Hi, NC Newby

Hi everyone, I recognize a few names here. This seems to be the resource for my current project needs! I appreciate any input.

I am automating a coil-winding machine via either steppers or servo motors. The machine consists of a spindle (holds the coil bobbin) and a leadscrew which is electronically "geared" to the spindle. In a nutshell, the wire is layed down similar to a threading operation on the lathe, with multiple layers. The ratio of spindle to leadscrew must be variable from roughly 6/1 to 20/1, laying down magnet wire on the order of 100 to 800 TPI.

Torque requirements are negligible. Spindle speed must be variable from 0 to 300 RPM, with a very gentle acceleration/deceleration to avoid snapping fine wire.

I considered a closed loop system, but the chance of losing steps is minimal due to the minute torque requirement, and lost steps really won't harm the coil. So unless a powerful argument is made for servos, I have decided upon 2 stepper motors to control the machine.

My main question lies in software. I am a very good Visual Basic programmer, and I want this system to work under windows 95. Most software requires DOS Basic or C, which I really want to avoid. I can write to the parallel port, etc. Can anyone point me to a manufacturer who sells reasonably priced hardware, and software libraries which will allow me to accomplish this task? Is programming a soft acceleration difficult with steppers? I'd like to keep the cost of the NC portion under $1,000. TIA, I hope one day to be able to contribute to this group!

Kurt Bjorn
pyroware@...