Have also a series of intermittent stops which seem to be getting worse. Suspect the G540 Bob is the cause. Have 4 Leadshine Microstep drivers DMA860H, power supply and ample wiring.
Was thinking of ditching the G540 and buying a ethernet BOB. The prices of the Smoothstepper are clearly excessive and beyond my means.
Lets be very careful about the terminology we use. A BOB is a breakout board and a Smoothstepper is a motion control board. IIRC you still need breakout boards attached to the Smoothstepper to get where you are going.
A motion control board for less than $200 is a bargain. Just because it is out of your budget doesn't make it unreasonably priced. Not only are you paying for the hardware but you are also paying for ongoing support, improvements, and bug fixes.
Disclaimer, I have never used any of the Smooth Stepper stuff. I am using the stuff from Vital systems and if you think the Smooth Stepper is pricey, take a look at the Hiconn. The nice thing is that they now offer the Hiconn hobby version for much less but still "pricey" by your standards. By my standards they are a bargain because they work and have great support.
Lets also be careful about making assumptions about the equipment.I spent three day getting ready to call and scream at the guys from Vitals systems because I couldn't get my steppers to move but just as I was about to pickup the phone I took one more look and realized I had the damn step and direction wires backwards. It could just as easily be you and not the equipment.
If by intermittent stops you mean that the motor is stalling causing you to loose steps then most likely you are going too fast, have binding that you are not detecting, have something wired incorrectly, or just possibly you are using the rising edge vs the falling edge of the step signal. This of course depends on which way your drive like to see the signal. The G540 has an excellent reputation and I have had great luck with all of the Gecko stuff I have used.
Buying cheap almost always ends up costing me money in the long run so I just save up my pennies and buy what I need when I can afford it and if that takes quite a while, then so be it. Paying a lot for the sake of paying a lot is not what I mean by any means.
Mike