Old questions, new member; new questions; item wanted; any interest in power xfmrs?

Hello:

I hope someday I can be a help to someone here, what with all the questions
I ask but not yet having a lot to contribute. Here are a few more.

1) Been reading about DRO project, but would would like to know if it still
exists. I would like to read more about it.

2) I jumped on the tail end of a thread about using a scope to determine
overvoltage for stepper drive. I never found out the procedure. I only
caught the peripheral discussions about everyones' scopes.

3) I understand the concept behind the more sophisticated stepper drivers
running overvoltage for improved speed and limiting current thru the drive
IC. What I am curious about is some discussion I have seen about motor power
being constant...allegedly running higher motor bus voltage reduces the
motor current requirement. I'm uncomfortable with this statement...I didn't
get alot of confidence in reading these comments that they were
factual...perhaps just 'street wisdom'. My gut feeling is that the
overvoltage with simple L/4R drive makes sense, but the additional voltage
drops across the additional R. Speedup is accomplished, but the motor still
runs 'normal' phase current.

With the so-called ''switching'-type driver (3717-3718-3770, LM182xx, L29x,
etc), I'm not sure whether the same basic physics apply, although it would
seem they have to, as the motor physics do not change with the drive method.
The motor still has L and R. What I'm babbling about here is leading up to a
desire to hear/read someone state whether HV drive circuits do result in
lower phase current. I want to use a microstepping controller kit
(apparently phase current is quite low during a number of states, but...)
with "apparently" inadequate current capability for "nominal" rated phase
current for bigger motors. If the street wisdom is true that HV drive allows
lower phase current, it might be possible to drive bigger motors with a
wimpier driver.

4 ) At the risk of repeating myself (I may have already asked once), I am
looking for a schematic for a bi/2-phase stepper driver that will work with
a microstepper front end (Ericsson PBM3960...apparently no second sources)
and current capability in excess of typical 1-2 A available from 3717, 3718
and 3770 family, and 3 A from LM 18200/245 family.) Dan Mauch (sp?) has a 5A
half-stepping 3-axis board which is not apples for apples what I'm lookign
for, yet might be instructive to learn from.

5) I missed out on Les Watts' (I just realized the electrical pun there!)
NEMA 42 motor sale. Any used or surplus BIG 3-stack NEMA 34 or 2-3 Stack
NEMA bipolar/2-phase NEMA 42 steppers available among the group, or any
surplus references? I want to know what one will cost (I know what they are
new...ugh) when I get that far in the project.

6) I, in some demented state, purchased several thousand excess inventory
Heath (kit) power transformers with the goal of heroically saving them form
a landfill and cataloging and inventorying them on the Internet. Progress
has been dismal, but I have been pondering uses for some 20 VAC, 7 A (DC),
dual primary power transformers. Given the discussion about the sale on high
current power supplies for motor uses, is there any use for these among the
readership? I have at least a couple dozen...cost would be about $8 +
shipping.

Thanks all who haven't fallen asleep reading this.

Murray