candcnc package or other??

[2fst4u]

CandCnc package or from lowcostretrofits with a THC added, oh, I'm building a 6' x 13' 6" plasma table

The plasma package that brings it all together:

• MP1000-THC Interface and Torch Height Control with all external cards
  • Table I/O with 30A relay and 10A Relay
  • THC Sensor card with Torch Relay and Tip Volts divider
  • Arc Good sense transformer
  • All external cables (DB25 and DB 9) for PC to MP1000 and MP1000 to external Cards (and PSC650)
  • 2nd parallel port card
• License for MACH3 Controller Software
• Complete PSC-650 68V 10A Power Supply and Controller
• External power components (Power Cord, panel fuse holder, etc)
• 3 Gecko 320 Servo Drives (or sub 3 Gecko 201 stepper drives) mounted and tested.
• 22 page manual for PSC650 and 46 page manual for MP1000-THC
• Support CD with autoinstall and custom screens for THC
• Sample CD with 10 complete quality DXF art files and demo version CandCNC exclusive DXFTool for perfect DXF's from CorelDraw (ver 12 or higher)
• Unit completely assembled and tested together. Actual servo/stepper motors used for testing
• Free support

$1499 Package Deal

or from lowcostcncretrofits.com

	3 Axis Plasma / Router (Package Deal 014) **3 Axis Motion controller with 2 internal opto relays** **NEW!! RAPID 48vdc / 700w Tolroid Coil Power Supply 120 or 220vac** **Jog Pendant Remote NEW!! (Ver.2a)** **2 / MAE 1080oz.in Stepper Motors including pre-wired leads** **1 / 23 NEMA 270oz.in Stepper Motors including pre-wired leads** **Quickstart CDRom DEMO Programs and Accesories** Tech Info on stepper motors. Torque Conversion Chart More Info......... Pictures of Previous Customers setup (Back to Menu)
1899US (Plus Shipping) USA and Canada shipping charges are 5%International shipping is charges are 10% NO EXCEPTIONS					ON SALE!!! $2099US (Plus Shipping) USA and Canada shipping charges are 5%International shipping is charges are 10% NO EXCEPTIONS

Then I would add a torch height control such as this for $360.00 to the above system.

1. The meter panel now comes in two options. The box option on the left is the latest option. This option has the logic board mounted inside a box for easy mounting. The original meter panel is designed for customers that want to build a custom control box. 2. A small PCB holds the LED indicators, 16pin header and solders points for the meter and adjustment pots. 3. Torch ON indicates the tip voltage is turned on via Mach2. 4. Arc Good indicates an Arc Good signal. 5. UP indicates the head is moving up. 6. Down. Indicates the head is moving down. 7. Fault indicates the tip voltage is out of range, too high or too low. 8. Mounts on a small front panel approximately 5” by 6”. It is connected to the Logic PCB via a 16pin header. The meter wiring, and the tip voltage adjustment wires are brought out to solder points for easy attachment to a digital meter and to coarse, and fine adjustment pots. "Creative people inspire the rest" © 2005 Bob Campbell Designs Last updated on 3/5/06

What system would you go with?
Thanks for any input!

[ger21]

Looks like neither is a complete package. The CandCNC package doesn't incluse steppers or servos. The Lowcost package doesn't include MaThe Cambell THC is made by och3 or THC.

Both the Campbell and CandCNC THC are made by Jim Cullins, who is part of CandCNC.

[2fst4u]

I realize that they are not complete, but I was just curious as to peoples opinions about either system. Once you add steppers to the candcnc system they will be pretty close in price. I like the idea of the remote pendant on the lowcost system. Can I use the cambell THC on the lowcost system without having to rewire? I'm looking for a plug and play system. The mechanical part of it is not a problem, just a little unsure about the electronics part of it.

[Torchhead]

The choice of motors is driven (to an extent) by the drive train and possible gearing as well as the target usage (plasma, router, or both). We don't include motors because one type of motor is not the best solution for all applications. I get lots of questions about "what motors should I buy/use" and it takes some more questons to make a valid recommendation.

Minor point but for the sake of accuracy:

The Campbell THC300 and the MP1000-THC are both based on my original design of a low cost THC in conjunction with Art and MACH. Jim and I have worked on numerous designs and we share a lot of ideas, code and solid friendship and mutual respect. He is a partner in CandCNC but we both continue to work independantly on many projects. It's complex but it works for us (:-)

The THC300 is a port 2 unit and needs an added breakout on port1 for motor driving and Home/Limit and aux relay outputs. The MP1000-THC is designed to be a complete interface system and has satellite cards for the inputs and three aux relays (besides the Torch relay). The Mp1000-THC is presettable so you can set tip volts BEFORE you start the cut and you can change the tip volt settings from the front panel OR from MACH THC screen (we furnish)

The package deal with our new PSC650 power supply and the integrated Gecko drives address ALL of the electronics up to the motors. Servo or steppers, big or small.

