New guy needs advice on drivers


Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: New guy needs advice on drivers

  1. #1
    Registered
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    29
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default New guy needs advice on drivers

    Hi. New here and fairly new to cnc. I'm building a 5ft x 9ft CNC router setup with four 420 oz-in 3.0 mH NEMA 23 Stepper Motor, 3/8" Shaft from cnc router parts and a 48v 12.5a power supply. I'm having a hard time deciding which driver I should use with these motors, gecko g540 or leadshine mx4660 or individual drivers per motor with a bob. Cost is a concern but if one is better then I don't mind spending more.

    TIA

    Similar Threads:


  2. #2
    Member Biggs427's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    285
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    The G540 accept have a max of 3.5A and if I'm not mistaken the 420oz motors from CNCRP are 4.2A.

    The MX4660 have a max of 6.0A.



  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    1943
    Downloads
    2
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    Quote Originally Posted by silvs View Post
    Hi. New here and fairly new to cnc. I'm building a 5ft x 9ft CNC router setup with four 420 oz-in 3.0 mH NEMA 23 Stepper Motor, 3/8" Shaft from cnc router parts and a 48v 12.5a power supply. I'm having a hard time deciding which driver I should use with these motors, gecko g540 or leadshine mx4660 or individual drivers per motor with a bob. Cost is a concern but if one is better then I don't mind spending more.

    TIA
    Except for the current requirements that Biggs427 pointed out, any of those options will work equally as well. I myself prefer individual drivers and a separate breakout board. My reasoning is that if an individual component goes bad I can simply replace that one component. When replacing I can use a different driver if I want or a different BOB. With the G540 or MX setup you are kind of stuck with replacing the drive with a replacement from that manufacturer. The individual drives in those setups can be replaced, but not just any drive will fit if a problem occurs. With individual drives and BOB you have more options if a replacement is necessary.

    You can get individual drives that are just as good as the ones contained in the G540 or MX setups and build a system that performs just as well, or maybe even better. Many people like the G540 and MX setups to reduce wiring, and I can't fault them on that because it does reduce the wiring needed. It is really up to you regarding how much benefit you see from that opposed to replacement flexibility.

    Another benefit that may not apply to you is the ability to mix and match drives on an individual setup. For example, many people use a larger Z-axis stepper on CNC'd milling machines due to the weight that has to be lifted. An individual setup allows using a more powerful drive on that axis and smaller drives on X and Y, which is not an option with the all-in-one.



  4. #4
    Registered
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    29
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    Quote Originally Posted by 109jb View Post
    Except for the current requirements that Biggs427 pointed out, any of those options will work equally as well. I myself prefer individual drivers and a separate breakout board. My reasoning is that if an individual component goes bad I can simply replace that one component. When replacing I can use a different driver if I want or a different BOB. With the G540 or MX setup you are kind of stuck with replacing the drive with a replacement from that manufacturer. The individual drives in those setups can be replaced, but not just any drive will fit if a problem occurs. With individual drives and BOB you have more options if a replacement is necessary.

    You can get individual drives that are just as good as the ones contained in the G540 or MX setups and build a system that performs just as well, or maybe even better. Many people like the G540 and MX setups to reduce wiring, and I can't fault them on that because it does reduce the wiring needed. It is really up to you regarding how much benefit you see from that opposed to replacement flexibility.

    Another benefit that may not apply to you is the ability to mix and match drives on an individual setup. For example, many people use a larger Z-axis stepper on CNC'd milling machines due to the weight that has to be lifted. An individual setup allows using a more powerful drive on that axis and smaller drives on X and Y, which is not an option with the all-in-one.
    Which individual drivers with Bob would you recommend? Hopefully in the same price range as the gecko g540.

    Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk



  5. #5
    Registered
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    29
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    Quote Originally Posted by Biggs427 View Post
    The G540 accept have a max of 3.5A and if I'm not mistaken the 420oz motors from CNCRP are 4.2A.

    The MX4660 have a max of 6.0A.
    That is correct. That one on my reasons I was looking at the mx4660. I'm hesitant on it due to lack of documentation and protection upgrades I may need to purchase like a surge protection.

    Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk



  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    1943
    Downloads
    2
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    The BOB can be pretty much any that offers the options you desire. Probably the most popular parallel port BOB is the C10 for about $30 LINK. You can get this one multiple places. As for drivers, you could go with individual leadshine drivers, or lower cost but still good import, or even with the gecko individual drivers. I have had good luck with the Keling/Automation technologies drivers and they are reasonably priced. I currently have the KL-6050 which are good to 60V and 5A at a cost of $40 each LINK . Automation Tech also sells a higher performance DSP based driver that is reportedly very very good LINK. The DSP based controllers offer a smoother operation with better mid-band resonance damping, but I don't have direct experience with this one though. Others have spoken highly of them.

