Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] CNC - The Basics

Rick,

You may want to look at my web page. I have some of the information that you
are looking for.

Once you have a machine converted so that it can use stepper motors, the
other parts are the power supply and drivers like the Gecko drives. The
Gecko drives require a 5 volt supply to power their optical isolators.

This is where a good interface board like our Sound logic breakout board
comes into play. The interface board connects to the parallel port and
communicates with Mach2. One of the features that it has is the ability to
tell Mach2 that you have pressed the EPO switch To use that feature you can
connect a pair of wires to a second set of contacts on your EPO switch to
our breakout board. Not only does it tell Mach2 that you have stopped your
machine, but also drops out the 5 volts to the optical isolators in your
Gecko drives.

The interface board also has a 5 volt power supply to power the Gecko
optical isolators. If you need relays, the interface board will control
solid-state switches which can be used to turn on/off your power supply and
things like spindles. If you need small relays up to 15 amps at 110 volts
we have a plug in relay board that plugs into our breakout board.

For the systems that use a spindle like a Perski or Columbo router we have
an add-on board that will let Mach2 control the router speed. It is a
spindle speed control that connects to a VFD (variable frequency drive).

Mach2 has a very nice feature called a charge pump. When configured for our
board, Mach2 sends a steady stream of pulses to our interface board which
tells us that Mach2 has control. If the charge pump signal is not active,
our board will not let the user turn on and devices through the four
outputs. This feature also prevents motors and pumps from coming on when you
first boot up your computer or any time that Mach2 does not have control.

One other unnoticed features is our anti-chatter feature. Jim Cullins the
designer of the board has added circuitry that will keep the interface from
sending pulses to the stepper motors when Mach2 does not have control.

Using the LEDs on our board along with the diagnostic page in Mach2 makes it
easy to see if your limit sensors are being seen in Mach2.

We provide a file called an XML file that when selected in Mach2 configures
the parallel port pin-outs.


Bob Campbell
Bob@...
www.campbelldesigns.com
Breakout board
THC board sets
CNC router plans
Stepper Motors
VisualMill Basic

----- Original Message -----
From: "RH" <yerfdog1918@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 8:25 AM
Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] CNC - The Basics


>
> I'm new to the idea of converting a machine to CNC. Is there a web
> site which explains the basic components (and different
> combinations) of a CNC system.
>
> I know the front end consists of a computer program that generates
> G-Code (possibly interpreted from a CAD program) and outputs the
> individual motion controls through the printer port. On the back end,
> stepper motors or servos drive the various axis of the machine which
> will perform the desired work.
>
> My question(s) is, what is between the front and back ends, other than
> a driver for each motor/servo. Where do the relays and power supply
> fall into this process? Is there any other required components other
> than cables? Is there a "black box" that covers everything between
> the computer and the motors/servos (i.e. Does the PMDX Motion
> Management System require anything else)? How much difference is
> there between a system which uses servo motors or steppers?
>
> Thanks,
> Rick
>
>
>
>
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