HobbyCNC PRO Chopper Driver Board Kit Q's

[Jesse B]

I'm considering ordering this kit. For the price, it seems pretty good.

However, there seem to be very mixed reviews about this kit; many say it's wonderful, the perfect DIY kit, while others say it's trash, etc. I'm looking for some input on this section.

Another thing I'm worried about is the single-board setup. It seems like it could make life difficult if repairs were needed. The 4-Axis controller board from www.PMinMO.com seems like a good choice if I were to go with a modular approach, so I'll also accept suggestions for drivers, be they pre-built, kits, or DIY projects. I don't need more than about 1.5A/phase, and microstepping would be nice. Cost is also an important factor, so bang-for-buck drivers would be appreciated.

Also this will be driving 6-wire motors, so it can be Uni- or Bi-polar

Thanks

[Jesse B]

Bump? Also what is the difference between the HobbyCNC PRO Chopper Driver Board Kit and the HobbyCNC EZ Driver Board Kit? There's a $15 difference in price, so what's the difference in hardware?

[Jay C]

What are you planning to run it with? I have a HobbyCNC Pro I don't use right now as it's out in the garage with the X2 it was bought to serve My biggest and really only complaint with any chopper is the noise during setup/jogging. The hissing/squeals. Other than that, it's a fine kit for the price. In fact it's my second because somehow I managed to blow something up on my first one, and repairing it was not really an option.

To answer your question, the difference between the EZ and Pro is the right on the front page. "The EZ doesn't have the idle current reduction". Means you motors aren't small space heaters when they aren't being driven.

Before you buy, have a look at the probotix.com kit as well as the G540 from Gecko. $300 I know, but it's rock solid. I use the G251's that are used in the G540.

FWIW,
Jay

[AlienSteve]

Originally Posted by Jesse B I'm considering ordering this kit. For the price, it seems pretty good. However, there seem to be very mixed reviews about this kit; many say it's wonderful, the perfect DIY kit, while others say it's trash, etc. I'm looking for some input on this section.

From what I've observed, those who hate it had problems assembling it and would likely have problems with any kit.

I bought the non-Pro kit for myself and got it partly assembled before life got interesting (business closed, back to school). Then in school, I started a club called The Makers Club "We make things that make other things", and we're building a CNC router and we chose the HobbyCNC Pro board for it. We recently finished assembling the board and have been running it on some steppers not attached to a machine yet.

It went together easily, especially if you follow the instructions step-by-step and don't skip anything, especially when they tell you to stop and test the board. You should know that I have been an ET for over 20 years and have been soldering for quite a bit longer than that, and recently easily passed a hands-on soldering course.

Another thing I'm worried about is the single-board setup. It seems like it could make life difficult if repairs were needed. The 4-Axis controller board from www.PMinMO.com seems like a good choice if I were to go with a modular approach, so I'll also accept suggestions for drivers, be they pre-built, kits, or DIY projects. I don't need more than about 1.5A/phase, and microstepping would be nice. Cost is also an important factor, so bang-for-buck drivers would be appreciated.

The price will be higher. My personal funds and those of The Makers Club are very limited, so bang-for-the-buck is very important. I found that I could not build a cheaper driver even if I made the PCBs myself.

[Fatboy]

I went with the HobbyCNC Pro board and the 305 motors for my first router and then also used them on the second.
The board was easy to assemble and has been reliable and the more cost effective than others that I researched. I have not used a BOB on my routers and I like that everything is on one pcb instead of a seperate pcb for each axis that are wired together. I also bought the 4th axis components after the fact and soldered them in place for future use on an A axis.

Fatboy

[Fatboy]

I went with the HobbyCNC Pro board and the 305 motors for my first router and then also used them on the second.
The board was easy to assemble and has been reliable and the more cost effective than others that I researched. I have not used a BOB on my routers and I like that everything is on one pcb instead of a seperate pcb for each axis that are wired together. I also bought the 4th axis components after the fact and soldered them in place for future use on an A axis.

Fatboy

[sm11963]

Hopefully someone is still around to see this post but I have a question about the board and driver chips. Mine is assembled and passed the test. Im just wondering how hot the chips are supposed to become when just "idling the motors". When I plug it in with a motor attached the chips become burning hot. The motors respond to commands and make noises as I believe they should just the drivers become extremely hot even with a heatsink

[pminmo]

Originally Posted by sm11963 Hopefully someone is still around to see this post but I have a question about the board and driver chips. Mine is assembled and passed the test. Im just wondering how hot the chips are supposed to become when just "idling the motors". When I plug it in with a motor attached the chips become burning hot. The motors respond to commands and make noises as I believe they should just the drivers become extremely hot even with a heatsink

The SLA's will get hot if you don't have large enough heatsink, and if you don't use thermal grease, and you don't have airflow.

If the heatsink is still a piece of angle aluminum and you have high current motors, get better heatsink material.

Last, your definition of hot and what is acceptable to electronics maybe different. 185F is the chip maximum, but I wouldn't advise going that hot. A temperature rise is to be expected, but I don't like to run power devices above 125-130F.

[sm11963]

Thanks for the quick reply,

Heres whats going on, I dont have airflow at the moment, but I do have a 3/4" aluminum angle with fresh thermal grease the length of the board. The motors I have are 3amp per coil, the max of the board but I wouldn't think that should be a problem. Is it possible that the SLA's get hotter without the motors moving because I just plugged the stuff in for a few minutes with the motors just sitting on my table. I think It got hotter than 125-130F, it would burn on touch.

As for a better heatsink, could I still make if from aluminum angle, just cut slots and holes in it for increased surface area, or do you mean a entirely new metal, and what do you recommend?

Sorry for all the questions these kind of motors and circuits are new to me.

[pminmo]

Stationary motors will heat the sla's more than when they are moving. You need 4 or 5 times the surface area you get with 3/4" angle and moving air with 3A motors.

[sm11963]

Cool I just used the driver to move the actual x axis and It did seem to stay cooler during use, and I plan to make a heat sink with 2" angle, cut and drilled to add surface area. Also I just ordered a 24volt fan to hook up to the board.

Thanks for all the help and I'll be sure to come back to this forum.