Senior Member
Joined: 09/12/2009
Location: AustraliaPosts: 221
| Posted: 09:16pm 02 Jan 2015 |
Hi Bryan, I don't know if you want to spend the bucks, but depending on your stepper motor amperage a tinyg or similair might be worth looking into. cost is about $130 US.
https://synthetos.myshopify.com/products/tinyg
It plugs into a USB port, and you just feed it g-code files. It handles all the g-code to movement stuff, which means you can use a pretty crappy computer.
I went the holes in MDF with threads tapped route initially with my spoil board as well. I found the mdf pulled up around the holes, particularly if I was doing fairly rapid cornering. that pulls on the work piece a lot.
My current spoil board has pockets the same size and shape as a 1/4" nut cut in the bottom, with a hole going all the way through. I bought a couple of 50 pack 1/4" nuts for $3.50 (at bunnings) and stuck them in the pockets with a bit of super glue. It seems to work much better.