Re: Nema 42 3100 oz/in motors will not move

Cave, you where a great help! I implemented Mach2 and have my axes
working fine now. I am still trying to get all the wiring converted
for the parallel port control. It seems to work nicely. It was
interesting though that the Anaheim Automation microstepper lost
steps, but the Geckos march right along without losing steps even
after repeated long moves.

Can you tell me if it is ok to wire the parallel port outputs
directly to the DC relays while I am waiting to find a breakout
board?

Thanks
Keith Clark

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "turbulatordude"
<davemucha@j...> wrote:

> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Clark" <mail@t...>
> wrote:
> > I now have Nema 42 3100 oz/in motors in my Bridgeport retrofit.

I

> > have tired everything I can figure out to get them to work with

the

> > current software from CamSoft. I am being told that the Gecko
> > drives and the stepper motors are proper by the motor

manufacturer

> > Anaheim Automation. This is because I can make the motors move

the

> > x axis at 120 ipm using their step pulse generator. All these
> > comparisons are being done with the same Gecko drives,

powersupply

> > etc. (However, the step pulse generator has a potentiometer that
> > gradually increases the step pulse rate rather that ramp it up

by

> > accellerating the step pulse rate.)
> >
> > The motion control board/software company, CamSoft, says it is

not

> > their board or software that is the problem and that the motors

are

> > underpowered. They feel the torque falls off and causes them to
> > stall at 20 ipm when using their stepper board and software. I
> know
> > the motors are capable of much higher rpms as described in the
> above
> > paragraph.
> >
> > Can anyone explain this paradox? Got any ideas?
>
> Yup,
>
> radio shack and a printer cable. A perf board or a breakout board

to

>
> wire the gecko direct to the PC via the printer cable and try Turbo
> CNC. it's free to try and easy to use.
>
> It needs a DOS booted PC (not a wondowz dos box).
>
> Total cost about an hour or so of your time and less than $20.00

from

> radioshack.
>
> That takes the control hardware out of the picture and leaves you
> with the driver and motor and power supply.
>
> Dave