Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] servo vs stepper

Keith Clark wrote:

>As many have read, I have been having a bad time making stepper
>motors work using Gecko drives. Several have recommended switching
>to servos but I have been fearful of tuning the motors etc. Is it
>really that difficult and that much more expensive? At this point I
>have spent $550 on each motor. I am also concerned about the
>difficulty of selecting the correct servo motors since I have had so
>much trouble with the stepper motors. I guess I would appreciate
>some encouragement or discouragement at this point especially from
>those of you that have done it with a Bridgeport. My machine is a
>Boss 6 Bridgeport.
>
>

Well, I did my first Bridgeport servo retrofit in 1998 with my OWN analog
servo amps. eBay didn't exist yet, and I didn't really know what I was
doing, so it took a while. I had no idea where to buy used amps, either.

Most of my problems were electronic, due to some outrageously speced
components and such. So, I had to redesign the servo amp a couple of
times before it worked.

But, that was the old days, before such stuff as Gecko drives were
available.
Tuning a Gecko 320 is VERY simple. You turn up gain until is starts to
jiggle,
then turn it down a bit. That is just about it.

But, you really need to work with software that is SUPPORTED by somebody,
either the maker or a user group. If the software maker takes the $2000 and
then lets you stew, that is no good.

Jon