Craig,
Thanks again, yes, I am using the Vital Systems Hicon Integra 7766 with closed loop activation. It is the actual motion controller and not an addon board as you correctly concluded. In conjunction with it is a 7737 encoder board, also Vital Systems. The encoders report directly to the 7766 thru the 7737 making the 7766 aware of the precise motor positions at all times. All calculations with regard to encoder feedback, step generation, command position, and following error are handled internally by the 7766. I am not having any faults arising within the drives themselves as their setting perimiters are intentionally much wider than 7766 thus avoiding driver faults. I am having some success with adjusting motor settings within Mach4, acceleration in particular so it looks like a path to follow. I totally agree that servos are far superior to steppers in an arrangment, but my best friend knows my wife far to well and is not about to leave with her, so there I am stuck steppers.
Thanks, Lou