[bwthor]

Reading this thread was enough to put me over the edge from dreaming about a DIY CNC to ordering parts and going ahead with a build. My CNC will be similar in size and I've used the same drive components (lead screws and 320oz steppers ordered from CNC Router Parts) as this awesome CNC machine.

I'm really struggling with the proper electronics setup. I think I've simply read too much on various forums and have gotten lost.

With this build, Brian is using the Gecko G540. I'm heavily leaning this way since it was used on this build, and I doubt Brian would skimp on electronics. But, some forums state that the G540 is overkill, overpriced, not very fast due to the parallel port, or could lose steps. What I'm seeing at others is to use the controller board like a smoothstepper, then a BOB, then individual stepper drives. This to me seems way too complicated, and a nightmare of wires and possible issues.

I don't think the price of the G540 is bad, especially with the simplicity of having one box, I just don't want to purchase something that I'll regret.

Can anyone offer any insight on this? Again, I've read many many pages on the forums, but quite a few are more than a couple years old, and with how fast technology changes I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

[aarggh]

I've never hear of anyone who bought a G540 that regretted it.

The G540 is a superb bit of kit, and as it's an all-in-one, greatly simplifies connections. The first exposure I had to the G540 was when I replaced the crappy controller on my Chinese 6040 with one, and I can't tell you how amazing the difference was.

I have several now and plan to buy more as needed. Couldn't recommend them high enough. It really is "Just Works" technology, designed by guys who really know their stuff. And as mentioned, the only speed limitation you have is your cnc machine, not the controller, and you can run a $20 Pentium4 as the controller PC, making it very cheap.

cheers, Ian

[drakke]

What is the accuracy and precision of the Platform CNC?