Brand spankin new to this stuff.

[enephs]

Alrighty, well for starters im basically going to be using the JGRO plans to build a cnc router table. I shouldnt have to much trouble building the table but I have some questions about the electronics. Im planning on buying the 3 Axis HCNCPRO Kit + (3) 127oz-in, 3.6v, 2A, Dual Shaft Steppers from http://www.hobbycnc.com/hcncpro.php. (BTW if anyone knows of a better deal or somthing better for a beginner PLEASE let me know. I Just paid for fall semester so im very tight on cash.) Well here are my questions.

1)Will I need to buy a power supply, computer connections and other electronic equiptment with that purchase?

2)If parts are needed can I get them at my local fry's electronics?

3)Are there any guides to help me assemble the electronics once I have built the JGRO table? I will have no problem building the table from the plans but Im not going to know how to assemble all the electronic components then make them work with the machine.

[ger21]

Spend the extra $30 and get the 200 oz-in motors.

1) Yes you'll need a 24V to 40V, ~10 amp power supply, and a prallel port cable. The cable must have all the wires straight through. A lot of the ones you see at places like Best Buy won't work. But their only about $10. If you want, you can also hook up home and limit switches.

2) Never ben to Fry's( don't have them here), but you really shouldn't need anything else.

3) All you should need are the HobbyCNC instructions. it's really not that difficult. If your not sure about something, just ask here.

[planescott]

I think you do need a power supply. The size you need shouldn't be very expensive. I think they have a link on the cnchobby site shows how to modify a computer powersupply for what you need.

You do need software to run the machine also.

Scott

[enephs]

alright, is there any freeware out there for cnc'ing? Also, what kind of difference can I expect between the 127oz and 200oz steppers? Perhaps Ill just go with the cnc kit so I get the power supply and fan and all that stuff with it.

[ger21]

Mach3 machine controller is free with a limit of 1000 lines of g-code. It comes with a simple CAM program called lazyCAM. www.machsupport.com You can download the free A9CAD from www.a9tech.com

Draw you parts with CAD, import a .dxf file into LazyCAM, which will export g-code to Mach3.

[enephs]

Another question. Lets say I go against the grain and create my own table thats 30" x 60". How will I tell the computer how big its cutting surface is. Also how will it know how long to turn the motors to move an inch and so on. Is there a great deal of calibration?

[jdell42]

You would be well served just getting the Hobby CNC kit and purchasing the recommended Transormer and Case. It will run you around $250 when all is said and done. It eliminates a lot of the questions since it is complete.

I am new to this and just completed the kit. It is pretty straight forward and the elextronics can be up and running in a few nights.

[ger21]

Originally Posted by enephs Another question. Lets say I go against the grain and create my own table thats 30" x 60". How will I tell the computer how big its cutting surface is. Also how will it know how long to turn the motors to move an inch and so on. Is there a great deal of calibration?

You calculate how many steps it takes your machine to move an axis 1 inch, and enter that information into the software. Then, when you command it to move, say 10 inches, it knows.

You don't necessarily tell the software how big the machine is. But it is possible to crash the machine, or run it to the end of it's travel. That's what limit switches are for, to stop the machine from crashing when it reaches the end of the travel. Some software lets you set "soft" limits, or software limits, where you do tell the software how big the machine is, and thesoftware stops the machine when it gets to the user specified limits.