Chinese motor kits

[tonygagey]

what is the general opinion of the chinese 4axis sets for sale on ebay?

[irving2008]

1st word of advice on chinese driver boards.... dont believe the specifications... they always quote the absolute max rating of the chips, not what they can realistically run at. Secondly as Chip has already mentioned the steppers that supply are often badly matched to the board. If they don't have a detailed spec/model # for the stepper motor(s) supplied (not that thats any guarantee anyway) then pass...

[GeorgeD]

You won't go far wrong buying from here,free P&P and vat inclusive over a £60

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Stepper-Motors

[tonygagey]

Thanks all ! Next question if i use the cnc usb controller board or the rockcliff 4axis driver board do I still need to use stepper drivers? It is my understanding that I can connect my motors to one of these boards ,the board to my computer and relevant power supply and away I go! Is this correct or am I missing somthing?

[GeorgeD]

The Rockcliff uses the motors direct from the board.

I was going to purchase a board like this but had another think ie should one of the axis chips fail? then it would mean getting it fixed or buy another board,so I opted for individual drivers...makes sense really

[irving2008]

with true all in one boards all you need is the board, a power supply and connect it to your PC and stepper motors. The limitations of an all in one board are:
1/ if something goes phut you're doomed to replace the board unless you have the skills (or know someone who does) to diagnose and remedy
2/ they are usually a compromise as compared to individual stepper drivers - typically lower output (esp when all axis are being used), lower max supply voltage; With individual drivers you can match them to the steppers to get better tuning per axis
3/ the kits with steppers included are often poorly thought through, with bad (read cheap) choices of motors for the board;

Having said that, they can be good value for money if you aren't impacted by the limitations (i.e. most small starter machines) and aren't dependent on the board (i.e. hobby rather than any thing else)

Personally, I'd look at something like DIYCNC's System4 if you want an all in one solution without the limitations... not that much more in price and UK support plus it is well liked...