[AGireland]

Hi
I have a purchased a proxxon mf70 CNC ready. i will only be using it for light work on material no more than 1.5mm thick in either copper or silver.
im looking to get a controller for it and have this one in mind Professional 3 Axis CNC Stepping Driver TB6600HG Box Set, LCD Display, Keypad 5A | eBay.

would this controller work with the proxxon mf70 CNC ready machine. what size power supply would i need to drive it.
Thanks

[James Newton]

6600 drivers are ok, but... twitchy... and that's assuming they actually send you a real one or a competent knock off. I don't like "all in one" versions because if you fry one axis, you have to replace the entire thing. As to power supplies, why not ask them? They should be able to support you right? But to help with power supply size, anyone will need to know what motors you are planning to use, how heavy the axis is that you are moving and how fast you want it to move.

[AGireland]

Hi James
Thanks for the reply. the milling machine is this one http://[URL="www.proxxon.com/en/micromot/27112.php."].
Motors are these ones. any recommendations on what i would need for this mill.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...d=336462&stc=1

[awerby]

I wouldn't use those motors with that setup. The 3.3mH inductance means that they want about 58 volts supplied to run at top speed. For a tiny mill like yours, you don't need much torque from them, and the drivers you're looking at won't be able to handle that much voltage (they max out at 45v). You should be able to run it with NEMA 17 motors, which can be found with a lot less inductance and adequate torque, allowing you to buy a less expensive power supply and not kill your drives.

[AGireland]

Hi Awerby.
The motors come with the mill attached. i thought they were only the same as the nema17, and i could run them
with 12 to 24 Volts

[awerby]

They might be NEMA 17, but they have too much inductance for those drives. At 12v or even 24v they'll just crawl along. If you want to use them, I'd suggest using drives that can deal with 58v, like the Gecko 201V series. But it would be cheaper to throw them out and get something that will work with less expensive drives, like the ones James sells.

[James Newton]

Yeah... I have to agree... those motors are not ideal... but you might get ok speed if the gearing is high enough or leadscrew course enough on the machine. I'm not familiar with the Proxxon.

Whatever driver you get, you want as high as possible a voltage. Which increases your power supply cost. You could try stacking 12 volt SLA batteries but they won't charge right for long without a really expensive charger.

My drivers will do 50 volts (48 to be safe) and cost about half of a geckodrive... but you have to solder them together; they are kits.

I can tell you this... those 6600's are not going to make you happy. A geckodrive 540 would... but it will also lighten your wallet.

[AGireland]

Hi James and Awerby,
thanks for the advice. I will look into getting a better drive. I don't mind paying extra and waiting a few weeks till i have the funds if its a better set up.
plus i could always use the better drive if i decide on a bigger machine in the future.

Which Gecko drive would best suit my situation.