Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Gecko power requirements

> Since the parallel port on this specific motherboard actually comes off
> a header and travels via ribbon cable to the connector the external cable
> goes to,
> would it be feasible for me to strip out the 25th pin's wire and splice it
> to
> a +5V source from the computer's power supply?

Sure, until someone plugs in a printer...

If you have any spare output pins you could cut one of their wires and
replace that with 5vdc. At least then you won't fry anything else
that gets plugged in, it just won't work.

You should probably fuse it, with a small (100 ma?) fuse, too. Some
computer power supplies (Dell) have zero tolerance for short
circuits... don't ask me how I know (and it had non-standard wiring,
so I had to make a new harness for the replacement). Get your
power off a spare disk power cable, not the motherboard!

When I rebuilt an old stepper drive box that was desgined to run an
early cnc sherline off an Apple ][, I simply bought a powercube at a
flea market for 25 cents, gutted it, and mounted it inside the case
to provide power to the optoisolators. I prefer this route
as it keeps both the drive box and the computer self-contained
and self-powered.

Chris