    You can see their site here:

    Stepper Motor |CNC Router | Laser Machine | 3D Printers For Sale Stepper Motor | Stepper Motor Driver | CNC Router | Laser Machine | 3D Printers For Sale



  7. #7
    Registered James Newton's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    1397
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    You need one of my THB6064AH drivers. They are 200 watts, 4 amps, 50 volts, and have run machines so big they print houses out of cement.
    techref.massmind.org/Techref/io/stepper/THB6064/gallery.htm
    price is unbeatable... but it IS a kit and you have to learn to solder it together... of course, that also means that if you do manage to fry one, you can repair it yourself for under $10.

    James hosts the single best wiki page about motors for CNC hobbyists on the net:
    http://techref.massmind.org/techref/io/motors.htm Disagree? Tell him what's missing! ,o)


  8. #8
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    1943
    Downloads
    2
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    I haven't used them but James' kits would be a good inexpensive option if you are comfortable doing some soldering. His drives have a good reputation and are built on by all accounts a good chip.

    I would caution against using the TB6560 or TB6600 drivers. They are all over ebay and although very cheap at about $8 for a single axis drive, they are suspect on their design and quality. I have used both and I personally didn't have any problem, but the applications I used them for were not taxing and I was not trying to achieve stellar performance. The TB6600 I have do have design flaws, but I lucked out in that they can achieve the 3A that I need even with the design flaws, but this is a gamble.



  9. #9
    Registered
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    29
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    Thanks for all the comments. I've taken the gecko g540 off my list due to the 3.4a current limit. I'm deciding between the mx4660 or four KL-5056D DIGITAL BIPOLAR STEPPER. I'm not opposed to Jame's kit but I'm new to this and don't want to mess around with building drivers.

    Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk



  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    1943
    Downloads
    2
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    Be aware that Automation Tech sells 2 different driver with the 5056 designation.

    THIS is the DSP based drive that gives better performance but costs more.

    THIS is the lower cost drive that is not DSP based. It would still do a good job but the 5056D should give better performance.



  11. #11
    Registered
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    29
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    Thanks for letting me know. I am looking at the 5056D. Is a smoothstepper recommended to have or would it be overkill? Of course I want I accuracy but is it worth the additional cost if my desktop pc has a parallel port.

    Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk



  12. #12
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    1943
    Downloads
    2
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    Whether or not you need an external motion controller depends on what you expect from your machine, and to an extent on what type of machine you have. Since you are going witha large router you will likely want more speed than someone like myself that has a metal cutting milling machine. The router guys are probably better to ask as they will know the feeds speeds and build types, but I would think that a parallel port may be limiting on a large router.

    I would say that if you do some calculations and find that you can get by with a stepping rate of 45kHz or less that you may be able to use a PC and parallel port. I use LinuxCNC and it is rock solid and free. My milling machine runs at 200 IPM with 0.2" pitch ballscrews and about 30 kHz.

    Having said that, I personally would not go with a smoothstepper if you do need an external motion controller, there are several other possibilities out there and I would go with some of the others before a smoothstepper. I just think some of the others offer better value. I will say that I have no direct experience with any of these external motion controls. I have only used parallel port and GRBL on Arduino for step generation.

    UCNC - They have external motion controls that can work with Mach4 as well as their own software. Users on the CNCZone seem very happy and it is recommended a lot and is cheaper than a smoothstepper.

    LinuxCNC with Mesa card. This is what Tormach has gone to with their CNC Mills. With the mesa card you can get high step rates and the software is free and the card is about $90. This is a real good combination but is based on the Linux operating system. I use LinuxCNC with parallel port and had never used linux before. Setup with parallel port was easy. Not sure about with the Mesa card but there is a wizard for it and a forum for help. The Linux OS is now very windows like. The setup is from a live CD/DVD iso download, and you can run it from the CD/DVD to try it out. The setup is graphical and went without a hitch and worked from the get go.

    PlanetCNC - Software runs in windows and uses a microcontroller for step generation. Can get up to I think 200 kHz. Don't know a much about this one.

    Eding CNC - Again windows based software with external motion control. Don't know a much about this one.

    There are more, but those are the ones I have examined.



  13. #13
    Registered
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    29
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    Default Re: New guy needs advice on drivers

    So I've decided to go with kl-8056d drivers and a c10 BOB. I've set up my pc with linuxcnc. I was thinking of get the kl-db25-5 in case I go with a spindle in the future.

    Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk



Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


About CNCzone.com

    We are the largest and most active discussion forum for manufacturing industry. The site is 100% free to join and use, so join today!

Follow us on


Our Brands

New guy needs advice on drivers

New guy needs advice on drivers