motors, controllers, power supplies, ect ect ect. I figure I'd be better off getting a turn key kit. 2 that I've been looking at that give me "warm fuzzy feelings" are the following:

http://www.xylotex.com/Econo3Ax425.htm

http://www.stepperworld.com/FET3dynamo.htm

I'm leaning more towards the Xylotex kit, because I think it will be more on the "overkill" side of things, I'd like to have more room to expand in the future if needed rather than purchasing a second system.

I feel like I have a bare mminimum amount of knowledge about the electronics side of this project, but not nearly enough to make the wisest choice on what to purchase, so expert input would be most helpful.

Thank you.

[ger21]

The Xylotex is a far superior drive to the Stepperworld. However, it's still on the low end of stepper drives and would not be considered overkill at all. If you want to get closer to overkill, get a Gecko G540 kit from www.kelinginc.net The G540 is capable of 2-3 times the performance of the Xylotex.

[pencilneck]

So how is the the G540 kit from Keling better than the one from Xylotex? If the ones with the Xylotex kit are 425 oz in, would they not be a stronger stepper motor than the ones from Keling that are rated at 387 oz in?

I'm also trying to keep this project under $1000 and I'm using 1530 T-Slot.

[dertsap]

if you blow an axis with gecko then you can replace the driver for that axis rather than replacing a complete board , gecko quality and support is hard to beat , it's best to avoided the stepperworld board , its a tough board but extremely limited in performance , mine sits on the shelf and collects dust

[ger21]

The gecko can drive higher current motors, which will typically spin faster than lower current ones, and they can run at double the voltage, which will double the already increased speed vs the Xylotex. Bottom line is with the right motors, you'll get at least double the power from the G540. The G540 also has many additional features compared to the Xylotex, and it's far more durable, as the Xylotex is very intolerant of any wiring mistakes.

I own a Xylotex, and it works very well. But I bought it 5 years ago. If buying today, I'd have a G540.

One last thing. The Gecko has mid band resonance compensation. My Xylotex suffers terribly from resonance (although dmapers have remedied that). The G540 removes it.

[pencilneck]

OK, I'm starting to get a bit of a the "warm and fuzzy feeling" for the G540. Who knows, maybe the 4th axis upgrade in the distant future could be useful.... but first things first.

So the 3 axis kit that Keling is selling, are the stepper motors and power supply good stuff. It is a bit over my budget, but I'd rather spend more up front and just buy these kind of things once instead of having to always upgrade because of short comings.

Thanks for the input/info.

[Torchhead]

For a frame of reference: On a table top engraver/router we use and the same 300 oz-in motors replacing a Xylotex card and 24 vdc power supply with a G540 and 48 v power supply, raised the max current from 2.5 to 3.5 and the speed is almost double. We went from about 60 IPM max to 120 IPM. We have many hours with both and the G540 is worth every penny. Another factor you need to be aware of is that after the warranty period on the Xylotex they no longer will repair it so you have to buy a whole new card. Couple that with the fact the G540 has opto isolated inputs and built in short circuit protection and you add to the value equation.

Don't get caught up too much with torque ratings unless you can quantify them at a given speed. When you are at the upper end of the RPM range you may find a motor with lower torque will actually stall at a higher RPM than a bigger motor. It's all about how well matched the motor is to the driver. It's never simple (:-)

TOM Caudle
www.CandCNC.com

[rowbare]

Originally Posted by pencilneck So how is the the G540 kit from Keling better than the one from Xylotex? If the ones with the Xylotex kit are 425 oz in, would they not be a stronger stepper motor than the ones from Keling that are rated at 387 oz in? I'm also trying to keep this project under $1000 and I'm using 1530 T-Slot.

The 387 oz in motors are very closely matched to the drives in the G540 in terms of current rating and impedance (which determines the voltage requirements).

Another thing to consider is that you won't need a breakout board with the G540.

bob

[Kelinginc]

Originally Posted by pencilneck So how is the the G540 kit from Keling better than the one from Xylotex? If the ones with the Xylotex kit are 425 oz in, would they not be a stronger stepper motor than the ones from Keling that are rated at 387 oz in? I'm also trying to keep this project under $1000 and I'm using 1530 T-Slot.

Here are the Torque cures

http://www.kelinginc.net/KL23H286-20-8BT.pdf

http://www.kelinginc.net/KL23H284-35-4BT.pdf

http://www.kelinginc.net/NEMA23Motor.html

[revwarguy]

I've got Xylotex steppers and a G540 - you can't go wrong with a G540. Lots of stuff about the G540 at my build site www.liming.org/cnc if you're curious about my experience with them.

[pencilneck]

It is done, I've just now placed my order for a G540, 3 stepper motors and 48V power supply.

And with a little bit of luck, the miter saw stand I ordered will show up today and I can start cutting the T-Slot as well.

Thank you for softly beating me over the head to make the right decision.