Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] more mill/drill conversion questions

Well, let me start off by saying that CNC is a very expensive hobby to have.
I myself, bought all of my stuff used off of Ebay (with exception to the Gecko drivers).
I only paid $107.00 for 3 - 305 oz/in double end steppers off of Ebay, and they work great and in excellent condition.This is also a good place to find servos reitively cheap too. You just have to make sure you look at poeples feedback before you buy from them.
The 3 ballscrews preloaded that I used were purchased on Ebay also for $177.00 and in perfect condition also.Came with end blocks and thrust bearings, the works.
You can also get some new from Reidtool.com. They have a pretty nice selection and very cheap prices.Just purchase two single ball nuts and preload them against eachother on the ballscrew, instead of buying them already preloaded, and youll save yourself about $100-200 per screw.the only caviat to this is that the ballscrews are not centerpunched or machined on the ends unless you special order them. Ive dealt with then extensively in the recent months and they are a great company to deal with. Fast and expedious shipping and Ive yet to order anything that they didnt have in stock.
The drivers I bought new from Geckodrives.com, for $117.00 each. If you plan on any kind of performance from a stepper, go with Gecko's.Yeah they costr more, but you get what you pay for 10 fold in quality and customer service.
You can use only 1 power supply as long as it can handle the requirements of the current/voltage of the motors. I also purchased one off of Ebay. A 28Vdc/10A power supply, like new for $20.00 w/shipping. And it works great.
Ive only used my conversion to mill copper bar stock so far, and it has to be cut at a very slow SFM rate, so Im not sure how many IPM my system is really capable of. But My rapids are around 80IPM now, and Im a little bit leary of going any faster from fear of the damn thing falling apart. Its kind of scary to see that little mill moving so fast that I almost want to go into the next room to get away.
You've definately come to the right place for help and ideas, as there are plenty of experienced people on this forum who can steer you in the right direction.
Hope this helps some.
Regards,
Jim
Bryan Pryor <bkpryor@...> wrote:I purchased my mill/drill. It's a Dovetail Z-Axis
type. it can be seen here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1784625512&rd=1

I have more questions (sorry).

1. Where are some good places to get stepper motors
and/or servo motors. I'm looking for at least 200 oz.
in., preferably larger. Is it possible to pay less
than $150 per motor?

2. Correct me if I'm wrong about this. I own the
mill and computer now. I still need:
-3 motors
-3 Drivers
-1 controller
-3 power supplies, 1 for each motor
-3 power supplies, 1 for each driver
-1 1 power supply for the controller
-Software to control the mill. (any recommendations?)
-3 Belts and pulleys to connect the motors to the
screws. I'm looking at www.mcmaster.com, item #
57105k13, with a 2:1 reduction right now. Can I find
timing belts and pulleys cheaper than this?
-I can make the connecting hardware.

3. I've heard a lot about the gecko drivers. Are
they the best to get, or are there others that will
work just as well?

3. Where do I get the power supplies needed? How big
should they be? How do I make sure that all my
equipment will work together? If I buy stepper motors
now (I've heard they are cheaper) will I be able to
easily and inexpensively upgrade to servo motors
later?

Any good links to supplier, etc would be helpful. I'm
currently using www.homecnc.info as my main reference,
and doing more searching using google.
Thanks,
~bryan


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