[joeavaerage]

Hi,
what sort of deal?? A 'too good to be true' sort????...I love those sort of deals!

Does the deal include say a 2kW, or 3kw or 5kW servo?

If you ever want a spindle with high torque but low speed (for steel and stainless) then servos make about the best motors for such a spindle. Downside is high power servos become quite
expensive. A few months back I manged to break my 'steel' spindle. I built it about 6-7 years ago. Its based on a 1.8kW Allen Bradley servo 6.1Nm cont, 18Nm peak, 3500rpm.
I had it lying in the bottom of my mill enclosure while I had my regular little spindle installed and coolant manged to get in and wreck the optical encoder. Very VERY silly of me.
Just before Christmas I found and bought another servo as a replacement. It was cheap, $170USD, plus shipping. It looked so rough that I was dubious that it would work.
I fitted it yesterday, and lo and behold, it does work. It nice to have it back in working order. I don't do a lot of steel jobs, but when you do this is the best I've got to do it.

I have just bought a spindle off a guy in Vietnam. He offered me a great deal. Its in NZ customs, and has been for 36hours, which I guess means they are going to ping me for GST, a local tax of 15%,
when I was hoping it might squeak in without them taking too much notice. Even with 15% I'm still well and truly on the winning side.
This spindle is 3.5kw rated, 6kW peak, 10,000rpm rated, 40,000rpm max, 400V (three phase req'd) with an HSK32 ATC tool interface. Comes with ten HSK32 to ER20 toolholders.
Going to be a little while before I can afford to buy a VFD to run it...so still some patience is required!

Craig.

[GeckoSub]

Hi,
what sort of deal?? A 'too good to be true' sort????...I love those sort of deals!

Does the deal include say a 2kW, or 3kw or 5kW servo?

If you ever want a spindle with high torque but low speed (for steel and stainless) then servos make about the best motors for such a spindle. Downside is high power servos become quite
expensive. A few months back I manged to break my 'steel' spindle. I built it about 6-7 years ago. Its based on a 1.8kW Allen Bradley servo 6.1Nm cont, 18Nm peak, 3500rpm.
I had it lying in the bottom of my mill enclosure while I had my regular little spindle installed and coolant manged to get in and wreck the optical encoder. Very VERY silly of me.
Just before Christmas I found and bought another servo as a replacement. It was cheap, $170USD, plus shipping. It looked so rough that I was dubious that it would work.
I fitted it yesterday, and lo and behold, it does work. It nice to have it back in working order. I don't do a lot of steel jobs, but when you do this is the best I've got to do it.

I have just bought a spindle off a guy in Vietnam. He offered me a great deal. Its in NZ customs, and has been for 36hours, which I guess means they are going to ping me for GST, a local tax of 15%,
when I was hoping it might squeak in without them taking too much notice. Even with 15% I'm still well and truly on the winning side.
This spindle is 3.5kw rated, 6kW peak, 10,000rpm rated, 40,000rpm max, 400V (three phase req'd) with an HSK32 ATC tool interface. Comes with ten HSK32 to ER20 toolholders.
Going to be a little while before I can afford to buy a VFD to run it...so still some patience is required!

Craig.

Hi Craig,
Thanks so much for that info and for the warning, too.
But don't worry, it's not that sort of deal, this is a real one
And the more I look around, the more I see at around the same price point - it was just a practical thing as the vendor in question had enough sets that I could order it all from one place instead of having to get them from 2-3 vendors.

While I have you, in case I do go back to the B2 it seems from the B2 manual, that they don't have this differention of models for the driver? Mostly just a model with a 'B' at the end. So, would that B2 driver do what I need?

Sorry to hear you broke the spindle. I have read about it in other threads and it's definitely in the back of my mind for down the road. But hey, at least the way you killed the spindle had nothing to do with the mechanics of it - the concept is proven, still sucks though.
For now, the only "high powered" servos I sometimes window shop for is around 1.5kw for a small CNC lathe I'd like to put together at some point. I actually missed out on secondhand base in the right size and chunkiness just two weeks back as I was sitting around waiting to get paid. The listing called it a teaching CNC lathe, no spindle motor, it was smallish but still had Siemens servos and drives on it and it looked beefy enough to be able to work for my needs. Oh, it even had a tool changer turret with room for six tools! It was one of those deals that while I wouldn't get around to retrofitting it for a good while, it would likely have saved me money getting it now. Damn, just writing this makes me sad, haha.

