Re: Question:Parallel interface with Gecko 201 drivers

While using a breakout board is probably the best way to go, i find
myself wanting to make my own cable for the pure satisfaction of it
and the learning experience..
Heres what i know about cabling from parallel port.....
The wires must be in twisted pairs.
The step/dir wires must not be in the same twisted pair.
The length should be no more than 12 feet in length.
Any power derived from the controller source must be seperate from
the step/ dir wires. Prefferably as far away as possible.
The wires must be of a shielded kind.

My question is this....
If the step/dir wires can not be put in the same twisted pair, then
what should a twisted pair consist of?
Two step in a pair or two dir in a pair? Or what?
If you were to make your own cable(eveen though you probably would
opt not top do so) How would arrange the wires??

Thanks again

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "Tim Goldstein" <timg@k...> wrote:
> Yes you can just cut off the centronics, trace down the wires to
know which
> pin they connect to and then connect direct to the Geckos. I have
done it
> before. Honestly it is not worth the time and the tiny wires in
the cable do
> not clamp onto the Gecko connectors very well. My suggestion and
what I do
> now is just buy DB25 breakout (junction) boards from Dan Mauch at
> Camtronics. They are nothing fancy. You just use a DB25 to a DB25
cable,
> connect the board and it gives you a nicely labeled and easy to
access row
> of screw terminals just like on the Gecko for all the pins in the
parallel
> port.
>
> There is no ground connection between the Gecko and the computer
if you use
> G201 or G320 drives. If you use G210 or G340 you can configure the
drive to
> use a ground instead of +5. That is opposite of the
recommendation, but it
> is possible. If you ever do need to use a ground form the parallel
port they
> are all the same, so it does not matter which pin you use for
ground (as
> long as it is one of the ground pins).
>
> For the +5 just connect a wire to an unused drive terminal and
bring it down
> to the drives. I just wire tie it to the parallel cable. You can
get fancy
> breakout boards that will let you "inject" it into the parallel
cable and
> pull it out the other end, but I have gone for simple and it works
just
> fine. If you have a laptop that you can not get the +5 internally
than you
> can get it from a PS2 port, game port, USB port. There is no +5 on
the
> parallel port.
>
> Tim
> [Denver, CO]
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> > I got an old printer bi-directional cable. do you think i could
just
> > cut
> > off the centronics end and wire the geckos from there ?would the
> > cable be
> > grounded internally to help with EMI?Or what?
> > Or would i be better off just cutting the db25 end off and using
it
> > to wire a
> > whole new set in twisted pairs with sheilded and grounded wire to
> > the geckos? would that work??
> > Does it matter which ground wire goes where in conjunction with
the
> > step/ dir signals from the PC?
> > Where do I get the +5v for the Gecko's from the controller
source?
> > Does it come from the
> > parallel port already and can be tapped into?? Or do I need to
> > obtain it from another source and how?
> > I was under the impression that the +5V going to the geckos had
> > to come from the controller source(PC).
> >
> > Sorry for all of the questions, but I just want to be clear on
what I
> > need to do in order to get everything hooked up correctly
> >
> >
> >
> >
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