stepper3 driver and mach2

Hello cnc group,
I am working wih high school students building a cnc plasma cutting table as a
project for our engineering class. We are well on our way, have the plasma
cutter,Hypertherm 600 and work on the xyz table is progressing. We have, I think,
decided to go with mach2 for our software and realize that gecko drives and maybe a
breakout board from centronics would be the best way to go, but also is over our
budget. Will a all-in-one board like the one from stepper3(www.stepper3.com, model
s3p1) work with mach2. We have decided to use steppers, a; because we already have
them and b; becuase there is no contact with the material being cut. I do realize that
servo motors would be best but maybe for the next generation table. I have already
accomplished so much with this project, getting the students involved, problem
solving and hands on manufacturing, even if it's a little crude here and there, were my
goals for this project. Ultimatly we would like to be able to cut custom parts for our
robotics program. We have competed in FIRST robotics for the last few years and have
wished for cnc cutting abilities often. Are we headed in the right direction,
considering budget and limited experience? Thanks for any help or advise you can
offer.

Rob Ervin
robotics teacher
chestnut hill academy