Re: Pleaes help !!! Stepper Motor Question.

> 1. Is this 4 wire stepper Uni or Bi Polar?

4 wire motors are bi-polar.

> 2. Can I use this with the 210 or 201 Geckos?

Yes, the Gecko drives are bi-polar drives.

> 3. Which Gecko model if any should I choose (201 or 210)?

Depends on the application. The 201 is a 1/10 microstepping drive. The 210 gives you the option of going to full step, 1/5 step or 1/10 step. Your controller software can only output so many pulses per second. Mach1 outputs 25khz max. If your stepper motors have 200 steps per inch and you direct drive a 10TPI lead screw with 201 drives, 25khx will get you 1.25" per second of machine travel speed. If you went with the 210 in full step mode you could theoretically get 12.5" per second. I say theoretically because there are othe factors that will limit your speed...Like power supply amd motor torque.
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> 4. Am I better off getting diffrent motors?

If 400oz/in is enough and you want to use a bi-polar drive like the Gecko, then the motors are fine. If you're not sure, give Mariss a call at Gecko and he can calculate your motor requirements. He can also help you to undersatand the ins and outs of stepper motors.

>
> I plan to upgrade a HF Mini Mill with these. And to think. I still
> have to choose screws types for the z-axis and pick a nice software
> package. Man what one goes through to get to the art of CNC.

I'm just getting to the point now where I can just start running the machine. Building it was definitely a learning experience. I bought everything twice. Nothing I bought the first time around worked. I ended up going with Mach1, Sanyo 1053oz/in motors, Gecko 201 drives, Sound Logic parallel breakout board and a Transformer Technology 65V power supply. This setup is very reliable.

After I got it running, I set up a large photo engraving job and ran the machine for 38 hours straight. It ran perfectly.

The best way to go is to use what seems to be popular. The reason certain components are popular is because they work.

Ross