Re: Mill Conversion questions

Tim: Thanks for the advice (both places). I haven't made a final
choice of drivers or motors yet, so I am certainly considering the
Xylotex option along with the other motors people have recommended.

I have been looking at the specs for both the Geckos and Xylotex
drivers. I like the modularity of the Gecko, and the fact that I
wouldn't be pushing them anywhere near their limits but what do they
do that I don't need? Is it just the current and voltage specs?

(One reason I asked the question here too is that the noise level on
SherlineCNC just spiked with people fighting about how good a deal
the new Sherline turnkey system is!)

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Tim Goldstein" <timg@k...>
wrote:

> As I posted on the Sherline CNC list (you will find that there is a

lot

> of people on both lists so the answers are not going to be much
> different) the Gecko's are major overkill for a Sherline. They will

work

> great and put a big dent in your wallet compared to using something

like

> a Xylotex and will not perform substantially better. But if you

have the

> money to spend and don't care if you will not find any performance
> difference, than by all means use the Gecko's.
>
> You do not have to unplug the motors to turn the cranks by hand. Yes
> they act like generators, but you will not be cranking fast enough

to

> generate much in the way of a current.
>
> Once again, using Gecko with these motors will put you at such a low
> amperage (they are 2 amp motors) that you will not even need a heat
> sink. There is no need at all to build a cooling tower that would be
> suitable for running the drives at the full 7 amps. If you read the
> G201/G210 manual you will see that heat sinks are not required

until you

> go over 3 amps. At 2 amps they will not get much more than barely

warm.

> I have run the G210's at full amperage using only a CPU heatsink

and fan

> to cool them and they stay very cool. At 2 amps you can do just

about

> anything but pack them in insulation and they will not get too hot.
>
> Don't lose site of the size of the machine and what it requires. A
> Sherline is a small machine and it does not gain you anything to

build

> the drive system as if it was going onto a Bridgeport. This is not

to

> say that there is anything wrong with a Sherline. I own one myself

and

> use it regularly. But, it does not require or benefit from using

much

> more than a 2 - 2.5 amp drive and cooling is not much of an issue.
>
> Tim
> [Denver, CO]
> Sherline & Taig products at Deep Discount
> Mach1 & DeskCNC with credit card ordering
> www.KTMarketing.com/Sherline
> e-mail me at Timg @ KTMarketing.com for items not yet listed
>
> >