I am about to take the plunge. I first became interested in the 1610L from the specs in 2009. Life events kept be from purchasing at that time. I now have the opportunity, time and finances to make the plunge. My assessment from reading this forums trials and tribulations is that the "hardware" is good, but the electronics were very shabby. I am interested in tracking down any wiring diagrams, schematics etc that could be useful. The used machine I am purchasing has the touch panel and pendant, but I am not counting on them. I currently use my homebrew Seig conversions with Linux CNC but no matter what I do to them they won't have the work envelope or rigidity that 1610l seems to offer. Has anybody tried the SkyFireCNC components? Have you tried any other BLDC controllers? I am not interested in the Tormach machines as an alternative because of size vs workspace tradeoffs. This is a hobby for me. I am a retired Electrical Engineer who is dabbling in gunsmithing and will use this machine to further that hobby as well.