As for these deals in general, I think I mentioned that I used to live in China and still get stuff from there. But what has happened over the last few years is that the Chinese has "finally" embraced buying and selling secondhand whereas when I lived there, it was the era of bling. No one would be caught dead with a used iphone. Now, there are many shops and a few webpages that list secondhand stuff. E.g. my laptop took a tumble on a boat in Indonesia, it was old and ready for replacement so it was kinda ok, but I found a killer deal second hand, came with original box and a no questions asked return policy, too.

The biggest market seems to be consumer electronics. But I speculate that the slowdown in certain manufacturing sectors there in the past 5-10 years, combined with this new embrace of secondhand selling/buying is the reason why I can fairly easily get servos, drives, VFDs, rails etc. Five years ago, I would have had to go to a physical salvage yard in the provinces, but now some of it is finally online. But you still have to be cautious of course.
You can actually see how some of the servos and drives have just been more or less ripped from machines in a matter of minutes: Cables cut right at the connectors instead of taking the time to salvage the whole cable properly. I've seen pictures of ballscrews seemingly thrown into piles, robotic arms and gearheads, too. I guess the salvage contractors are on the clock...

All that said, there are still a bit of NOS around and stuff that seems to have been treated better where the vendors go out of their way to take pics of any little blemish and are conservative when they describe the state of the product.

[joeavaerage]

Hi
yesterday I had to program my C axis, that is the rotary platter, of my trunnion table. It was the first time that the servo drive had been powered.
Once the servo was hooked up I powered the drive ON and an alarm AL013 came on immediately. It is the Estop alarm....but what gives?????, I had not yet even
hooked up the IO cable to my breakout board, so certainly no Estop signal has been applied??. Bit of head scratching before I tumbled to it.

The drive comes from the factory with standard defaults. One of those standard defaults is that Digit Input 8, DI8, is programmed as an emergency stop.
Thus whenever you power on it is necessary to activate the signal otherwise the servo will Estop. It has been a while since I programmed one of these B2 drives and I had
forgotten that feature. I now recall that about eight years ago when I first bought and installed one of these servos on a customers machine it took many frustrating hours
before I worked out what was happening. Its no good by the way to hit RESET as the alarm is enduring.

The simple expedient is to un-program DI8 from the logical Estop signal. Thereafter the servo turns on normally, and requires only an Enable signal.

As I have programmed all the rest (four servos) of my machine servos and I save the programming parameters of each one. There are probably in excess of six hundred of them, so saving
them consists of directing the PC based setup and tuning software to save them in a uniquely named file. Thus to program my C axis drive, it was going to be almost identical to my existing A axis drive.
Therefore I opened the A axis parameter file and used that to flash the new drive. At that point it is a clone of the A axis. All that I now had to do is alter the Electronic Gearing parameters to reflect the
C axis gear reducer of 6.75:1 rather than the 19.5:1 of the A axis reducer.

The reason I mention this is because setting up a servo is not actually that easy, at least the first time. In this case it is a factory default setting that screws you up. You really need the Delta
PC based setup and tuning software. Trying to find all the right parameters and setting them correctly by pushing buttons like a microwave will drive you up the wall. Download the free software
and use it. Like all software there is a learning curve and that alone has some frustrations, but once over that hump the programming you new servo drives is not too bad. Especially being able to
save parameter files to create clones or share with others. If you try to do it by pushing buttons you'll throw them in the scrap heap before you get any decent results.

Craig

[joeavaerage]

Hi,

While I have you, in case I do go back to the B2 it seems from the B2 manual, that they don't have this differention of models for the driver?

No, that is not correct, the B2 series had a range of models just like the B3, including CANOpen, Ethercat and Deltas's very own DMCNet.

To my knowledge the standard manuals cover the 'L' models, and then may have additional chapters that describe Ethercat or DCMNet or whatever. Thus the one publication will
cover all models. I have not bought any other than the 'L' model so the standard published manual has always been adequate.

Just as a matter of interest you might like to try downloading a manual for one of no-brand or unknown brand Chinese servos....and have a read. Most of them are just plain bad,
and some are atrocious with even the best of them being only fair. You will appreciate that while you are paying extra for Delta, you actually get something for your money.

Craig

[GeckoSub]

Hi,

No, that is not correct, the B2 series had a range of models just like the B3, including CANOpen, Ethercat and Deltas's very own DMCNet.

