Need Help!- G320's or G340's?? Which One to Buy?

[Adamj12b]

I am in the process of retrofitting a knee mill with servos and am not sure what servo drive I should buy. I am using 1024 line encoders. My motors unloaded turn at 1150 RPM and I am running 42 VDC. What is confusing me is if I will need the step multiplier or not. If there is a chance that I will need the multiplier I would like to buy it with the three drives and save a little bit of money, time, and hassle. What should I buy? -Adam

[springlakecnc]

My 2 cents worth:

Using my old 486 computer and gecko 320 drives, and 200 line encoders, 5 motor turns (five) per inch, I can rapid traverse at 26 inches per minuet. (Limited by the computer’s speed)

Using my old 486, I put in Gecko 340’drives, 200 line encoders, 5 motor turns (five) per inch, and multiplied times 10, I don’t know how fast it would go, I set it at 80 inches per minuet, and it was as fast as I wanted to go. Sooner or later your motors max rpm will limit you.

Using my old Pentium 200 megahertz computer, with the Gecko 320’s and 200 line encoders, 10 motor turns (Ten) per inch, it will go about 55 inches per minuet.

Using my Pentium 200 with 250 line encoders, and Gecko 320’s, 10 motor turns (Ten) per inch, it will go 45 inches per minuet.

Keep in mind, you have 5 times the lines as i do, so when you compare the values above, you would go 5 times slower than i do.

I have used 500 and 1,000 and 2,000 line encoders, with other brand drives, but always used the times 10 multiplier.

I don’t know if you are turning 5 or 10 turns per inch, or some odd metric value, but you have way more encoder lines than I do, in your encoder. Whatever you do, you should be WAY good on resolution.

Ok, u have 1024 lines x quad = 4,096 x 10? Turns per inch = 40,960 counts per inch, that could position a cnc jig grinder! you do know you have to send 40,960 pulses, per inch, to the drives somehow, to match your encoder counts, thats why i tend to use lower count encoders.

Sure, I have way better computers, I’m typing on one of them right now. I do have the Mach2 software, but I use Mastercam to program with, and I just want to dump a program into my machine, set datum zero’s and hit cycle start, so I use Yeager cnc pro, I bought way back in the cave man days, PLUS I’m a cheapskate, so I want to use my old computers to run my mill, and my new Windows Vista machines to surf porn!

My guess is that you would want the 340’s

Good Luck,
Buck Case
Spring Lake cnc

[springlakecnc]

HOLD ON, ONE MORE THING!!!!
1024 line encoders? I don't think they are US Digitals! check the amp draw on your encoders, you may need to go to the exterior 5 volt power source. Check it out! It explains it in Geckos manual.

Good Luck,
Buck