Electronics

Right: Our Torchmate III electronics were selected after many months of testing. Two 264 oz. in. stepper motors are used on either side of the X axis and a third powers the Y axis.

Each motor operates through a 3.4 to 1 timing belt/pulley reduction to eliminate backlash, and maximize torque and resolution. A test indicator has measured positioning accuracy at 1 1/2 thousandths of an inch (.0015").

The 3.4:1 reduction results in a whopping 1795 oz. in. of effective torque on the dual motored X axis, and 897 oz. in. on the single motor Y axis.

Torchmate III finished machines and kits come with dual 264 oz. in. motors on
the X (long) axis, and one 264 oz. in. motor on the Y axis.

Right: One of the other electronics packages we tested was a 264 oz. in. servo system. The system looked impressive, but it was very difficult to configure properly and keep tuned.

The servo system's positioning and repeatability accuracy was about the same as with our half-stepping, electronics, but less consistent. It was also difficult to jog the servo motors without excessive coasting.

One of the servo motors went bad during the course of testing. The stepper motors never skipped a step and operated perfectly during the entire testing period. They still are performing flawlessly.