To my knowledge the standard manuals cover the 'L' models, and then may have additional chapters that describe Ethercat or DCMNet or whatever. Thus the one publication will
cover all models. I have not bought any other than the 'L' model so the standard published manual has always been adequate.
Craig

You are probably right, I could only find a B2 manual that mentions the B designation for the driver - but the same generation A2 does have L, U, E, F & M versions.
But either way, the ASD-B2-0421-B does what I need (Pulse/Dir - and speed and torque in case anyone is interested).

Hi,
Just as a matter of interest you might like to try downloading a manual for one of no-brand or unknown brand Chinese servos....and have a read. Most of them are just plain bad,
and some are atrocious with even the best of them being only fair. You will appreciate that while you are paying extra for Delta, you actually get something for your money.

No, no... haha. I have no wish to crawl into that hole. I totally trust you on this - which is why I was set on Delta. Until I spent a day in another rabbit hole looking at Panasonic A5... Only just got out of it now and chatting to a dealer about a package deal for 4 x B2 sets, one of them with a holding brake for the Z. I am sure the Panasonics are sweet, too and I like that they are a tad shorter which was why I was in love with the B3s - but I think I'll have more luck asking about setup stuff for the Deltas than Panasonic. As for falling out of love with the B3s and going back to the B2s - money. I could get the latter for almost half.

I do think one of the US vendors catering to the DIYers or small businesses is selling some clones or rebranded stuff because their lingo in the instructional videos seem to align closely to the Deltas. Maybe even the software. Might come in handy when I need to learn to set these up.

[GeckoSub]

It's Getting Real
I just placed an order for the servos and drives in the pic below. Well, 3/4 of these as the vendor showed two servos with brakes whereas I only wanted one and three without. I'll get four sets of 3m cables, too.

The servos will take a while to get here as they are now headed to a freight forwarder and then from there on the next cargo ship. Will, of course, report back once parts start coming in.


Next up is rails and a VFD, I think I will go for a Delta MS300 - again, cuz some of you here have experience with it and they are abundant on the used market, too.
And then I will need to decide between Linux w. Mesa cards or UCCNC.

But man, it actually felt nice spending a bit of money. After all this talk and months of thinking over the years, this is litterally the first purchase. Feels great finally getting the ball running.

[joeavaerage]

Hi
as you know I use B2's, which are now in effect, Delta's entry level servo. They are perfect in every regard.

The only time I would consider A2's is if I need full closed loop control, I don't, so I see no point on spending the extra.

I can see no real advantage of B3's other than being a later design. You should be aware though that B2's use a special programming cable.
Or rather not so much as special, it's an IEE1394, but there are two different wiring schemes, one of which can damage the servo drive.
I thought to hell with that, so I bought a genuine part Delta programming cable, with the IEE1394 plug one end, made and matched to the drive,
through a little converter box to USB at the other. Cost $60USD. I've had it for eight years and programmed twenty odd servo drives with it.

All the Japanese servos are good, including Panasonic, but are they that good that they are nearly double the price?. I don't think so, others might,
so I let them buy them.

Don't sweat it, Delta B2's will absolutely rock. Sure, there are even better models and even brands, but truly in practice you'd never notice the difference.

I'm in the market for a new VFD for my new spindle. I too want a Delta MS300. I need a 460VAC model either 5.5kW or 7kW (preferred) and it needs to be the high-speed model, capable of 1500Hz.
The standard models are 600Hz. 600Hz would allow my spindle to get to 18000rpm, a far cry from the 40,000rpm its capable of. Downside is that while there are dozens
of competitive listings for standard models, the high-speed models are few and far between and cost more. Bugger! Might be a while before I can save up for one too.

Craig

[GeckoSub]

Hi
as you know I use B2's, which are now in effect, Delta's entry level servo. They are perfect in every regard.

The only time I would consider A2's is if I need full closed loop control, I don't, so I see no point on spending the extra.

I can see no real advantage of B3's other than being a later design. You should be aware though that B2's use a special programming cable.
Or rather not so much as special, it's an IEE1394, but there are two different wiring schemes, one of which can damage the servo drive.
I thought to hell with that, so I bought a genuine part Delta programming cable, with the IEE1394 plug one end, made and matched to the drive,
through a little converter box to USB at the other. Cost $60USD. I've had it for eight years and programmed twenty odd servo drives with it.

All the Japanese servos are good, including Panasonic, but are they that good that they are nearly double the price?. I don't think so, others might,
so I let them buy them.

Don't sweat it, Delta B2's will absolutely rock. Sure, there are even better models and even brands, but truly in practice you'd never notice the difference.

