Phase output vs. step and direction

Subject: Re: Unregulated power supply

> From: Gary Passon <gary@...>
> Separate question... would the EMC software run the AHHA hardware? If so,

they have

> a cool pendant available.

I called them about this a year or so ago. They explained that their actual
"product" is the software and that they use the card that plugs into the PC's
backplane as a sort of "dongle" to prevent people from pirating the program.
As you might guess, they were unwilling to disclose the type of technical
information needed to communicate with their board, since the same data could
be used to construct "plug compatible" boards! They were somewhat taken aback
that I thought more of their hardware than their software.

If you are referring instead to AHHA's stepper driver products then the
answer is yes since they accept the standard step and direction signals
generated by all of the control programs discussed on this list (with maybe
an exception for MaxNC, I thought they did phase control...).

[While they use phase output for their own machines, they offer a step and
direction version of their software for the same price, so you can use
other hardware if you wish.]

AHHA does make
some high power, pre-assembled stepper drivers, but to beat Dan's 5A board
would cost more than $2000 as of the last time I priced their stuff.

Matt

[Do any of you electronics-savvy people out there want to make a little
extra money by assembling one of Dan's boards for me? I don't know a
resistor from a capacitor, and I don't want to screw it up by using this as
my first electonic soldering project. I'd like to get something that would
drive those Oriental motors I bought, and they seem a bit too big for the
MaxNC board. I guess I need to figure out a power supply as well,,,]

Andrew Werby


Andrew Werby - United Artworks
Sculpture, Jewelry, and Other Art Stuff
http://unitedartworks.com