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Cheap Cnc Controls.

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Dawai:
I purchased a Sainsmart TB6560 3 axis 3.5 amp drive board off Amazon, $52.
I purchased a Uno Arduino micro-controller off another site, $17.
Headers pins, $3
I purchased a 24vdc power supply from another source, $35.

Downloading "GRBL" firmware- software for the Arduino off Github (free)
Using a "wire wrap tool" to make inter-connections, see pin-out for Grbl, make sure you are creating a positive step pulse.

A couple of cheap stepper motors I removed from a plotter years ago, suddenly you have a "full blown cnc control" for a tad over a hundred dollars. 

Mechanical, Doing the "3d printer" method of "toothed belt", about another $25-30.. and you have most the mechanics. Slides are 8mm chrome cnc axis rods from Amazon, sliders are ball bearings costing about $2 each.

Now all parts are "here" to complete the "cnc plasma" I started 10 or so years ago. Those servo motors-gearboxes I have near a thousand in thou.

To use GRBL arduino firmware, you simply connect the usb cable and "drip" gcode statements-movements to the arduino from a laptop, the arduino takes care of all the co-ordination & Interpolation of movements. It is not as fast as a real "computer and Mach3" so if you want, wire off the 3 axis drive with a parallel port cable, so you can connect a pc if you want to go faster. I found the speed on my unit is around sixty ipm or so.

vtsteam:
Excellent Dawai!

That would be way more than fast enough for a hot wire cutter for foam by the way -- to anyone interested in the lost foam casting process I've been writing about lately. While it is only three axis, it could still be set up to cut untapered cores -- actually you really only need two axes for that.

You can control a hot wire cutter with the free JediCut program -- probably would work with the sainsmart -- I'm guessing without the arduino -- not sure.

Anyway, thanks for posting! :thumbup: :clap:

Dawai:
I bought some nichrome wire for a Hot foam cutter, a SSCV (rheostat voltage control SSR)  I plan on doing some cnc cutting.

Unit is running flawlessly. I installed it on a back panel, two Gecko 203 Stepper drives for two 5 amp 400oz motors. A TB6560 3 stepper driver (sainsmart) running two 280 oz motors, and the third axis running a stepper printer extruder. It screams like a lil girl running off MACH3 (same computer that runs my bridgeport cnc)  Sound gave me a all day headache.. really annoying, so I predict insulation will be in the enclosure when I build it.

Now doing the mechanical work, bought a box of 25 chain, sprockets, cam belts, gear sprockets.

To Run from one Parallel port, I split a db25 cable, identified the wires by meter, connected both the tb6560 and the gecko drives to one port via a terminal strip.  Two of the drives on the TB6560 are tied together, Siamese to run together.

I have Grbl running on a Mega2560 arduino, It will be tied in with jumpers to a parallel port cable where it can be moved in and out in case I don't like it.. I have had some trouble with the Chinglish translation.

vtsteam:
It would be great to see some pics Dawai, if you get a chance.

You inspired me to get another single driver board, just received. Haven't tried it out yet. Amazing how prices have come down.

ieezitin:
Hi.

I am more than interested in making my mill a cnc but I have never made electrical boards or connected computer parts together, but I am more than capable of reading schematics, any chance someone could make a detailed thread on building such equipment to make the brains of this system.

Many thanks.

Anthony.

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