I'm in the market for a new VFD for my new spindle. I too want a Delta MS300. I need a 460VAC model either 5.5kW or 7kW (preferred) and it needs to be the high-speed model, capable of 1500Hz.
The standard models are 600Hz. 600Hz would allow my spindle to get to 18000rpm, a far cry from the 40,000rpm its capable of. Downside is that while there are dozens
of competitive listings for standard models, the high-speed models are few and far between and cost more. Bugger! Might be a while before I can save up for one too.

Craig

Yeah, I do find myself getting carried away so reminding myself of what you and others have said about the B2 was key. The only difference I would have seen with the B3 would have been that they are 30% shorter - which is silly to pay double for. And they can be programmed with a regular USB-mini cable.
The allure of the Panasonic A5s was that their price was pretty much in between the B2 and B3. I thought about mixing them, but I only wanna have to learn to program one brand right now. Maybe on the next build when I actually have some real world experiece, I can try the Panasonics.

I did see some listings for the B2 programming cable so will pick one of those up. There are also new, cloned cables and while the listing say they are specifically for B2, it seems a used, original one is safer. Thanks for the heads-up on that one.

I do think Deltas are very common in factories in China just judging from how much stuff there is - and how easy it is to get 3rd party cables power, encoder and programming cables. I was sweating it for a little bit about getting power and encoder cables as it would be nice not having to make my own and most servos + driver combos didn't come with them. Turns out, they have original ones on separate listings for 10 bucks per set. And the vendor I chose had them, too - I just had to ask.

I had a quick look for MS300 in your size and speed needs but no luck. Most of them are 2.2kw and under, some are 3.7kw, a few 5.5kw but nothing with that high of a frequency.
I think I read here on the zone somewhere that due to export restrictions, a lot of manufacturers had to limit how high the VDFs could go. Something about enriching uranium needing higher frequency VFDs and the cap for "non-weapon making" was set at 599/600Hz - above that and you're supposedly working for the Iranians or North Korea
Not sure what the truth is but it was interesting.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
I have no problem finding them, but not a lot of listings....so the high-speed HA models are not especially competitive.

This one is 5.5kW:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22564324285...3Avlp_homepage

This one is 7.5kW:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/32416978722...3Avlp_homepage

And this one is 11kW:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/324169786100

I only have a picture of the new spindle's manual, but what I've read suggests that at peak power output it consumes 21A, in which case the 11kW VFD which has 25A output would seem right. However, the rated power of the spindle is 3.5kW
and its peak power is 6kW. That would suggest that the 5.5kW VFD which has a rated current of 13A is right. As to which one is correct, I think they'd all work, but the 5.5kW VFD may struggle to deliver the
short bursts of very high current which is sometimes encountered. That leads me to think that the 7.5kW VFD which has 17A would be a good compromise.

What I don't want to do is to try to save $100 or $200 but only then to miss out on the spindles very generous overload rating. I've paid good money to get the spindle....and scrimping on a VFD and getting
less than its capable of seems silly. I suspect I'll just have to be patient....which is not really my forte.

The little 750W Delta that I use daily has been fantastic. It was the very first VFD I ever bought, and that was 13 years ago. I fully expect if I buy a new VFD to suit this new spindle that I will have it for many years too.
Even if I bought one size or even two sizes larger than is strictly required at the moment, it's far from impossible that I get an even more powerful spindle in the years to come and one or two sizes larger would be very welcome.

Craig

[GeckoSub]

VFD Ordered
Just ordered a secondhand MS300 now. Not the newest version of it but it looks alright. Seller at least had it hooked up to a motor to show it can spin something and judging from his profile, all he does is to sell VFDs which he has been doing for a while, so it'll probably/hopefully be fine
(220V single phase input, 2.2kw size)


I have some other stuff do get done over the next few days, but will still try to get rails and an 2.2kw, 80mm powered spindle ordered.

Spindle Cable?
I know nothing about cables but if any of you have a sort of name and size of the type of cable I should be looking for, that would be great. I guess it has to have shielding but other than that, I don't know much.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
most people recommend a screened three phase cable (three phase wires plus an earth wire all surrounded by a woven screen). Because the cable will have to flex a lot
there are specialist cables used, and they can be quite expensive.

When I first got my little spindle, years ago now I did not have any screened cable so I just used a few meters of 2.5mm² three phase extension cable that I had lying around,
just to get it going, as an experiment like......and it's still that way 13 years later. There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution.

This means of course my spindle cable is not shielded, which in turn means that I have to separate it from other sensitive cables to avoid electrical noise, but provided I do so it works fine.

