consider it a part of the machine and do not use it for other things.
I also suggest dedicating an older PC to the machine just to do cnc tasks. It is a significant project, but for me has been well worth it.
I use stepper motors that have the shaft extending from both ends, and put a manual knob on the outboard end to allow you to manually move an axis if you need to. You can always convert it back to shark controler and motors if you sell it.
That way you can take your time and in the end you will have a very good understanding of how to service your machine if some component should fail. I would suggest buying new motors and getting the drive system up and running (off of the machine) with mach 3 before taking anything on your existing machine apart. Gecko g540, smooth stepper, and motors were all sourced on line from various internet cnc part vendors. I used comon microswitches for home and limit switches. The switches etc are all standard off the shelf items. The Gecko uses a different pin configuration for the motors. Keep the shark controller and motors together as a set.
Later bought much bigger motors and went to 48 volts.
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Since I have purchased a license for Mach3 and Sheetcam. NONE !! It has been a year since obtaining the table. prior to the purchase I had no CNC experience. What I liked about the basic components is that they were all " off the shelf " components.
The Mach3 software I received that was loaded on the computer was pirated. I knew I would be on my own, with no help from the manufacturer. I purchased a Lightning CNC table from a bankruptcy sale. Additional documentation can be found on the Warp9 website (the manufacturer of Smoothstepper), where their manual can be downloaded. I am looking for help to get a CNC plasma table up and running. Ethernet Smoothstepper Setup Guide This guide provides step by step setup instructions for the Ethernet Smoothstepper (or ESS).