I built an MPCNC and I am using a red Mach3 USB controller board with 6065 drivers

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Thank you for your support.

I built an MPCNC and I am using a red Mach3 USB controller board with 6065 drivers. The motors are NEMA 17 series 4401s. The belt system is GT2, 6 mm wide.

I am working with a maximum speed of 498.02, and I am using a Dremel as the spindle. When cutting or engraving 3 mm MDF, it starts to lose steps. I have been getting help from ChatGPT, but when I go deeper into the cut, the machine loses steps.

I am using 23.5 mm tubes, and the bearings are 608 ZZ ball bearings.

At this point, I am not sure what else can be adjusted in the structure.

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Greetings, Eduardo.

Welcome to the V1 community forums.

You haven’t told us enough yet about your machine and build so I’ll ask some more questions.

That’s not a board we use here on our machines very often if at all, so we’ll need to know more about the board and how you have it configured. A few questions at first:

What power supply voltage are you driving your steppers with?

What drive and hold current is configured for your stepper drivers?

Do you have a link to the actual part you are using? If, for example, you used a 17HS4401, these are too low torque for most of our machines, and to even get that torque they need 1.5A of current, more than we typically configure for.

I’m glad you chose to come here for help, where we actually build and use these machines.

Asking AI for help is like heading out to the local street corner and asking the first passer by for advice on CNC machine building. I hope you’ll find this community a better source of information and guidance.

At first read, I’d say the problem isn’t with the structure, but rather with the choice of motors and possibly drivers.

It would be helpful to us to see pictures of your build so we can see more of the small details that come with a complicated machine build.

Once more, welcome to our community and to these forums.

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The drivers I am using, if I am not mistaken, are TB6065 rated at 3A, configured to 1/16 microstepping. I am running 2 drivers per motor on the controller board. Each motor operates between 1.2 and 1.5 A.

For the X and Y axes, I have 2 motors per axis. On the Z axis, I am using an 8 mm lead screw with 4 starts.

To power the motors, I use a 24V 30A power supply, and for the rest of the electronics, a 12V 8.8A power supply.

In the video I uploaded to YouTube, you can better see the assembly and the distribution of the electronics, which is built in sections.

In the Mach3 software, the minimum motor speed is set to 498.02 and the maximum to 798.45.

The machine works fairly well overall when it is not under heavy load. However, when I start using the Dremel tool, it begins to lose steps. I am not sure if this is due to the belts, which are 6 mm wide.

On the other hand, I would like to become part of the community.

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I’m not sure how to parse that. Each TB6065 should be able to drive a motor directly, there shouldn’t be any need for two drivers per motor.

You still haven’t confirmed the specific model of stepper you are using. Looking at your pictures, you don’t appear to be using the higher torque rated steppers we generally advise for these builds. The recommended motors are .59 N*m torque.

Your build is extremely well organized, neat and clean. That looks great to me!

You could be losing steps because you’re trying to pull the dremel through the material at too high a feed rate. You might also not have sufficient torque in the steppers. What do the chips look like when you do a cut?

This is unlikely.

You are actively posting here, so you’re in the community.
Hopefully others will join in with me in welcoming you and providing you with feedback and more questions.

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Welcome aboard :grinning_face: you setup is very nice :ok_hand: Hopefully everyone here can get you pointed in the direction for success.

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Where is this video?

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The motor model is US-17HS4401S.

Excellent, thank you for the help.

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I have been experiencing problems with the TB6560 drivers. After some research, I found that they are not suitable for this system, as they support up to 200 microsteps, compared to the TB6600 drivers, which can operate with up to 1/32 microstepping, providing smoother and more stable control.

I also have other types of control boards available, such as the Arduino Mega kit and the boards used in 3D printers with A4988 or DRV8825 drivers, as well as the BigTreeTech board, like the one used in the Ender 3 V3 mini.

Which of these options would you recommend for this type of project?

Additionally, I would like this to be a DIY project with two functions: a machine for cutting and engraving letters, and another for making illuminated signs. The idea is to use materials such as MDF and acrylic for structural cuts, bases, and supports, combined with 3D-printed parts to form structures, logos, and low-profile lettering.

The design is intended for low-profile work, not very tall, with a working height of approximately 100 to 150 mm. I have enough material to extend the machine in length (long axis), but not in width, so the expansion of the system would mainly be along the longitudinal axis.

On the other hand, at the moment it is becoming somewhat difficult to obtain updates for Mach3-based machines due to the situation we are currently experiencing in Venezuela. Recently, seismic activity was recorded with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, with an approximate duration of 0.39 seconds; in my area they were not very strong, but in other states and in the capital they were felt with greater intensity.

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“Thanks to the community, greetings!”

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Whatever you do, don’t buy the TB6600, they suck and are loud as hell. :smiley:

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