Re: Step/Direction Spindle Speed Control

> Any suggestions as what to use for a digitally controlled variable
> pulse rate generator to make this work? I don't know if an
> inexpensive PLC would do it and I haven't had a need (yet) to get
> into programming basic stamps.

Not really a good job for stamp, at least not the BS1 or BS2.
Perhaps one of the newer models, I have no experience with them.

However, a PIC micro programmed in assembly, hooked to a surplus LCD
and a few buttons could do this well.

I did something like this a few years back to replace an AC gearmotor
with a direct drive stepper. But it was designed to produce only
from 1 to 10 steps per second output. No ramping needed for that
application. Speed was set when the motor was stopped by twirling a
panel encoder knob from Digikey. Most of the programming was spent
making the LCD look cool.

With some more programming, the same hardware could do it...

-Tom Scarince