[garywilson4]

to have 2 drives on my x axis do i connect both steppers to one driver? or each its own driver?
i'm thinking of having a laser crosshair for aligning but could i also use that along with an light sensing resistor for the x,y home position. would this work?
what sort of amperage does a cnc draw so i can make sure i have the correct breaker in the consumer unit?

[ger21]

Each stepper should have it's own drive.

Homing to a laser crosshair is probably not accurate enough, and would be very susceptible to dust on a router.

Current depends on the spindle, steppers and drives you're using.

[garywilson4]

thank you that helps greatly i have decided to put the spindle and the power supplies on 2 different circuits(as i have 2)
one other thing do usb to parallel adapters work as i'm thinking of getting an Intel NUC for the pc and it doesn't have a parallel port

[ger21]

No, USB to parallel adapters do not work for CNC use.

[garywilson4]

ok tyvm big help

[ger21]

If you plan on using Mach3, there are several motion controllers that use either USB or ethernet and don't require a parallel port.

[garywilson4]

i've actually got this one USB 6 Axis Interface Breakout Board Adapter CNC MACH3 For Stepper Motor Driver http://r.ebay.com/V1fEHP but not entirely sure if it will run from usb or if it just takes power still researching it