Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] DeskNC Windows version

It is rather trivial to build a stepper motor controller. Any PIC or other
good microcontroller can become a stepper controller with the addition of
just a little software. Somewhere I've got the code in C for one I did about
3 years ago to run an embedded printer motor with a PIC16C77. It would need
current limiting added to it and microstepping if you wanted to do that.

It wouldn't be very difficult to add ramping to the micro either.

Microstepping, I have no idea how to do. But if someone would explain it, I
could code it <g>.

But then comes the question of why. With the price of Gecko drives, it's
really not worth the trouble to build your own drivers.

later,
Larry E.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol & Jerry Jankura" <jerry.jankura@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 7:01 PM
Subject: RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] DeskNC Windows version


> Has anyone looked into some of the stepper motor controller chips that
used
> to be available. It's been several years now, but I've used a Cybernetics
> Microsystems chip that was a self contained stepper controller. You simply
> added the driver transistors. That was at least 10-15 years ago, so I'd
bet
> that there are better chips out there today. It shouldn't be all that
> difficult to put a few of these on a board to drive your steppers.
>
> -- Carol & Jerry Jankura
> Strongsville, Ohio
> So many toys, so little time
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry Edington [mailto:ledington@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 7:13 PM
> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] DeskNC Windows version
>
>
> High speed I/O on the parallel port under Windows is not impossible. But
it
> is difficult to do a lot of calculations, timing and pump the data out
under
> Windows. The parallel port is just 3, 8 bit ports. You have hundreds of
> other 8 bit ports in your PC screaming along at very high speeds under
> Windows software control all the time.
>
> The best way I know of to do this in Windows is by using a .vxd ( or wdm
or
> whatever it'll be called in the next versions of Windows ). The
application
> program reads the G codes and calculates the step commands. These commands
> are handed off to the .vxd which runs at Ring 0 and has access to all
ports
> of the system without the usual restrictions of Windows. The .vxd handles
> the timing and step / dir outputs.
>
>
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