[thrasherfox]

If I were to connect a 3 Axis controller with the TB6560 chip. and it produces 3.5A for the motor, if I connect motors that are rated at 4.6A, will the motor still work just at a slower speed? will I burn something up? will it not work at all?

I found a kit I want on ebay. but since I am new to automation and stepper motors and such, I am clueless as to what I am doing.

I found some motors and I thought it would not be a big deal to get the motors and then get a controller.

Seems my logic was totally flawed. these Nema 23 motors that are 150oz have 8 wires and require 4.6A

Have not been able to find a controller like the one I like that is rated for 4.6A. it will only drive motors up to 3.5A

Now I am looking around and I am finding numerous motors that are rated for 3.5A or less and are 240oz.

So I am thinking I am just going to buy the controller. If my current motors will work, great, if they dont then I will probably just purchase ones that will and I will be stuck with these motors.


Anyway, main question. will a 3.5A controller do anything with my 4.6A motors?

is there any other inexpensive places to purchase motors and controllers. Everything outside of Ebay seems to be real expensive. and I am just starting out and would like to keep my conversion of my mini mill as cheap as possible.


Thanks

Ron

[doorknob]

Typically, the driver would be "current limited" so that it would only draw the amount of current that it was set for. If your motor is rated for higher current, but you drove it with less than that amount, you would get less than the rated torque out of the motor.

The TB6560 boards with which I am familiar are rated for a maximum of 3.0 amps.

There are other motor parameters of interest, such as the winding inductance - lower winding inductance is better, because it means that you can achieve the optimum speed from the motor with a lower voltage. If you have a higher winding inductance, the voltage required to produce the optimum speed may be higher than your driver can handle, and so using a lower voltage means a slower max. speed.

[thrasherfox]

Typically, the driver would be "current limited" so that it would only draw the amount of current that it was set for. If your motor is rated for higher current, but you drove it with less than that amount, you would get less than the rated torque out of the motor.

The TB6560 boards with which I am familiar are rated for a maximum of 3.0 amps.

There are other motor parameters of interest, such as the winding inductance - lower winding inductance is better, because it means that you can achieve the optimum speed from the motor with a lower voltage. If you have a higher winding inductance, the voltage required to produce the optimum speed may be higher than your driver can handle, and so using a lower voltage means a slower max. speed.

Thanks for the response.

Here is the kit on Ebay I was talking about (I am new here, hope this is not breaking any rules by posting this link)

3 Axis CNC Kit Step Motor Driver + Controller + Display | eBay

I like it because, well one the price. two it comes with Mach 3 software, it comes with a digital display for all three axis' and it comes with a manual control.

I thought it would be a nice little kit for me to start with.

I contacted them about my motor issue and they have contacted their manufacturer, they have told me their manufacturer is going to be making a similar board but it will have the A3986 driver that will be able to drive the higher amp motors.

But they keep saying next week, then next week,then next week. kind of like the check is in the mail. and they also stated it will not have all the other accessories with it.

So I am thinking about just buying this kit, if nothing else I will gain the mach 3 software and if I need to I can just get lower amp motors.

[doorknob]

Just a few words to temper your enthusiasm...

Some people have reported success with such TB6560-based Chinese controllers while others have experienced problems. There is a long thread here that describes modifications that people have made to their TB6560 drivers to get around the problems:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/genera...y_chinese.html

As for the included copy of Mach3, my best guess is that you would not be getting a licensed version of Mach3. Rather, Mach3 is free if you're using small gcode programs (less than 500 lines of gcode IIRC), and so you can download it right from the manufacturer's site.

The price of that eBay kit seems to be pretty good, seeing as how it includes the blue controller box and the digital display (although the actual function of the digital display is not clear to me - is it counting step pulses up and down based on the direction signal for each axis? If so, how meaningful would that display be? It would not be quite the same thing as a DRO, because how would it know the details of your screw drive configurations?)

[jalessi]

Thrasherfox,

Your motors will lose about 35 percent with the TB6560 board set at 3 amps output. Expect the motors to make 100 ounces of torque maximum.

If you attempt to run the TB6560 above 3 amps it will let out magic smoke.
Exceeding 36 volts will also be detrimental to the driver.

Welcome to the Zone,

Jeff...

[thrasherfox]

Ok, another question.

I found 3 dual shaft motors that only require 2.8amps per motor.