Craig

[GeckoSub]

Spindle Cable
So, since the VFD is in the bag next up was some, hopefully, good cables for the spindle. I don't have anything lying around so can't even attempt a temporary-permanent solution

I found a Chinese dealer with pricing and listings that kinda indicated the cables should be alright. About 30% cheaper than a brand name like IGUS Chainflex, so not cheap enough to be crap and the listing specifically called them "highly flexible drag chain cable".

I got two different versions, both shielded, both 1.5mm2/16G.
The first version has two plastic sheaths but "just" the braided shield:


The other had the normal one sheath but both a foil and a braid shield:


I couldn't find a used, original Delta programming cable so ended up buying a cheap clone. It says it's made for Delta ASDA-B2 and given how many of these there must be in factories in China - enough to have a market for cloned accessories - and that the vendor had good reviews, I was willing to take the risk:


I should have ordered some signal(?) cables for limit switches and such, but no idea yet what the requirements are for those. Is it good practice to buy shielded cables for that, too?

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
virtually none of my cables are shielded be they spindle cables or Home/Limit cables. Unless a route a sensitive cable right next to a spindle cable I don't have any noise issues.
When I designed my breakout board, I was careful to terminate every input circuit in a known resistance, and that has meant that all the inputs are relatively immune to noise.

Unless you can and are willing to design for similar noise immunity then shielded input cables are a sensible precaution, you may. need the noise immunity conferred, then again you may not.

I'd recommend quality microphone cable; it has two cores and a braided shield. It's good for limit and home switches. Pro quality cable is meant for studio and concert use and is highly flexible.
This would be fine, and you can buy it by the meter rather than buying a 100m roll:

https://nz.element14.com/van-damme/2...ophone%20cable

In order to get the true benefit from shieled cables they need to be terminated either to, or preferably, through a ground plane.

Quite frankly it seems like a lot of effort to go to unless or until you've worked out whether it's even required. I mean you could build your machine
with unscreened cables and find as I have with my machine that they are not required.

To be honest I'd be saving the money and energy for stuff that matters, like getting stuff machined, or getting something cast or whatever.

Craig

[GeckoSub]

Hi,
virtually none of my cables are shielded be they spindle cables or Home/Limit cables. Unless a route a sensitive cable right next to a spindle cable I don't have any noise issues.
When I designed my breakout board, I was careful to terminate every input circuit in a known resistance, and that has meant that all the inputs are relatively immune to noise.

Unless you can and are willing to design for similar noise immunity then shielded input cables are a sensible precaution, you may. need the noise immunity conferred, then again you may not.

I'd recommend quality microphone cable; it has two cores and a braided shield. It's good for limit and home switches. Pro quality cable is meant for studio and concert use and is highly flexible.
This would be fine, and you can buy it by the meter rather than buying a 100m roll:

https://nz.element14.com/van-damme/2...ophone%20cable

In order to get the true benefit from shieled cables they need to be terminated either to, or preferably, through a ground plane.

Quite frankly it seems like a lot of effort to go to unless or until you've worked out whether it's even required. I mean you could build your machine
with unscreened cables and find as I have with my machine that they are not required.

To be honest I'd be saving the money and energy for stuff that matters, like getting stuff machined, or getting something cast or whatever.

Craig

I think this sentence hits the nail on the head:
"When I designed my breakout board, I was careful to terminate every input circuit in a known resistance..."

You have way more of a broad (and specialized) skillset than I, so I do need a bit more help where I can get it. E.g I wouldn't know how to go about what you just said there. So, whether that help comes from components or advice, I'd need as much as I can.
As for the pricing, I spent 15 bucks per cable, so it's alright. But yes, these smaller things will indeed add up. But I do expect both will work and I do expect I will have a need for a second cable sometime down the road

I think the reason I was so set on the shielding was that my first idea way back was to buy an Omio router (a Chinese 6040 alu extrusion router but one of the better ones) and I read every post on that subforum/thread. And shielding, grounding and lack thereof was something that often came up as issues with those machines. Same with some of the big wood routers from China, too.
Also, I found posts talking about how when you start putting a lot of cables into drag chain running parallel with each other, EFI becomes a potentially bigger issue(?).

But admittedly, it don't know enough. I do like the supposed flexibilty of the cables I bought and though the shielding could be thought of as "affordable insurance" and at least no harm done in having it.

Gotcha on the microphone/headphone cables, that's a great idea and they are indeed nimble.

