Re: Motion Controller?? Sorry, Try Again

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel T. Medlin"
<dmedlin1963@y...> wrote:

> The term "motion controller" was used by the
> professors of EE here as the university, that's what
> they called the circuit board that converts the
> program to pulses that would go to the Geckos.
>
> They don't talk CNC they use the motion control system
> in robots.
>
> So let me restate what I don't understand. I need
> recommendations on what components are needed to
> convert Mach2's output to pulses that will go to my
> Geckos.
>
> This is for a Bridgeport mill. I need 4-axis now and
> will need a total of 6-axis soon. High feed rates are
> not needed, but power is.
>
> I currently am running my parts on the university's
> VF4 HAAS mill center. The max feed rate varies between
> 8 to 12 inches a minute. I occasionally run a 8 insert
> mill using PCB inserts cutting 60RC material.
>
> Daniel T. Medlin

Hi Daniel,

Seems you were more correct than we assumed.

the controller is the PC.

the driver is something like a Gecko that takes the signals and
converts them into motor movement.

A lot of people call the drivers controllers.

But, as others noted, to connect the PC to things like drivers and
relays and end-switches and such, you need to break out the wires of
the parallel port.

There are a few "breakout Boards" listed in the links section.

As for software, we often see the original design created in CAD or
Corel or some such, then converted to DXF files, then processed into
cut files, then run on something like Mach2.

Dave