So I went ahead and purchased the CNC controller. and 3 of the motors.


Let me start off with I am not expecting a whole lot, I know you dont get something for nothing in this world. My goal however is to get off as cheap as I can so I can obtain the equipment I need so I can learn about this stuff.

I have never been good at book learning, I am a hands on type of guy.

With that said, now that I have the controller purchased and waiting on

3 Axis CNC Kit Step Motor Driver + Controller + Display - eBay (item 220803873449 end time Jul-23-11 05:23:38 PDT)

And I have the motors purchased and waiting on

3 PCS NEW NEMA 23 Dual Shaft STEPPER MOTOR 270 OZ-IN - eBay (item 120732146816 end time Jul-31-11 12:41:10 PDT)


Can someone school me real quick on power supply requirements.

The card states in requires 12-36V 8A

I am unable to find a power supply that provides exactly 8 amp.

Can I used a power supply that provides greater than 8 amps?

For example I found this 24V 14.6A switching power supply

24V 14.6A Switch Power Supply CNC Driver Motor Stepper - eBay (item 130486849101 end time Jul-14-11 14:58:56 PDT)


Can I use this power supply for the board?

I also found this 24V 10A power supply

NEW CNC Servo Stepper Motor Driver Power Supply 24V 10A - eBay (item 180685716856 end time Jul-21-11 23:20:40 PDT)


As I said, I am just trying to put together some inexpensive equipment so I can learn how things work and get a feel for everything. I figure I can always upgrade later to better quality expensive equipment if needed.


I know just enough about electricity to be dangerous.

So if anyone can provide me some guidance on what power supply I can use or should use for the controller I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks everyone!!


Ron

[doorknob]

Can someone school me real quick on power supply requirements.

The card states in requires 12-36V 8A

I am unable to find a power supply that provides exactly 8 amp.

Can I used a power supply that provides greater than 8 amps?

For example I found this 24V 14.6A switching power supply

24V 14.6A Switch Power Supply CNC Driver Motor Stepper - eBay (item 130486849101 end time Jul-14-11 14:58:56 PDT)


Can I use this power supply for the board?

I also found this 24V 10A power supply

NEW CNC Servo Stepper Motor Driver Power Supply 24V 10A - eBay (item 180685716856 end time Jul-21-11 23:20:40 PDT)


As I said, I am just trying to put together some inexpensive equipment so I can learn how things work and get a feel for everything. I figure I can always upgrade later to better quality expensive equipment if needed.

I would not put much faith in the eBay seller's description of the power supply amperage requirement.

Your stepper motors are rated at 2.8 amps per phase, not 2.8 amps per motor. Each motor has two phases. Depending on the design of the controller and the stepping configuration that you are using, both phases of a motor may or may not be drawing full current at the same instant in time. But it's unlikely that both phases of all three motors will be drawing full current at the same time. So you can get away with a power supply with an amperage rating of less than the sum of all of the currents for all of the phases for all of the motors.

I'd be more comfortable with the power supply rated at 14.6 amps than with the one rated at 10 amps, even though you might be able to get by with the smaller one.

The motors that you ordered can use a somewhat higher voltage than 24 volts in order to reach their highest potential speed, but seeing as how the TB6560 maximum voltage rating is too low to accommodate that voltage, and that it's a good idea not to get too close to the TB6560's maximum voltage rating, it's probably reasonable to choose a 24-volt supply.

[thrasherfox]

I would not put much faith in the eBay seller's description of the power supply amperage requirement.

Your stepper motors are rated at 2.8 amps per phase, not 2.8 amps per motor. Each motor has two phases. Depending on the design of the controller and the stepping configuration that you are using, both phases of a motor may or may not be drawing full current at the same instant in time. But it's unlikely that both phases of all three motors will be drawing full current at the same time. So you can get away with a power supply with an amperage rating of less than the sum of all of the currents for all of the phases for all of the motors.

I'd be more comfortable with the power supply rated at 14.6 amps than with the one rated at 10 amps, even though you might be able to get by with the smaller one.

The motors that you ordered can use a somewhat higher voltage than 24 volts in order to reach their highest potential speed, but seeing as how the TB6560 maximum voltage rating is too low to accommodate that voltage, and that it's a good idea not to get too close to the TB6560's maximum voltage rating, it's probably reasonable to choose a 24-volt supply.

Awesome!! thank you very much for the response!!!



Ron