Re: Am I missing something?

John,

The flashcut system price reflects its windows operating system
compatibility. When Flashcut first came out, it was the only "low-
cost" CNC which ran from Windows. It did this by using an embedded
controller(small computer, contained in the step generator box) and
serial communication.

So, the real question you need to ask, IMO, is if you feel the
Flashcut SOFTWARE is worth paying a "premium" over other choices
available. There are now at least two (and microkinetics has
announced a third) windows based cnc systems (Master5 and KellyCam).

The hardware portion of the job will be similar in all cases. No, you
don't need (or even want, IMO) 80V Gecko drives for what you have
described. The Gecko is a good choice, but as Doug? mentioned, it is
either "deluxe" or "overkill" depending how you look at it. You CAN
save money using other drivers (for this intended use).

I'd stack it up this way:

1-Sherline mill (get the sherline CNC mounts! They are very good!)
3-2A,40V drivers (probably l297/298 based. several sources $50-
90/axis)
3-size 23 steppers. Mills have been run with 65 oz/in. motors (5
bucks surplus); but 125 oz/in. and up is std. currently. $25-
150/axis
1-power supply. suggest 30-36volts, 5 to 8 amps. again, several
sources. plan to spend about 60 to 100 bucks here.

Misc: Cables/limit switches. This will take time and money, and is
part of the pricing with Flashcut and others. This part is easily
overlooked by the "roll-your-own" CNC beginner. Take a look at how
many questions and answers on this forum relate to cables/switches/
interconnects/etc. and you'll see that this is a big part of what you
pay for when buying an assembled or "complete" system!

At this point you have a CNC "capable" setup. You could use a 555
timer pulse generator to use the mill in "power-feed" mode. There
is/was a thread on this subject recently. be sure to take a look.

Now you decide whether to use the flashcut s/w and step generator or
not. The flashcut software is very well laid out, IMO, and is an
excellent choice. They had problems with top speed limits, and
constant vector velocity (contouring) but have made recent changes to
address these issues.

If you choose to go the Master5 route (pun intended, since it was
originally written for a wood router), you will be limited to about
8000 steps per second, which will limit your sherline mill to 60 or
120IPM (Inches Per Minute. Most sherline cnc is run 1/2 step, for
8000 SPI; Steps Per Inch) The highest speed I've heard for a sherline
CNC setup was 75IPM, and that was a servo machine. So, add 100 bucks,
and you are done. And you still use windows!

I don't know about the microkinetics windows system yet. They are
online, but there were reports of a virus attaching to emails sent by
them. I'd call, and ask.

Now we get to the world outside of windows. Here you have two
directions to choose; Linux (with the EMC controller) or DOS (MANY
choices).

The EMC BDI (Enhanced Machine Controller Brain Dead Install) seems to
be working well for many people, and it will only get better, as
Fred, Paul and others work hard to squash bugs and get the info out.
It is an industrial "type" control, but lacks some of the commercial
controls' bells and whistles. But keep in mind that as it gains
users, these areas will likely be addressed and improved.

DOS. Too many to really list them all, and suggestions are throughout
this list in the past messages. MaxNC and CncPRO are inexpensive,
TurboCNC is free. AhHa! is a true industrial control in software, but
at a higher price. Each has good and bad points, which bring us back
full-circle. The ultimate determination of which is best will be
based on your usage. All of them are "worth the money", IMO.

Finally, it takes a LOT of work and time to DEVELOP and MAINTAIN
(including tech support) a CNC control product. It really is okay for
Flashcut (and others) to include some profit for themselves, don't
you think?

Hope this helps.

Ballendo

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., <info.host@b...> wrote:
>Thanks for all the replies so far. The mounts do not come with the
>Sherline but are something like $180; the ones from FlashCut, that
>are hollow so you can see through them, are $200 or so. If I was
>driving the steppers through a DOS program then I would not need a
>signal generator? And I'd be looking for an 80v @ 8amp power supply
>to drive four steppers?
>
> Thanks again,
> John H.