From Probotix to Gecko

[MA$TER_E]

Hey Gecko people!

I have a K2 KG-2525 router and started out with a Probotix 3 axis kit.
I've been quite busy in the K2 forum for the full story I've really learned a lot and have come a long way which is why I'm here.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97343

What I have:
-->3 HT23-400-8 400ozin Stepper Motors
-->3 ProboStep VX Uni-polar Stepper Motor Drivers
-->PBX-RF Breakout Board
-->40VDC Linear RTR Power Supply (Manual is for a 32v but mine is the 40v)
-->RBX-1 3-Channel Opto-Isolated Relay Board



Looking back now I think I could have done quite a bit better than that... But there's nothing I can really do about that now. Just learn from the experience and carry on I guess... But the way I see it I have two options...

Option 1

I'd get a G540 and use my probotix relay and steppers, upgrade my power supply to a 50v something or other and that would pretty much be it. Nothing else would change.

The steppers will run with .5A and 10v more with the G540 and will be much more reliable compared to the Probotix drivers as I've been having huge pains with mid level resonance among other things...


Option 2

This option is pretty much a super sized option 1. I'd run G203V's and upgrade to a 7A 80v system with some quality steppers. My machine is built with Nema 34 mounts but I requested and have Nema 23... For a few bucks I could put Nema 34 mounts back on the machine and run the bigger motors...

In terms of reliability though am I really going to see much of a benefit one way or the other? Performance yes I'd expect to see some gains with option 2 but I've not grown up to that point yet and think my machines current performance is pretty good for me. I wish I had a bigger better router but as far as the motion system goes I'd be thrilled, ecstatic happy even if it were reliable...

Thanks in advance for any help, its really appreciated!



Eric

[Crevice Reamer]

Option one would be the most cost effective. A $250 G540 should reliably run your present motors at least twice as fast, with a lot more torque. Add a $60 Keling 48V 7.3A PSU for more speed. If you still want to upgrade to N34s, then $300 worth of Keling 906 oz. motors will work well with the G540 & 48V.

http://retromationinc.com/retromation_015.htm

http://kelinginc.net/

CR.

[MA$TER_E]

Thats not to bad. Keling has a discount if you buy the G540 and any other components so I'd get the same price if I bought it all from them... Cool

Anyone have experience with ordering from Keling? I'm sure there are some people here that do. Any issues? Things I should look out for? I hate jumping right into placing an order and knowing nothing about them. It looks good but there's really no customer communication other than the "contact us" button. No address or phone number says "physically doesn't exist". Like I said, I'm sure it does or it would come recommended. just want to make sure ya know; been there done that kind of thing

I'll go over the machine this weekend, do some soul searching and figure out what I'm going to end up doing... (aka afford doing)





Eric

[Crevice Reamer]

I have dealt with John for years and bought a LOT from him with never a problem. He sells good stuff. I HAVE talked to him on the phone, but trust me, you don't WANT to. His accent is so thick he's hard to understand.

A long time ago, he had a policy of substituting what he had for what you ordered. That was his only fault. He has discontinued doing that, and will notify you by email if out of stock. He is in Chicago, offers the most value for the money, ships at warp speed, and I recommend him wholeheartedly.

CR.

[stoneyreef]

I would recommend Keling too.

Got a bad power supply blew after 10 minutes. It was out of stock, so I ordered a different one and he was just going to refund me the money when he received it back.

Returned it via priority mail and it got lost in the mail for 10 months. He sends me an email saying what the heck is this, I remind him of what is going on, and he asks if I want a replacement or refund. Considering I got a second g540 on the garage sale, I asked for a replacement, it was in the mail the next day.

[kawazuki]

The 7.3a PS is at the lower end of calculated requirements (7.0a), Personally, I'd add another amp or two headroom?

[Crevice Reamer]

Originally Posted by kawazuki The 7.3a PS is at the lower end of calculated requirements (7.0a), Personally, I'd add another amp or two headroom?

7.3A is PLENTY. The G540 has a 7A fuse inside it. No need to exceed that. Any capacity over 7A is just wasted.

CR.

[MA$TER_E]

Originally Posted by kawazuki The 7.3a PS is at the lower end of calculated requirements (7.0a), Personally, I'd add another amp or two headroom?

Originally Posted by Crevice Reamer 7.3A is PLENTY. The G540 has a 7A fuse inside it. No need to exceed that. Any capacity over 7A is just wasted. CR.

I was thinking about that exact same thing. I thought I'd upgrade to the bigger better one but like CR said, the G540 is only 50v with a 7A fuse. And If I'm going to go with eh G540 then anything more would be a waste. I thought I'd get a nice PSU that would work for me in the future but really in the future I see me running an 80v system with 6+A drivers that is if I stay with steppers and don't go servo.

So really buying anything more than the 7.3A doesn't make sense to me right now. The only thing I wish was that it was a 50v PSU rather than 48v but that's just me being picky. 48v will be fine and is really irrelevant when you take into consideration that I'm doing all this for the sake of reliability.



Eric

[Crevice Reamer]

Originally Posted by MA$TER_E The only thing I wish was that it was a 50v PSU rather than 48v....

Actually it IS! There is a Voltage adjustment screw, and it will easily move up to 50V. This causes a slight loss of available Amperage, but it still doesn't fall below the 7A mark.

You don't HAVE to buy the PSU right away though. The G540 will probably double the axis power using your old 40V PSU.

CR.

[MA$TER_E]

Originally Posted by Crevice Reamer Actually it IS! There is a Voltage adjustment screw, and it will easily move up to 50V. This causes a slight loss of available Amperage, but it still doesn't fall below the 7A mark. You don't HAVE to buy the PSU right away though. The G540 will probably double the axis power using your old 40V PSU. CR.

LOL thats awesome and funny at the same time

I know I don't have to buy it right now. But how I'm looking at it is if I buy the G540 and the PSU then take into consideration the discount, I'm getting the PSU for only $10 more than if I bought just the G540 direct from Gecko.

That and I'd like to take pretty much everything I have and redo it. Wipe the slate clean; literally... I'll probably sell the whole Probotix kit or use it in a little DIY project just for fun... We'll see, it would just be convenient and improve performance at the same time so why not



Eric

[Crevice Reamer]

Understood.

[kawazuki]

Originally Posted by Crevice Reamer 7.3A is PLENTY. The G540 has a 7A fuse inside it. No need to exceed that. Any capacity over 7A is just wasted. CR.

Not wishing to be arguementative but I have never heard of internal fusing in the G540! Its certainly not mentioned in any of the numerous revisions of the manual? But I've found a G540 schematic and that has a 10A fuse! This would seem obvious as a 2/3 rated fuse for 4 x 3.5A drives would be 9.33A! So maybe the headroom is warranted?