Looking for opinions on Taig mill, linistepper or SLAm

[davek2]

I'm looking for some opinions on driving a Taig mill.

A few years back I had a Taig mill running with a HobbyCNC 4 axis kit with the HobbyCNC 205oz-in motors with a 42v power supply.

Using TurboCNC this setup performed well enough for me for hobby purposes. It was nice because it would do high acceleration and 60 ipm, which makes playing about in wax and foam and engraving in plastic really quick.

This time around I'll probably be adding plastic extrusion like the RepRap/MakerBot. I thought I'd try setting the machine up to have both the regular spindle and a MakerBot Plastruder MK5 plastic extruder, with the idea to build up parts with the extruder, then use use and end mill to fix up the lousy tolerances or drill holes or whatever. This usage won't be particularly demanding in any respect.

I don't often cut anything harder than 7075, and most of the time I'm cutting wax and foam, or doing engraving/pen-plotting, so I suppose my requirements are to be able to get good acceleration into ~60 ipm transits (X and Y, Z is heavier and slower), while also handling some light work in 7075.

I'll be using a Taig mill again, but I'm thinking about doing a different driver. I found the linistepper which looks like it would be interesting to use (I've only used chopper type drivers before), but I'm not sure how it would perform relative to the HobbyCNC board I had (which I suppose would be about the same as the SLAm driver).

I was figuring on using the HobbyCNC steppers again ( 285oz-in bipolar rating, 205oz-in unipolar rating. 3v, 3A, 200 S/R, 2.2mH, Size #23 ), but I'm not particularly set on them, they are just what I'm familiar with.

Can anyone offer opinions on how the linistepper would perform with that stepper? I was thinking I might run it with a 12v ATX PSU. How might I expect the machine to act with this configuration, relative to the SLAm driver with a higher voltage power supply?

thanks!

[James Newton]

Not sure why you would run the Linistepper at a lower voltage than the SLAm...

Either would do better with higher voltage.

3Amps per phase is a bit much for the Linstepper. The SLAm should be happy with that.

I'm avoiding further comment since I sell the things...

Actually, I'll make an offer: If you buy one of each, and want to swap out, return either in working condition and I'll send you the other. I'll loose a bit if you go Linistepper to SLAm, but no worries...

[davek2]

Originally Posted by James Newton Not sure why you would run the Linistepper at a lower voltage than the SLAm... Either would do better with higher voltage.

Sorry, I wasn't clear; this new machine will probably initially run at 12v regardless of the driver. I'm trying to keep costs down by using as much of what I've got on hand as I can. I've also got a nice 36v supply, but that seemed like it might be a lot for running the Linisteppers.

My immediate interest is in using the machine to print plastic parts, and the 12v supply will work fine for that. I can get some experience with the machine and Linistepper in that configuration, then I can switch up to a higher voltage and see how that works.

3Amps per phase is a bit much for the Linstepper. The SLAm should be happy with that.

I could run them at 2A and see how I like it. I don't have any hard performance requirements, and a central part of the point of the whole exercise is to have fun fiddling with the machine and electronics, so changing thins around certainly is not a problem.

I'm avoiding further comment since I sell the things... Actually, I'll make an offer: If you buy one of each, and want to swap out, return either in working condition and I'll send you the other. I'll loose a bit if you go Linistepper to SLAm, but no worries...

Excellent deal, thanks, I'll do that.

[James Newton]

I enjoy the spirit of experimentation!

I'll make you another offer: If you still have that Hobby CNC kit, and you post a "head to head" comparison between it and the Linistepper or the SLAm, no matter the outcome, I'll refund the price of one of the kits.

[davek2]

Very generous! Unfortunately I sold the HobbyCNC board with the last mill.

However, I already know that I like the HobbyCNC board, and I intend to build two sets of electronics (one for the Taig, one for the RepRap), and I'm ordering motors from HobbyCNC anyway. I could get a new HobbyCNC 3 axis board too and post a detailed build and comparison with the Linisteppers.

That would work out pretty good for me, it would be a lot of fun, and no matter how the comparison comes out I'm sure to have drivers suitable for each machine.