Just finished my DNC2 Mini build, here is what i have to say about it
Honestly this is a neat little machine. The instruction manuals for assembly are pretty good. There are a couple of things missing but over all for a kit they are fine. Many of the issues people pointed out in the past seem to have been fixed and my kit went together with little issues. Remember it is a kit and i mean kit. excluding the nuts/bolts, it is still a couple of hundred parts. This is not small task if your not mechanically inclined. My total build time including electronics was about 25-26 hours (ya i kept track). One thing that agitated the shit out of me was the wiring color codes in some cases didn't match what they sent you. Make some notes, get over it.
I really did enjoy building it, its like an Erector Set for adults. I also learned everything there is to know about it so fixing it in the future will be no issue
The single hardest part, and the most important, is tramming it square. While there is some adjustable it takes a while. It took 4 more hours but currently my XY is square to about .0005" over 4 ". I have less than 0.0005" backlash on X & Y, and almost 0 on Z.
The absolute worst part of the kit is the documentation of the mach3 controller set up and operation. It's not Omar's fault but the screens in the Mach3 software simply suck ass. even the new one they recommend using, it is just shit ( i run a robotics company and one of my task is PLC and touch screen development). Once you get around the quirky layout, it does run well. its the setup side of things that is so bad.
My controller card kind of had a problem and Omar is send me out a new one.
It seems to me that most of the complaining about the machine itself is that people want a Haas for $2,500. Well, your not getting it. It is a hobbyist tool.
After reading some other reviews before my purchase i did some mods during the build. First the mounting bracket for the X axis servo is a piece of shit and Omar should be fucking embarrassed he even ships it, its by fast the single crappiest part of the kit. The is a cast iron replacement on Amazon for $23, buy it. Secondly the touch probe is junk. I bought a 3d probe for $79 from Amazon and a tool presetter too. Don't waste you time with the parts the machine comes with, you will be happier.
So the final opinion is not in yet for me. I'm just starting to make cuts and already i think the servo controls need some tweaks, its a little aggressive so it can be jerky.
The machine data is provided in an XML file. this contains all the parameters. While it serves as a base line, i cannot for the life of me figure out why they don't provide a fully configured one for this machine with a standard build. i mean simple things like axis limits are even set. the standard XML will make the machine move but everything else is on you. It would literally cost them nothing but the overall experience would be 1000% better. If it was my company this would literally be addressed before the day is over.
So, is it a decent kit for $2500? It looks like. Is it a Haas mini mill, no but that is not apples to apples either
anyway, that my 2 cents...
