DIY CNC Electronics Guide 

I have spent months studying electronics and discovered a great resource at Gregs Electro Blog (check it out on google)

normal paraller controller board cost 10-30$ only. buy old xp computer 20-40$ install linuxcnc and use paraller board lot cheapen than this example video has.max 4A motor drivers tb6600 cost about 10$ biggest have expensive, stepper motors cost less than 5Ampere 10-40$ closed loop cost 100x more than normal cheap. nema 23 kit mach3 or linuxcnc cost 3-4 motors,and drivers and powers and breakoutboard kit less than 300$ cheape i has build big aluminium mill cnc 200$ salvage motors used dm554 drivers,10$ breakoutboard,wood frame or diy welding metal tube frame.

easy and simple but ower prize lot, only controller board cost more than all my cnc machine ewery parts.

@@mattivirta did you make it yourself? Building a control board seems like a lot of fun to do.. I have all the parts to build one here plush all kids of stepper motors and other bit's and pieces.. It is just a matter of "do I really need a cnc machine at my age"..

@@tinkmarshino first cnc diy beginners best buy only cheap paraller port machine learn lot and buy cheap parts, my first cnc i made has germany cnc controller diy board i make all elektronic soldering diy at home, learn lot and test lot what need do, then understand good what and how cnc,stepper motor,controller working, today have beginner first lot easy build, need arduino, code, and parts, or if not want make elektric board diy can buy ready cheap 10$ breakout board, learn how working and how connect all pins, and important learn G-code lot how write own running code, need understand what many g-code mean, but interesting and funny work.

@@mattivirta Matti that does sound like a lot of fun.. I agree with you about getting a cheap one at first to learn on.. that is why I was thinking of making my first one from the parts I have around the shop. I have Arduinos and raspberry pi's, stepper motors and most all of the parts I need to make one.. after 70 years of working and collecting things I think I might not have to buy to many things.. and building one I can also learn how each part functions and when I break it I can fix it. What soft ware do you use for your cnc machine? I have an old cad lite program from back in the day (I was a carpenter most of my life) Do you think that might work? thanks for your input my friend.. enjoy the summer!

@@tinkmarshino im old men 63 and pension now have lot time again make different cnc and many other hobby project, have time lot now haha, i use cad cam softwares aspire vetric vcarve soft best what i has found some year before, can make wery easy g-code files automatic, because i not understand english well. cnc before uses mach3 but windows pc have big problematic not have real time not good, linuxcnc have million time better and no problems newer, only i not understand hal code how make and linux code anythink. arduino i has use little others easy projects, and linux have cood soft what i has testing bcnc whit protoneer controller board.whit linux and raspberry pi, i interesting raspberry lot i have some raspi card and just orden test and proto board and try understand how make code or cnc.i has young men build many cnc yo little metal shop factory, but now have time lot i start new all and try looking new boards and projects, not money lot pension salary not big but i try orden part when can, about no more than 50-100$/month van use. raspberry pi looking interesting possiple board make many different systems. many say fusio 380 have good make parts g-code but i test and hate this, i has used autocad many year at work but new fusion have big shit this corporation new software old autocad users. i test some month fusion but delete software ,not good, i found torrent aspire vcarve and have lot lot better easy use.and youtube have lot video how learn and make parts. i not have link to software at torrent but have olden version and crack how working fine. my main computer have at thailand my new house and im now in finland no can looking links site. my cnc have 1500x1500x400 size metal tube welding frame and stepper motors have nema 23 but future nema 34, 4,6ampere ebay cost 20$/pcs, drivers dm544 about cost 10-40$PCS, breakoutboard cheap chinese what i has used many cnc before no newer problem and if axis broken cheap change new, 10$ not newer smart use one-to-all board if one axis go broken need buy expensive board all new. old pc cost 20-50$ and install linux debian and linuxcnc software lot better than windows and mach3, mach3 has allttime lot problem not good newer thats why i chage linux not problem many year. windows not have true realtime and lost lot step alltime, linux same hardware not lost newer step.

Sorry I meant " love"

It's not that I prioritize one over the other, it's just that a big cnc project like this takes time. It is not something where I can give an update on every week, that would lead to some really boring videos.

Totally agree, that's why I ended up switching to the Masso G3 on my main machine.

It is the Ethernet Smoothstepper board, but I believe it only works with Mach4. For Linux CNC the Mesa boards are your best bet.

The closed loop motors come with dedicated drivers that do all the magic. The controller is then connected just like any other stepper driver. Unless you specifically wire up some error signals, the controller has no idea that closed loop steppers are used. That is unless you go to the high end where everything talks to eachother, but then you wouldn't be using an arduino anyhow.

@@DarkArtGuitars So if I buy closed loop stepper motors and drivers, I will have a closed loop system, that will prevent the steppers from missing steps, and I can use basically any controller like e.g. an Arduino Uno? Just to be clear 🙂

I believe you can just hook it up to any input and then assign it in Mach4

The smooth stepper with MB2 breakout board will do up to 6 axis. You can use both steppers and servo motors, as the encoder feedback of a servo motor goes to it's driver and not the CNC controller directly. You can then connect the driver to an input pin of the CNC controller to know when there is an alarm or some other issue. If you are looking for a slightly cheaper option, I will have a CNC project coming up where I use Mach 3 with a bit of a cheaper CNC controller, but that'll be a month at least until it's ready.

Hello again Tabulab Thanks for your prompt answer, in general I’m a newbee in the cnc world Is there any possibilities that you will do a video, using linuxcnc, as far as I know is the one the controls most axis, I do not know mach4 Br

Depends on the size and construction of your CNC. For most diy router style machines some Nema 23 variant will do, but you'll have to do more research on what exact power matches your requirements.

@@DarkArtGuitars greetings I am looking at because it is not a router that it needs a lot of torque u really should not need a very strong stepper motor to move all the axes what is yr opinion pls

minimum stepper motors if want cut wood and aluminium have nema 23 but better buy biggest nema 34 size motors important have torgue and amperes 4-12Ampere motors. and this amperes drivers. nema 17 can use only 3D printers and laser engraves no need lot torgues.

Have a look at the stuff from Mesa. I don't use LinuxCNC myself, but I've heard good things about them.

usb board, arduino, mesa boards,

only bcnc and GRBL has make code arduino can understand pc and send step, dir to drivers.

Practice makes perfect, how many can you speak?