Hi guys,

I somewhat new to this CNC world.

I would like to build a CNC 3 axes and maybe if i find an extra servo motor in the garage a 4D (3D printing ) machine.

what i have now is
 3 servo motors Industruial (encoder are build within so 2 output,  one for power and the second socket for the encoder) kollmorgen I don't recall the exact model  
 3 servo drive model star.....something don't recall either ..... but they can drive the motor so that is not an issue.
 power unit also all the axes so ..ball screws - axes - limit switch and what not.
 and a computer

do I need a breakboard ? if so any recommendation ? and could you explain to me the use of a breakboard ?

p.s. motors are AC

thank you in advance.

First thing you need to get is a bit of info regarding the servo drives. Such as can they accept Step/Dir signals or are they +/- 10v analogue command?

Hood

Hi Hood,

Yes, yes the can take +/- 10v analog.

Ok if they can ONLY take the analogue voltage then you will need an external controller that can send these signals, Machs native signal is Step/Direction.
There are a few different controllers that can do +/- 10v, the ones I know of are
CSMIO/IP-A from CS-Lab in Poland (I am using one and it is excellent)
DSPMC from Vital Systems in USA
Kflop with Kanalog from Dynamotion in the USA
Galil from USA

All of these are relatively expensive and may be a bit more than is needed for a 3D printing machine, if that is the case then it may be cheaper to look for motors/drives that can accept Step/Dir signals.
Hood

Hi Hood,
thanks for the info i'll have a look.
I found the driver model if it's of any help. it's  Kollmorgen Servostar CD SynqNet Drive.

also found an old MC206 Motion Coordinator not sure if can work with mach3 .....

Just looked and from a quick glance it seems it is only analogue command so you would need a motion controller that can do that and is supported by Mach. I dont know anything about the MC206 but unlikely it will work with Mach.
Hood

OK thank you for the advice. Really appreciate.

One last question do i need one of those PMDX breakout boards ?   Yes/NO ?  and even if NO could you explain to me in laymen terms what do they do or use for , are they like controller for step motor drive or something of a sort ??

Thank you again for all you time and help.. It's hard for a noob like me.

Ok if you want to use these drives with Mach then you will have to use a motion controller that can output +/- 10v signals and that is compatible with Mach.
If you use a CSMIO/IP-A then no breakout board is required as it comes with Din rail connectors and the actual I/O of the controller is isolated.
The DSPMC would need a breakout board and I think it is extra.
Kflop with Kanalog I am not sure about but think possibly the Kanalog may work as a breakout.

Now if getting drives that can accept step/dir signals then a breakout board is not totally necessary but it is recommended. A basic breakout board is just a means of easily connecting your wires to, more complex ones have isolation and signal conditioning on them.

Another thing to consider is most AC servo drives require 24v I/O so if using the parallel port you would need to also have devices to change 24v to 5v ad vice versa.
 

If

Hi hood,

So far looks like i'm gonna go with CSMIO/IP-A or Kflop+Kanalog.  They seem the best considering price range that I can afford.  The thing I don't understand is that my encoder have a serial plugout (exit out encorder) and the controller in the case of CSMIO/IP-A has parallel port . So I buy a converter serial/parallel or I change the wires..?? and if I go the Kflop route does that mean that I have to cut the other extremity and take wire by wire to plug into the ''Kanalog Breakboard" ?? If you could confirm the step before I start breaking anything... It's my first CNC built ...

Also I have found so other servo motor really really big big HUGE ones , could you tell where i can find some affordable drive for servo motor but there are really big like industrial kind, I hear of gekko but i wounder if any other exist , cuz i don't think gekko as enough power to drive it ? Need something with a little more juice....

And last but not least a drive for 10 wire STEP motors !!! can find anything for 10 wires STEP motor to drive it found some for 4-6 and 8 but nothing for 10 wires.... any recommendation ??

Thank you again for you help. I know I must exasperate you, but I have to start and learn somewhere right