Pokeys57U / Leadshine EM806 / Mach 3 - Confusion

So after a battle I managed to get these to work last night.

Work is maybe a strong word.

The confusion is around microstepping and what impact that has on my steps / mm calculation.

The higher I set the microstepping, the smoother the stepper turns. I am using fairly old stepper, around Nema 32 size, 6 wire, using the full coil on each A and B.

Is the logic correct that if I use a low step / rev number, this impacts Mach 3's step/mm value? So If I use 200 for example, my Mach 3 setting could be something like 400 however if I moved to 1600 (8 times more steps), the value in Mach 3's motortuning moves proportionally?

This means then that if I am running 25600 microsteps, I could have a large number for steps / mm in the motor tuning?

Problem that I have, if I do that, Mach 3 limits the speed I can run at. The net result is a slow but smooth motor.

Low microstepping = motor that runs faster but doesnt sound smooth.

Am I missing something? What does Mach 3' motor tuning modify the speed / velocity setting if I try and increase the step/mm value significantly? I can bullshit it by setting the velocity high, then using the settings -> mach 3 steps tool however doesnt seem right.

Thanks

Also, this thread / answer talks about microstepping 8. Where does that value come from?

http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/7946-...Nema-23-Tuning

My drives have 200, 400, 800 etc up to 25600.

Also, the 'inbuilt' tuning option for the stepper, is this done with the motor connected mechanically or left free?

Ok, spoke to a helpful friend :-)

Half step = 400, which is recommended based on his experience. Mach 3 might be limiting due to kernel speed or something else. Wouldnt mind knowing more about the tuning stuff if anyone knows these or similar drives.