i need 5 or 6 axis minimum , am fairly sure i will need to slave a 2nd x at least, I need to stick to bobs that can run mach3/4 and or emc, just because of the support you can get if you get stuck. I need at least spindle control and 2* encoder reading capability's from the electronics. As well as spindle on the y ganrty, i want to build in a turret into the machine frame, and have a sepotate 4th axis, and seporate b/c head. i could do it all with 5 axis, just mean swapping the leads around when i want to set the machine up different,

i had guessed through reading the other threads, that a smooth stepper is a good idea, and you have just confirmed that, am looking at the other cards mentioned on here, am going with steppers not servoes

Am up for any recomendations, ?

and can run machine from in the house with a laptop sat on my knee if I like using the network.!! . . . . I don't but I could.!!
Ha ha, not without a really really long estop cable.

Tell you what though, you have just got me thinking, i wander how secure the cards are on a network and how they would react to being probed,