How to build a CNC Router?

As my somewhat naive start into the topic in this thread:
forum.linuxcnc.org/12-milling/55699-any-...th-cnc-step-machines?
has mostly changed into another direction, I open a new one.
The goal is to end up with a machine able to work mostly flat wooden material mostly up to 27mm thickness with a working area of about 1500x1000mm. (Most likely by buying a made ready chassis and fit it with the desired motors, drvers, controller, spindel/router)
As it is -as several members mentioned in the other thread- kinda unwise to dump a few 1000 bugs directly. I decided to take a less costly path first. As I would love to have some use other than learning I'm thinking of this approach:
-getting a small, used desktop sized 3-axis mill chassis (around 200x200mm) with steppers and start from there
-purpose would be something like prototype PCB milling, some small wood pendant engraving
After I have that running turn to the larger machine, with the lessons learned from the mall one.

Technically that's more router type machine, mills are big heavy monsters made of cast iron.

Yeah I have both, the little 3 axis desktop thingy is good for testing concepts and moving around.
The mill stays put in the garage, mind it's only a little 120kg thingy.

(fixed the title, wording seems a bit different in german)
EDIT title seems not to be edited.
There was a desktop sized thing on ebay for 130,- EUR so I just bought that one. Assembled, 3-axes, linear rails, steppers, cables. Seems the right starting point to learn.
I'll post details of the steppers, when I get it.

tommylight wrote:

What should the title be?

unknown mentioned "router" instead of "mill" would be more fitting for the type of machine I aim to build. Thx,
 

Did a bit of testing with the PC i have lying around (mostly Thinkpads). The old Panasonic thoughbook seems to have died.
My TP x220 (nearly all peripheral deactivated in the BIOS) does the latency test with just not exceeding 35000.
What I still not understand is the complete chain of devices from PC to the machine. As I understand it:
The budget way: 3 TB6600 connected directly over parallel port to the PC (limits the router to what the PC can process (limiting point is the latency)
The more expensive , but higher performance way:
a mesa ethernet card (FPGA doing most of the latency related stuff) connected to (more expensive and powerfull) stepper drivers.

What I seem to miss is the point of the daughter/ I/O boards (like 7i78, 7i76). Are those additional boards to have more options like (spindel speed/ on/off, peripherals like dust collector, air assist etc) or to those have the stepper drivers included).
Please let me know, if those info is somewhere in docs and I managed to miss that.

Got a pic from the ebay guy about the steppers:
D42HSC1413B-24
A quick search didn't bring up something useful, other than me guessing it is a cheap china copy of a nema stepper.

So here are some pics of the used hardware I bought.
As I did not get any exact match, this might have been a quite stupid action on my side.
Anyways, do you think it's worth a try with some of the mentioned TB6600 driver boards? Or should I drop it an start with some nema17 steppers and the mentioned TB6600 driver boards?
Plus (as I want to somewhat keep in mind the setup of the big machine) I'd like to start using a mesa board directly. Would that work with the mesa 7192 type of boards?

Just to substantiate that I am a "knowitall" (if that is the right word) NEMA means National Electrics Manufacturers Association. It is not a company, so no product piracy possible there.
The NEMA 23, 32 etc. solely refer to flange dimensions and bolt mounting patterns. Nothing to do with manufacturer, torque, voltage etc.

The only take is that usually bigger flange motors have bigger shafts, draw more current and have more torque.
There are exeptions, so a long high torque NEMA23 motor can have more torque than a "pancake" NEMA32.

As for a DIY router built. More bigger motor more better..... 

p.s. after looking at the pictures. They look like NEMA17. "Possibly pathetic", just get bigger ones that can move some machinery. For routing or milling you will not get anywhere with this. If you want to engrave some nameplates or want to drill some tiny holes, you might get away with it.



pps.: does not matter so much, you can figure out where the coils are at (my guess is 1st pin & 3rd pin for coil 1.... 4th pin & 6th pin for coil 2),
You will find lots of instructions how to figure out the pins on youtube. (tip someone gave me: just connect pin 1 & 3  and try to spin the motor by hand, if that is difficult you  found a coil)
Connect them to your motor driver. Set driver to one amp amp current, if they overheat reduce current. If they are cool enough to touch after running a while you can increase current. If they burn down, buy new ones.
That is what I always did with 2nd hand steppers and so far no fire, no damaged motor.