Ancient CNC machine- advice needed!

[drumsticksplinter]

Hi Tom,

These look quite well built machines and very adaptable to modern controls. Without seeing the breakout board that currently attached to the machine its difficult to know exactly how suitable that is to run with the more modern software.

There are a couple of main software based cnc controllers out there with Mach3 by Artsoft being the most popular. A mach 3 license is around £120, but there is enough capability in the free demo version to get you going. There is a linux based cnc controller called linuxcnc, which I believe is free. Some companies such as Eding cnc offer complimentary software with their own hardware, which I believe its very good. Personally I'd start out with mach3 as there is a larger support group, you might decide to try out other software at a later date.

In terms of the hardware side of things, your motor requirements aren't going to be that demanding, so you could opt for an all in one board. I've dealt with Roy from DIY CNC electronic kit & mechanical products a few times and his products are very good. You could also look at the Gecko Drive G540, which is a nice compact system from a reputable manufacturer. I'd try and avoid the really cheap chinese stuff on ebay because alot of the time you have to bin it and buy something half decent, plus you'll save yourself the frustration of trying to get something to work that never worked in the first place.

I have no idea how the rotary drive thingy works either??