Re: HP plotter servo

Dave,

Many years ago I used the controller and stepper motors from a plotter on a crude home made 2D mill. Solenoid Z axis. I used Generic Cad with its plot driver as my only software. Worked well, but with the reduction from lead screws I ended up with a very small work envelope. Easily overshadowed by the magic of a first machine actually moving. Eventually I reverse engineered the controller enough to determine the correct points to inject step and dir signals. Absolute minimal costs with a dumpster plotter but maximum speeds were limited by the former plotter 12 volt supply driving 12 volt motors.

Jeff

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>
>My current project is a small PCB drilling machine. I am not looking
>for real power and these would seem to be around teh power of a
>NEMA23 triple stack or NMEA34 single stack stepper ? I'm assuimg 10-
>15 watts would compare.
>
>But, the big question is how to drive them cheaply !
>
>Has anybody hacked the driver board and controlled it directly ?
>
>I never thought about the output of a CAD program like HPGL as a
>driver software.
>
>Also, since it has a pen up/down signal it may be possible to convert
>that to a self contained peck driller driver.
>
>I could not find any manufactures markings so am not sure if they are
>Hathaway.
>
>
>
>Dave
>

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Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.aztec-net.com/~jdemand
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