I appreciate the link but I did not have anything to do with the post. I'll be glad to answer any technical questions here or the poster is welcome to join our CandCNCSupport group on yahoo.

Also there is a comparison speadsheet in the CandCNC.com website that may help on the THC specific features combined with MACH3 and SheetCAM as solution.

[2fst4u]

So what would you recommend for motors and drive system for a 6' x 13'6" table size?
I want to be able to cut a maximum 6' x 12' sheet. I will be using plasma for up to 5/8" and oxy/accet. for any thing over that. I want the extra 18" on the end so I can move the gantry all the way out of the way for loading sheets.
I was thinking of using rack and pinion on the x and y axis and ballscrew for the z axis. I was going to use one stepper motor, 1000 oz/in or so, on each side of the gantry. A 1000 oz/in for the y axis and a 400 oz/in on the z axis. Any thoughts???

[Torchhead]

The choice of motor is the same for 4' long machine as a 20' machine. It's about the mass of the gantry and how fast you want to move it. Plasma needs cutting speeds of up to 300IPM on thin material. If you want faster rapids than that, you have to plan that into the design. Rack and pinion actually multiples the speed, so directly coupling motors can result in some impressive speeds but some torque problems at those speeds. Since plasma and oxy/acc don't have cutting forces to contend with you just want to be able to have enough acceleration to do sharp corners. I think the 640 oz-in steppers would handle the job well if you gear them down about 3:1 with rack and pinion. Depending on the pinion pitch you can get 500 IPM easy with the steppers. If you really want reserve power the larger 1000 oz-in motors are there for you.

A good spot to pick up new motors is www.HomeShopCNC.com

When doing the comparison remember that our package deal includes the MACH3 software license and support files for MACH3 for both plasma and router setups.

The challenge is to design a system that has good resolution and will run at both slow and fast speeds for plasma and oxy/acc which is done MUCH slower than plasma. That is one reason you want to get the gearing right so you don't get jerky movement on really low speeds.

If you are think about direct drive (no belt reduction) think about this:

With a 1" DP pinion it moves 3.14 inches per rev. If you rotate the steppers at say 700 RPM (average top end speed for steppers) you will be moving the gantry at greater than 2000 IPM (33 inches per second). I find rapids over 500 IPM to be scary.

The Z can be ballscrew or even an acme leadscrew with zero backlash nut. The weight is always down and there is no upward cutting force. The THC will compensate for any backlash while cutting.

Lastly we have a 5 function handwheel/pendant (MPG-01) now for the MP1000 series and will have a 32 function (without the handwheel) out in about 4 weeks. Both plug into the front of the MP1000 box. Our pendants are direct calls to MACH3 functions and fully configurable (i.e. they are not keyboard substitutes).

[dgalaxy]

Cant go wrong with candcnc , awsome tech support and products what more do you want

[2fst4u]

I'm going to go with the candcnc system, but what is the difference between the gecko 201 and 202's?
I would like to use the belt and pulley gear reduction much like torchmate does.
Sorry for all the questions. I just don't want to buy the motors and then regret my purchase 3 months down the road. I want to build the best system I can because it WILL be used for business. I would like it to be as accurate as plasma will allow.

[Torchhead]

The Gecko 202 is a 201 with an "attitude". It has safety features built in that make it more resistant to the common actions that kill drives.

The biggest destroyer of drives is overvoltage or the shorting of the output signals. The overvoltage thing is covered by our PSC650 since it has an automatic load clamp/shutdown for surges over 75VDC.

The 202 would allow the outputs to be connected/disconnect or shorted without doing more than blown an internal fuse. As far as function there is no difference. With the 202 you are buying some extra insurance against possible failures. The other alternative is to buy a spare 201. It's 80 bucks more for 4 202's and 114 for a spare drive.

The 202 footprint is slightly larger than the 201 but our unit is laid out to take up to 4 of either.

[2fst4u]

If I'm running 2 x axis motors do I just run a Y off of one gecko to run the 2 motors. If so how large of a motor can I run?
I'm leaning toward,

2- 640 oz/in for the x axis
1- 640 oz/in. for the y axis
1- 260 oz/in. for the z axis.

[dgalaxy]

im not sure but i think most people slave the a axis to the x axis this way also when you home you can get your gantry straight all the time

[jcc3inc]

Sir,

A few years ago I designed an auto THC for our commercial machines. Among the features it has were Intial Height Set, Arc voltage set and digital display, Retract Height Set, and Manual up/down. We felt that we needed initial height set to pierce with min splashback affecting the tip life. The leadin was always long enough so that the auto height got the torch height settled down before cutting the piece part. We varied retract height so that we could avoid tip-ups when they happened.

I feel that these features are VERY desireable.

Regards,
Jack C.

PS I forgot to mention that the salient feature of our THC was the Initial Height Sensing; at the pierce point, the torch descended until it touched the workpiece, then retracted to the pierce height point.