I need to identify the manufacturer of the CNC controller that came with our RC Foam Cutter.  Knowing the manufacture of the controller we an then resolve some issues we have been having with it.

Attached are a few photographs of it.

Thanks!  Bret C

Hi,
sorry I can't identify them either, I see they have Toshiba TB6600 driver chips. That pretty much means made in China.
In fact at first I thought I saw a wisp of smoke leaking out of one... but no just granulation of the pic.

If you are using this machine for commercial use do yourself a favour and replace it with a Geko 540 or better if you can afford
it. Then you don't have to worry about or fiddle with the controller just get on with some real smart Gcode to cut some great designs.

Craig

Hello Craig:

Thank you for your reply.  To your point, it does not make any difference what brand it is because based on my poor experience with it, I must get a better one. 

So - what is better than Geko 540?

Thanks

Bret C

Hi,
probably didn't put that well. Most CNCers would say that they don't come better than Geko, no doubt there are some superb
and expensive brands out there but in the Mach world Geko is the by-word for quality.

The G540 is a combined device, it has 4 built in stepper drivers and IO amps to match one PP. I've seen it advertised for just under
$300 US which is good value for it quality and therefore VERY popular amongst CNCers. The G540 has an upper voltage limit of 50V,
which is good for most purposes but Gekos other models G203, G213 etc have 80V capable drivers. The higher voltage allows you to
drive your steppers faster at reasonable torque. Stepper motors are very poor at high speed and any and every effort is usually expended
to improve them at speed and still remain cheap. The G203s etc are a single driver, ie you require one for each axis and also a BOB
and therefore costs more than a single G540 so you pay quite a premium for the extra speed.

If you are 'made of bucks' and/or really need your machine to whizz around to make money then you need genuine servos. Some of the
cheapest crappiest servos are the same price as a good stepper and drive but any midway-to-good servo and amp is way more expensive
than a stepper and drive.

Craig

For the record I believe I found the manufacture of the CNC controller pictured above.  It is manufactured by http://nc-tech.cc/.

The controller in the photographs is TERRIBLE!

I am pleased to report that RC Foam Cutter sent me a better CNC controller and the foam cutter is operating like a totally new machine.  Very nice!  I suspect the replacement controller was manufactured by the same company, but it appears to be more robust.  With the previous controller the axis would not stay in calibration.  Also the motors sounded like they were grinding.  Now the motors operate smooth with a common whine.

Bret C