[peteeng]

Hi Gecko - I think its time you summarised where your design is at. Looking at the original wish list I feel you need to upgrade your thinking to a mill. Its close to a mill, excepting the spindle. So if your going to buy servos then get a servo for the spindle and use a pulley or direct drive and then you have a Mill and steel and Ti is doable at day one. I think your Z axis will need attention and it will round out as a nice mill. Have a great New Years... Peter

[GeckoSub]

Hi Gecko - I think its time you summarised where your design is at. Looking at the original wish list I feel you need to upgrade your thinking to a mill. Its close to a mill, excepting the spindle. So if your going to buy servos then get a servo for the spindle and use a pulley or direct drive and then you have a Mill and steel and Ti is doable at day one. I think your Z axis will need attention and it will round out as a nice mill. Have a great New Years... Peter

Design hasn't moved much since last time, but will get going on this within a few days - once I have helped a freediving school with an urgent project of theirs.
Problem with a mill is still precision of the mounting surfaces as I don't have the tools, skills or will to scrape them or what else would be needed. Unless I buy one of the Chinese readymade castings which supposedly are quite precise.

That said, I will give it a good think and yes, if I stick with the router type design, then the Z needs beefing up. Also, wont buy stuff, yet that can't be used if I change the design a tad - or a lot.

Happy New Year

[peteeng]

Hi Gecko - The "mill" does not have to be any more accurate than the router. Just make it as accurate as you can. It would be a shame to be close to what you originally wanted (unless the want has changed) because it will be years before you get around to modifying it. May as well go that far now. HNY Peter

[GeckoSub]

Hi Gecko - The "mill" does not have to be any more accurate than the router. Just make it as accurate as you can. It would be a shame to be close to what you originally wanted (unless the want has changed) because it will be years before you get around to modifying it. May as well go that far now. HNY Peter

I am with you on the accuracy. It's just that when people say "mill" my mind goes to castings. But do you mean, I should still make it from granite? The reason I am in favor of a granite frame made by a factory is as a short cut to precision. I don't know how precise or stiff the off-the-shelf, Chinese castings really are. And the 200x300x200mm C-beam ones are actually more expensive that I can get a granite frame+gantry custom made for in 400x300x200. Actually not sure on the Z of the C-beam designs as haven't looked into them much. They could be higher in Z but I don't really need that.
I do see some Fixed Gantry cast machine frames and I have seen, perhaps, you and others speak in favor of that design from a rigidity standpoint, I think.

[peteeng]

Hi Gecko - yes granite is the go. Peter

[GeckoSub]

Spindle Ordered - And The First Wrong Purchase...
A spindle is on its way. A brand new one. Didn't dare buying one used.


I knew I was gonna start with a ubiquitous, Chinese 24K spindle and had a regular 400Hz, 24K, 2.2kw one in mind. Something like a GDK80-2.2-24Z, which supposedly is one of the more reputable ones and easy to get in China. But then after a bit of late night browsing on this fine forum G-Penny came up...
G-Penny seems to have a bit of a following and again, I was going to get a regular 2 pole thing, but a few posts mentioned that their 4 pole offering wasn't too shabby in the lower RPM ranges. I fully expect I will have to get a proper low revving spindle later on for the titatinum endeavors. But with small enough tools, this 4 pole, 24K spindle that should have double the torque of the more vanilla ones @12K RPM might just be able to work on a few early prototypes - which would buy me time and help inform me on what the low RPM spindle needs to be able to do.

Anyhow, this is the spindle I ended up ordering:

The screenshot is from their Aliexpress where they seem to have the biggest presence - though for shipping and payment reasons, I had them list it on a Chinese platform, too and bought it from there.

Now, the more torquey 4 pole spindle needs 800hz which the VFD I just bought a few days back doesn't have. So, that's potentially my first bad buy... Except, I am quite sure, once this machine is up and running it will start making parts for the next machine which will be a completely different, "lightweight" thing. And that 400Hz VFD will be just fine for that machine. And... it was 50 bucks only, so I am not too bummed about the cash right now. (Looking at an OK deal for a 2.2Kw, 1500Hz Delta VFD on the used platform right now).

Well, back to the spindle. The sales agent was responsive and nice to deal with. When she couldn't get a hold of me for an hour, she called the freight forwarder I gave her as a shipping address to double check that my shipping info was correct. That's quite cool in my book.

I also got a spindle mounting clamp. Probably not the best quality but it seems there's no upper/mid-range market for these in the Chinese market. I hope at least I got the least horrible one.