G203 with the extra money?

[bryanrabb]

Are the G203 geckos worth the extra money? Should I go up to the 210 or 212? Can you adjust the steps on geckos? 1/4, 1/2, etc.?

[ger21]

Originally Posted by bryanrabb Are the G203 geckos worth the extra money?

depends on if you need the extra protection features they offer.

THe 210 and 212 have a pulse multiplier, which will let you adjust the microstepping. You probably don't need them.

[bryanrabb]

Ger,
Now that i have your attention, may I ask a few questions. I am running the following:
X3 CNC Fusion Ballscrew kit
x & y axis - 495oz steppers series wired 3.6v 3.0a
Z - 640oz 4.5v 3.2a
3 - Gecko 201
Power Supply - Big Question Mark here. I still have the little xylotex 24v 5a. I guess this would run them, but I imagine that it would be minimum performance.

Could you suggest a power supply suitable for this set up? What kind of speed should I expect with this cutting AL?

[ger21]

60-70V, 10a.

Don't work with metal, so can't help you there.

[project5k]

i called gecko, and spoke with a really nice guy that helped me to understand this powersupply issue, as i'm currently pondering it myself... my suggestion would be to call them and ask to speak with one of the engineers, really smart people, and just explain that your not sure.. he will go into trying it with around 24v, doing some math, and then deviding that into what kinds of rapid speeds that you are looking for, and that will then give you the x factor to multiply the 24v by to get your ideal voltage.. also, you dont need as much amperage as you might think.. with the 203's recirc abilities, it really saves your motors on over heating.. also, the higher the v you run, the hotter your motors will be, and yes this also means even when thier sitting still... we figured out with my motors, screws, and 203v's that i only need something in the range of 30-36v to get solid reliable 60+ ipm rapids... really, how fast do you need to go, and what price( in motor heating and dollars for a powersupply) are you willing to spend?

[project5k]

just a follow up, not trying to resurrect a thread, but i thought it would be an interesting note.. i tried yesterday for the first time to move an axis under cnc, and was able to get 200+IPM rapids with 24V.. boy was i impressed!

i actually got it to set up to i think 270ipm and the machine would move, but it would also stall sometimes, even after slowing the accel down.. and would definately stall if i pushed on it very much by hand..

i tried to set it higher than 270, but mach would revert to the 270 setting, i guess thats hitting the max amount of steps per second having 10k steps per inch...

[bryanrabb]

I will be moving mine tonight. I have the fusion kit fully installed, steppers wired up, and still finishing up the control box. I have cnc4pc card and step dir board. I bought a 78v psu from Kelling. It seems to be pretty stable. I will let you know how or if it works.