WOW !!!

I have been running an Emco 5 PC lathe with CNCpro and 2 Gecko 201
drives it
was running good but I could not get more than 16 IPM in X and 20 IPM
in Z (
the 201 is a micro steeping drive , it takes 10 pulses to move 1 step
) when
I
would set the speed higher CNCpro would give me a message that max
federate
was
exceeded .
I bought a Gecko 210 with the multiplier board to try now I don't the
message but the motor skips sometimes , it only gave me an
increase to 22 IPM ( later I'll find out why ).
My computer was rather old so I bought a 133 MHZ on eBay for $35.00
installed
it and raised the feed rate to 30 , worked great , 40 worked great ,
50
worked
great 60 worked great , 70 worked great , 80 would not start and
stop
correctly ( even with acceleration changes ) .
So just changing the computer raised me from 16 & 20 to 70 & 70 WOW
what a
difference the machine is soo small that it looks ridiculous at 70 IPM
but it
cut over a minute per part off the production job that is running now
, 500
parts X 1.5 min. = 750 minutes at about a dollar a minute that was the
best
$35
computer I've ever bought .

Bottom line , don't use the old slow computers , the pulses aren't
smooth
enough

Ps. I'm using the newer type stepper motors that are square , these
are the
smaller 23 size double stack and the 50V. power supply that was in
the machine.

Ron Kline