Driver board

[Stevetotheo]

Im looking to buy a 4 axis stepper driver board to run a CNC that Im building. I need to get the board and power supply together if possible or at least be able to get a power supply somewhere. Im looking for something in the range of 250 to 350 bucks so let me know what advise you guys have.

The gecko driver looks nice but I figured Id ask the pros before I bought anything.

Thanks in advance
Steve

[doorknob]

It would be helpful if you could describe the CNC machine that you are building in more detail - dimensions, motors you plan to use, material that you are using to build the machine, materials that you plan to cut, how you intend to translate the rotary motion of the motors into linear motion, and the like.

[Stevetotheo]

The table will be around 2' by 3' made of mdf
Nema 23 175 oz or better motors
Used to cut anything from soft plastics to metals if possible
Using lead screws for motion translation but could be a belt and gear system I've seen on some tables at buildyourcnc.com.

Most of these specifications are flexible so any suggestions are welcome. The table is already built but I figured once it was up and running I would start on version 2 with any improvements I came up with.

Thanks again
Steve

[doorknob]

There are a lot of people on this board who are using the Gecko G540 for that class of machine. The stepper motors that are commonly chosen for use with the G540 are frequently a bit beefier at perhaps 290 oz in. or 380 oz in., but the ones that you are thinking of using may be OK too if others are successfully using them on similarly sized machines. You can find the G540 for about $250 plus shipping on eBay and elsewhere.

The best power supply rating to use would depend on the specifications of the stepper motors that you are going to use, as well as being within the maximum voltage rating of the G540. Some people swear by unregulated supplies while others use regulated ones. Common power supplies used in such systems might include the Keling KL-350-48 48V/7.3A at $49.95 or the unregulated KL- 4875 with similar capacity for $99.99. The voltage is chosen based on the rated inductance of the stepper motor winding, and the current capacity is chosen based on adding up all of the motor current ratings, and then selecting a lower capacity based on the expectation that not all motors will be drawing peak current at the same moment.

[Stevetotheo]

Hey would this combo be ok?

Driver plus motors
4 Axis TB6560 Driver+NEMA23 Stepper Motor 1.9Nm CNC Kit - eBay (item 300404904517 end time Apr-03-11 02:10:51 PDT)

Power supply
24V 15A DC Regulated Switching Power Supply CNC - eBay (item 280640306148 end time Apr-05-11 11:08:27 PDT)

263 oz NEMA 23 motors, a 24v 15a power supply, and 6560 driver.

Thanks in advance for helping with the research.

Steve

[ger21]

Those Chinese drives have a fraction of the power of the G540, and if you do a Google search for them here, you'll find many threads about blown boards.

[doorknob]

It would probably be suitable, with the proviso that some people have encountered problems with similar TB6560 boards, while others are satisfied with them - see the following thread for discussions and suggested fixes to those boards if you encounter problems:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/genera...y_chinese.html

[Stevetotheo]

So I should stay away from the chinese board. I would hate to spend the money on that setup and have to turn around and modify it or wish I had gotten something else. Anyone have positive experience with the 6560?

[antisubae]

I'll say that my TB6560, which is not currently mounted in a machine, works just fine - in as far as it spins motors under no load when commanded to do so.

Having worked with much nicer motion control equipment in the past, I'll also say that the TB6560 is cheap for a reason. It's poorly designed, poorly assembled, and without the extensive modifications you see in the thread linked above, it's pretty unsuitable for any real "production" use. I bought one because I needed a cheap controller to do some testing with, and it fills that role just fine...but I'll definitely be buying something better when the time comes to actually install electronics in my rig.

[TarHeelTom]

So I should stay away from the chinese board. I would hate to spend the money on that setup and have to turn around and modify it or wish I had gotten something else. Anyone have positive experience with the 6560?

I'm using Gecko 203V's (for a larger machine). Please go to the Gecko forum. The boss at Gecko is on the forum here almost every day, and actually speaks English. If you beat on the Geckos with a sledge hammer, he won't warranty it. Seems like almost nothing else hurts it.

I had a problem getting my machine to run, and called Gecko. He explained how to start troubleshooting, and had me running within 30 minutes.

You have to understand that the Gecko is a rugged devise, which has been well engineered and well built, and is well supported. I have on experience with the 6560, and don't want to. Why buy something that lots of other people are having trouble with?