[.ca] CNC Robotics (ISBN 0071418288)

Not the Best:
This book is NOT what was promised. The parts list is very lacking..you must be very familliar with electronics just to be able to order the parts..specifications would have been nice. Labeling and numbering the circuit boards would have saved tons of time. I did get a set of boards built that will run the stepper motors..I believe most of the information is correct but very hard to understand and follow..a few more wiring diagrams or more complete schematics would have been a great improvement. I could write a book on how to use this book and I have not started the gantry yet. It would have been nice to have more advice on motor selection and what it takes to drive what..too much left to guesswork.

Disappointed - Many details left out.:
I was very disappointed that many important details were left out. Anyone who does a little research on the internet and has seen a CNC router knows the basics of what makes up a machine. What the book promised were the details of how to build your own. The details and parts lists were left out. Those are the critical items. Your money would be much better spent buying a good set of plans from the internet. There are many bulletin boards and web sites that have good information. Research them.

okay book - useful for ideas:
This is an okay book. It's good for getting ideas on how to cobble things together from surplus store and scrapyard pickings, as the author has largely done. I like the improvised use of parts, like the home depot TV tray for the z-axis, or an electrical junction box and clamps used to hold the pen for running the initial plotting tests. I have some complaints as well: 1) A good 50 pages are reprint of stepper driver datasheet/application notes that you could probably find on the web. 2) Chapter 3 describes making a printed circuit board, which fine, but many would not want to hassle with the chemicals involved. The author doesn't list perfboards with solder pads as an alternative to making your own PCBs. 3) The author describes how he lifted the linear bearings from some surplus store find that he made. That's great, but what about some parts lists or even just rough specifications for those of us who didn't make that great find in the junkheap somewhere? 4) No mention of what material he used for the guide rails (looks like it could be drill rod or blower shaft to me), or how he drilled and tapped the perfectly parallel holes for fastening it to the frame. The best thing about this book is that it shows you one way to do things from beginning to end with relatively modest tools, that the author was able to achieve some results with. Overall I found it useful and enjoyable.

Not so Great Book:
The sources in the book to buy the hardware and electronics only sale products by the hundreds, if you contact them for only a few parts YOU WILL BE IGNORED, when you're not ignored you'll find that the prices are much (MUCH) higher than then ones mentioned in the book I have to complaints on the electronics part: 1) There are a total of six (6) chips to be soldered; you need some good soldering skills to successfully solder those chips without short-circuiting anything. 2) The section that explains the circuitry says, and I quote "Don't worry too much about understanding how this circuit works; as long as you follow the directions closely, the board you build will function properly," WHICH IS NOT TRUE, you have to closely follow and understand the electronics in order to find an error in the book, even though it is a minor error, it can really drive you nuts. Also note there is no contact information of the author, YOU WILL BE ON YOUR OWN. My advise to you, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK, unless you are a really good troubleshooter and willing to spend some serious time hunting for the parts.

Dissappointed:
This book is not a 'how to' book as much as it's a project journal of the author's particular CNC build. I wouldn't recommend it, there's far better (and cheaper) info on the web.