That makes sense.  I'll start with one, and when I decide more is needed, I'll add more.  Btw, spindle ordering tomorrow;)

Barry

What kinda spindle ya getting?

I'm getting an HSD spindle.  It's 2 HP, only weighs 3.5 KG and air cooled.  It's the right kind of performance vs price vs weight that I need.  Anything heavier would break my design.

Here's the link to it:

http://www.hsd.it/prodotti.asp?co_id=1020&service=

MT1073
Y6162Y0010

I'm told it'll take about 8 weeks to be in though, damn!

Barry

Be careful with the cut's. Anything above 1Hp will bend that setup. And 1HP is already beefy.
Rainer

I just received the B/C drive unit from Doughty Drive.  That is one industrial piece of engineering there.  I can't wait to use it!

I'm sure a bunch of you will say, duh, what a stupid question, but this is my first time building a cnc machine, so I'm trying to dot all my i's and crossing my t's.

I just ordered the power supplies, and wanted to verify that these will indeed do the job.  It's a lot to think about.  I'm using Gecko 203v's and they have a power supply of 15v to 80v, the motors I'm using are two fold.  5 of them are 4.2 v/4 amp, two of them are 3.36 volt/2.2 amp.  I'm wiring them all in series to be lower power/heat.  The power supply I picked out for these is a tdk lambda sws600 24v, 25amp, 600w amp.  I believe this works for all of them, yes?  I will just need to add a limiting resistor on the geckos to limit to 4.2v and 3.36 volts on their way out.

The 2nd power supply is for the 5 volt, 1 amp power supply and only powers 1 device.  That was a bit simpler;)\

Can you guys tell me if I'm on the money or off my rocker?

The spindle power supply is going to be from the manufacturer of the spindle so they'll tell me which one to get there.

Barry

You're off your rocker

Take a close look at how the cabling should look like according to the manual....

I have a bad cold, so I will not dare to give you a cookbook here with my stuffed head and smoke coming out of my ears... But here is a list of things you have to check and set accordingly and you are on your way!

1. Check the winding of your stepper. Parallel Bipolar gives the best oompffff and look up that voltage for that type of wiring for both motors. There are two other ways to connect the winindgs and they are not as powerful. Check that!

2. Take the lowest Voltage of the motor e.g. 3.5Volt and multiply that by something between 15 and 20. Till you get a result you can actually buy.... Like 40-50 Volts.
Consider that higher Volts are fine but it also becomes much much unsafer to operate.... DC is worse then AC to touch and be really really careful with anything above 5-15Volts...
Really!

3. Take the highest AMPS like 4amps and multiply with the volts you need. e.g. 70Volts times 4amps is 280 watts. Thats what one motor can pull. I know... that is not correct as it is less because the gecko drive is pulling with 20KHz and bla bla bla but I don;t want to scare the good man.... Soooooooo something like 5-600 watts will heat that flock of motors well.
Considering not all axis are moving at the same time.

4. Switching power supplies are not good. Use a Toroid transformer. Antec.... New Jersey... My Chinese Neighbor... Good Stuff and very affordable. People will try to get into an argument about toroid's and switching power supplies. Tell them I'll meet them behind the gym and show them their split diode!
5. The Gecko's resister does limit the ampere NOT the voltage. You are a tad lost there.... aehhh of the rocker .
6. The Spindle will use a VFD Device which will supply the 300 to 400 Hz to drive the RPM high. Do not let the Manufacturer talk you into some horrendous sum. Your size should not cost more than a couple hundred dollars. Check Dealers Electronic with their fabulous VFD's and great service. I have 4 from them, all quality manufacturers like Westinghouse and one fried after a year and a half and I got it exchanged for free and upgraded to the latest model...

So.... check your setup again and the best of luck. And for all.... keep it safe. This is not harmless stuff....
Just in case, give your wife my email address.... I can use that 5th axis head 
Again.... best of luck and the best wishes for a un-toasted experience
Lemo

Thanks for your advice.  I ended up ordering a 65v, 1300 watt power supply instead.  Based on your advice that's between 15 and 18 times for the large and small motors I have.  It should all be good now, thanks;)

Barry

1300 Watt, wow!
I didn't see you mentioning welding  ...
Make sure that this power supply will be on it's own breaker. It will pull a LOT when being switched on and a transformer based power supply.
20Amps slow on 120V would do...
No need to cool it as the motors will not use more than 4-500 of them 1300 Watt's.
But in case of failure you have reserves to run the tool through the floor 
Keep us posted.
Lemo

This one seemed the best value, however, if you recommend another, I'm all ears.  I'm choosing from:

http://www.kelinginc.net/SwitchingPowerSupply.html

I was choosing the 65v since that was 15 times the power of the larger motor when set in series (smaller number).  Although you are recommended parallel, which I may do as well.  I do see they offer a 975w which is only 15A, which may be better?

Both power supplies have a 5v dc output which is great to power the breakout board, smooth stepper.

Barry