[ScoutJedi]

Hello!
I am a high school teacher that retired from manufacturing. I am teaching materials and process and manufacturing. I have found a Paxton/Patterson CNC Mill and Lathe in the conner. I have discovered that they are from 1996, and they work in manual mode. The boards look good, but doing some research and reading many other forums here, it would be best to scrap the Optistep control board. It needs a card and talking to it would take me a long time to figure out and build something. I am going to use my money, so I need to be low cost, but I would pay a little more for something more robust and reliable. i can always fundraise, but I want my students to be able to understand and learn to use and program CNC machine centers by hand and by use of CAD via CAM software using the engineering design process. I have already rebuilt much of the other equipment in the lab.
So I believe the the answer is to purchase a new modern up to date controller board and controller software for these machines and rewire them to the new boards. I have a few questions you may be able to help me with. The machines are basically Sherline Mill and Lathes with microkenetics motors. They still work.

• What do you like and have found to be a reasonable and robust control board/software set up? (Xylotec, Gecko, other?)
  
• These machines have a motor controller for the spindle as well. What would you recomend?
  
• Would like to run both from the one school computer. Best to use USB/RS232 connectors or other?
  
• Is there a turn key or semi-turn key pacakage?
• Have you done this already?
• Would like to have 4 axis controller for expandability later to 4th axis. (Optional)
• Need to be run off of a PC using XP or newer.

I apologize if this is already covered completely in another thread. And feel free to give answers to any or all.

Thanks!

[Fastest1]

If budget is a concern and you enjoy the learning experience. Check into building a controller. My first was a Hobby CNC Pro kit. It was pretty simple to actually assemble and get configured (now that I look back, at the time I thought it was impossible. I was green in every associated skill except soldering where I was a novice). It will power a Sherline sized machine or larger with no problem. I still run mine to this day. Other options include reusing the original power supply possibly along with a G540. Pretty easy that way. Set up Mach, transfer a few wires and you are running. The biggest issue I would see is that the stepper mounts do not really have thrust bearings, generally just washers so backlash will be larger than normal. Again you could move to a later stepper mount assembly from either Sherline or A2ZCNC. They both make CNC ready brackets now.

[Fastest1]

Maybe look at Pokeys too. I would steer away from USB however Ethernet is fine.

[ScoutJedi]

Thanks for your thoughts. Money is not limited to pennies, but I can't dump thousands of dollars into this either. I do not mind designing my own system, but I do not want to make the board. I want to be able to have a backup or the ability to purchase one to get me back up and running. Based on my experience with this I would love to build a CNC router for my classroom as well. If they use all the same controller boards, control software, and CAM this will be great for me and my students! I can also construct with the Engineering and design classes and build things for the other high and middle schools in the area as a outreach program!

[Fastest1]

Over the years I have used a combination of different controllers to play with mills, lathes and 3D printers. Anything from the Hobby CNC Pro, a G540 and a PMDX 126 with Keling 5056D drivers. Connected or not to 2 different SmoothSteppers USB and ESS.

Then right when everything is working ok, I rip it apart and set up an entirely different machine.

If I had a router frame or plasma, I would run them with the above. Depending on the steppers you have now. It might be in the few hundred dollar range for the G540 or the HCNC Pro. Just depends how resourceful you are.

[ScoutJedi]

I was looking at these boards on ebay: CNC TB6560 4 Axis 3.5A Stepper Motor Driver Board
Has anyone used these boards with any success? These things go between $45-$65. It looks as though I can use this almost plug and play and use the transformer in the original set up?

Has anyone also used a control board like this and added programable spindle speed control?

Thanks!

[Fastest1]

Not known as the most dependable but some have had success. Especially in the 3d printer world. I wouldnt buy 1 though. In fact I might have 1 in my pile I would give you.

[Kawgomoo]

Did you make any progress with this project? I came across one of these lathes also.

I have found information that suggests you can build your own breakout db25 cable and control the optistep directly from the parallel port, without using the additional card.

However, i have had no success with this. Also, i cannot get the machine to do anything in manual mode. It turns on, the logic and motor control led's light up inside. But thats it.

I can't get any axes to move under mach3, and when i switch to manual mode nothing happens.

Not even totally sure where to start with this.

My intent was to replace the stepper controller with something like the tb6560, but without the bugs, and hopefully less costly than the gecko.