Choosing controller and motors

[kaar3l]

Hello

I have been looking to buy something a long time, but haven't decided yet.
I think that 4 axis would be a good idea. That I wouldn't need to upgrade whole system if i want to go from 3 axis to 4 axis.

I have been looking these packages:
Probotix - Seems to be okay and full kit
4-Axis SideStep CNC Stepper Motor Driver Kit -
Hobbycnc - Soldering is not an issue, but is it good :S
HobbyCNC PRO Driver Board Packages | HobbyCNC
TB6560 - Looking these threads with problems I think these are not good.
4 Axis TB6560 Driver+NEMA23 Stepper Motor 1.3Nm CNC Kit | eBay
Linistepper - have seen some good things about it
PIC Linear Stepper Motor Controller

I don't know witch one to choose? Maybe you more experineced guys can help.

[scanboy]

I want to know also.

[James Newton]

I sell and support the Linistepper so I won't comment on it, but PLEASE before you think about buying that TB6560 crap, do search CNCZone and read the threads from people who have purchased it and are trying to fix, repair, or generally get them to work? It breaks my heart to see people taken in by the low price and inflated promises made by these Hong Kong and Chinese junk peddlers.

Ok, I lied... I'll say this about the Linistepper: If you fry the drive transistors (and it's easy to fry just about any drive; a motor wire comes loose while running and... ) it only costs $6 to replace every transistor on the board, and you know you can do it, because you soldered them on there in the first place. Look at what it takes to repair one of those TB6560 boards. And do you really think they have any warranty past the 7 day ebay return policy?

Personally, I don't think multi axis boards are a good idea at all... you are putting all your eggs in one basket. If you fry one driver on that board, you may just take the rest with it. Better to have individual drivers that are easy to replace or repair. Also, it's often the case that one axis needs more juice than the rest. On an XY table, the lower axis (the one running the other axis back and forth) needs more drive. When you find that one axis is under-powered, having individual drivers means you can replace one with a higher current driver. For example, you can replace a Linistepper with a SLAm or any other PMinMO compatible driver. And if you want to see how big a machine you can move with a SLAm, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9th4eNk50M&list=PL6F253B11C16E5AC3&index=7]First longboard on my cnc machine ~ Deck rough cut - YouTube

I would also suggest that you select the drivers according to the load you are actually going to move, rather than buying the controllers first and then finding out they aren't enough (or are too much) for the machine you want to build. There is a little calculator, based on a rule of thumb from GeckoDrive.com (very respected) which will help you find the right size drive system for your machine at:
techref.massmind.org/techref/io/steppers.htm#Estimating

And speaking of GeckoDrive, you should add them to the list. Their smaller drivers may be in your price range and they really do take care of their customers. Warranty is 60 days (if I remember correctly) vs 7 for the TB6560.

As to motors, I keep a list of good motors for small systems at:
techref.massmind.org/techref/io/stepper/linistep/motors.htm including some which can be found in old office equipment and laser printers so if you are willing to scrounge around the office equipment or computer repair places in our area, you might get some nice motors for $0 and a bit of your time. I'm running a nice big one I got from a dead Laserjet II that was 6 blocks from my house at a computer repair shop... totally free, just had to lug it home, bust it open and toss the rest.