CNC Routers and Milling Machine Set-up

[oosk2k6]

i believe all those machines use steppers so all you should need is stepper drivers for each motor and a breakout board (BOB). You will ten be free to use Mach or LinuxCNC or any other software of your choice.

Cheers for the reply. The difficult part is choosing the appropriate stepper driver/breakout board. Installing it should be easy.. relatively. I am essentially looking for someone to initially set-up the software as well. I have had a look at Mach3/LazyCAM etc but to no avail.

Cheers

[Philly]

I'd go with a Gecko 540 unit, it contains the breakout and 4 drivers and is a good well known system. The initial setup wouldn't be too hard either. Get one for each machine and you're ready to go but the chinese stuff isn't too bad either, it just depends on your budget.

[oosk2k6]

Hey dude. You sure that a Gecko 540 unit will be compatible with Mach 3? I'm a fan of trial and error, but those units aren't cheap. So long as they will work with the software, the cost isn't too much considering the machines were acquired virtually brand new for very little cost. The machines are in Wallasey :)

Cheers

[Philly]

It'll work fine with Mach3. I'm no expert but I managed to get my chinese boards running with no documentation so if you want to tackle the problem yourself I can swing by and help out, just provide the coffee :D

[Swarfing]

Good on ya Phil, the Gecko makes for a simpler install. Grab the info from the motors first though before splashing out. Pics of the electronics would be helpful too, you may have everything you need in the first place. Even some proprietary (mostly not) will work with Mach3 and LinuxCNC. Do they use the parallel port for connection?

[oosk2k6]

Oh ok cool ye the connection is the old-style printer Parallel port.

Cheers

[martin54]

If your looking for advice on what drivers to fit then the first thing to do is let people know what motors are fitted. Just post the details on the motor plate & I'm sure some of the more experienced guys will be happy to suggest what drives to use & any other parts you may need.
Software wise what have you got already & how quick do you want the machine to be working? Reason I ask is because although there is some ok free software about some of it doesn't have a lot of support & can take time to get your head round.
You will need cad, cam & machine control software.