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For sake of simplicity, you could get this (these are the same torque specs used on the newest X-Carve so they wouldn’t overload the controller at all & can push those lead screws just fine):
Nema23 269oz 3 Pack: https://amzn.to/3zIMwAn
Nema23 269oz Single: https://amzn.to/3Ny2anK
Terminal Block: https://amzn.to/3h1LokV
Order one of Each and you’d be in $120 and you’d just cut off the long connector from the existing cables you were given and use the terminal block to connect the new steppers (they have bare wires at the end but are like half the price of the Inventables ones with their custom long connector).
This would allow you to use the stock X-Controller and not have to worried about any other custom wiring, setting up Mach, and the closed loop stuff.
You could save all of those other electronics in case you wanted to look into that in the future OR sell it off to fund this but you could probably get like $400-500 for those close loop, driver integrated steppers alone, plus those boards and extra power supplies.
Yes, so the spindle can be used either standalone (totally separate) which is the way I first set mine up to keep the setup as simple as possible. I turn on the cnc controller (VFD is plugged into the same power strip and powers up) , and go through the steps of starting a carve, and at the very last step I press the “run” button on the VFD and can adjust the knob for RPM then and fine tune that RPM during the carve…
OR you can connect the X-Controller’s “PWM” signal connection on the green plug at the back of the X-controller. And with that you can allow the computer to turn on the spindle and control the RPM. the benefit of this method is that you don’t manually have to adjust the knob AND at the end of the carve, the Spindle is automatically stopped when the carve completed.
In the standalone method the spindle will keep on spinning at the end until I press the “run” button again to stop it. (could also be wired into an E-Stop for safety, but hey I’m lazy in that regard and IF i need an E-Stop I just hit the switch on my power strip )
This is an important question. Acme screws are not super efficient. You’ll use up some torque just to turn them. Other people have done the upgrade, but maybe your guy went to the hybrid steppers for a reason.
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