I'm still waiting on some parts I order for making my CNC, but despite being good with the mechanical parts my electronics knowledge is very limited so I'm looking for some advice. These are the components I got so far, but I'm not really sure what else I would need (like what kind of drivers for the motors etc.) - CNC Shield v3 with and Arduino Uno (CNC Shield V3.0+ UNO R3 Board + A4988 Driver + Heatsink Kits For Arduino CNC Kit | eBay) - 4x Nema 23 Motors (【EU Ship】NEMA23 for 287oz-in CNC Wantai stepper motor /3.0A , 2phase, Engraver | eBay) - 24V Power Supply (350W 24V 14.6A Single Output Switching power supply AC TO DC | eBay) All your help is very appreciated!
The A4988 Stepper Motor Driver do not have the amperage you may require. They are made for 3d printers with much smaller motors. I wish they would not be marketed for CNC applications. The external drivers like the TB6600 (good) or DQ542MA (better) would be a much better option. You can still use an Arduino, but pay the $20 and get an official one that is guaranteed to work. I had a CHinese clone when I first started. it lasted about two months of light work. I have since replaced it with a real one and it has worked great for 2 years. The Uno board you have may, or may not, have issues running GRBL because it is a cheap clone with the CH340 chip. See Ask Grbl CNC questions here. The package says: While you are waiting for parts, thoroughly read this gnea/grbl because it will answer most questions you will have. I refer to it often whenever I have an issue pop up. So far I have been able to resolve most on my own and I have very little electronics background. It has all been self taught since I got into this hobby. Also, read all the cnc posts as they come in daily. People are asking questions and getting answers everyday. I call it OpenBuilds University. I have learned so much just by reading forums.
Thanks for the replying! I thought I needed to change something with the drivers since these motors require 3 A. Do you have any recommendations on what drivers to get for my motors? Also might be a dumb question but can I run two motors of one driver? I'm asking since I will use 2 out of 4 motors for my y axis (basing my machine on the OX-Metal). I understand what you said about my Uno board, I only started this recently so I guess I'll use this one for testing and if it won't be handle what I'll be using it for I will buy a legit Uno. I have read parts of that since I already have a small A3 laser engraver that I got as a kit but later on modified to add TTL support, different software etc. I will definitely read it more thoroughly now while I'm waiting for the rest of the parts to arrive. Thank you for the advice!
The external drivers like the TB6600 (good) or DQ542MA (better) would be a much better option. They can still be used with the Uno board. I use an Uno and DQ542MA drivers for my CNC. You can run 2 motors off one driver if the driver can handle the amperage. To make connections to my Uno from the drivers easy, I used a screw shield in my build. This is one example https://www.amazon.com/Aideepen-Ass...sr=8-3&keywords=arduino+screw+terminal+shield
Hmm... as far as I can see those can handle up to 4 A usually, so it might just be better to get one for each motor. I think that's all the help I need at the moment (unless there's something else I need besides an uno, a power supply and the drivers for the electronics). Thank you for the help and hopefully I'll be able to do the rest on my own when everything arrives.
