Has anyone tried running on 24 volts? I have a Printrbot Beta CNC that runs very nicely on 24v with pretty much the same hardware I’m using on the MPCNC. So… is there any advantage to 24 volts, downsides?
There is not much advantage. Steppers might be slightly faster (slightly higher torque at high speed) but practically this is a difference you are unlikely to ever notice.
There is not much disadvantage either, the only real issue is compatibility. Not all boards support 24V, and if you want to add a fan or printer heated bed for example, it may be generally easier to find 12V parts. It’s also easier to find 12V supplies for computers. But if you know your intended board is compatible, and if you have a 24V supply in mind, go for it.
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For the mpcnc, I don’t think there is an advantage. If you were running long leadscrews, more voltage would be great because leadscrews take more to drive and are slower at the same rotation than belt and pinion. If you’re just running belt and pinion, there’s not much of an advantage because they won’t go that fast on the mpcnc anyways.
For 3d printers which go pretty fast, 24v is nice because of the lower current for the bed/hotend, etc. Both heat up quite fast on 24V.