I'm working on a cartesian device that will end up having 6 Nema-17 motors and 2 off-brand motors that I need to connect to a Controller (or multiple controllers), and then power. Looking at the Open Builds store, it looks like there are a number of options, many of which out of stock, and it's not clear which controllers are best, and which power supplies are best matched to those controllers. Are there any great resources you might be able to point me towards, or can you give me any advice on how best to make these decisions? Thanks in advance.
Hello Abe, I may not be able to answer your questions, but I have a couple that may help others answer them for you. Are any of the axis slave or paired together? What are the generic motors? What type of machine is this? Welcome to Openbuilds. Joe
Hey Joe ... Two of the Nema are paired/linked together, the generic motors came with two grippers we're using ... Not sure about their specifics. It's basically robotic device that picks up and manipulates objects. System that moves front to back (the paired motors), side to side, two grippers moving up and down independent of each other. Nema motors to move the grippers, off-brand motors to open and close the grippers. Thank you for the interest.
Abe, just a point of order that may save you some confusion later. NEMA 17 is a reference to a size not a brand. All steppers are pretty much generic. (Sure, they may have brand labels on them but size, output, and price are generally why you choose a specific stepper not company's the logo.) So the gripper motors are not necessarily off brand, just potentially a different size or type. You do need to determine whether they are steppers or servos though before beginning your search for a controller. You'll either need one that can handle 8 steppers or 6 steppers and 2 servos (or as Joe was alluding to, 7 steppers or 5+2 if you can find ways to double up connections for steppers with matching motions).
