New (to me) cnc router

[WoodyP]

And I'm a new member as well. Glad I found the zone as it looks to be a great resource for a guy like me who's new to this.

Attached a pic of the machine and here are some details:

Built by Peter Ohler in 1992: http://www.ohler.com/robot/index.html

x=31"
y=15"
z=7"

linear bearings on an aluminum/steel frame.
EAD nema 23 70 oz/in steppers
unknown (marked EP, MMA 3S 5vdc 2k rpm) controller with rs232 connection.
haven’t checked the motor drives yet as they do what they’re supposed and they’re buried inside.

The machine itself is very capable and I'm getting a good feel for what it can and can't do. Most of the challenge now is in the computer/software. It's running on a 15 year old Apple performa (33mhz) so it's no surprise that the computer is the limiting factor.

So, given that I'm not about to deal with Win____ just to use this machine and I have several Mac's available that would be more than capable of controlling it I need to be able to connect to it.

I think the ideal solution would be a usb controller, but I’ve yet to find one with Mac drivers.
Softmark says they’re working on it but no timeline.
Second choice would be a pcmcia to rs232 card, same problem - no drivers.

Any ideas?

Peter also wrote the software (CyberEngraver) and it would be adequate for my needs at the moment given a faster computer to run it on. But ultimately I want a lot more features and control. It's 2d software and I really need to be able to import 3D solids.

Guess I’m a little spoiled, I’m used to creating parts and assemblies in AD Inventor and then sending them off to the machine shop where they used MasterCam. Within a few hours I’d have a part in my hand.

Given the lack of CAM software for the mac, I suspect I’ll end up running Linux.

Your thoughts, guidance, ideas will be much appreciated and I look forward to sharing anything useful that I learn along the way.

Thanks and regards,

Paul

[ViperTX]

Welcome!

Well first you have to determine if your drivers are step/direction....

[WoodyP]

Hmmm, how do I determine whether they are step/direction?
thanks

[Rance]

Woody, Servo motors only have 2 wires for the motor with more wires coming back from an encoder connected to the motor. Steppers will have 4-8 wires from the motor only (ie., no encoder involved).

[WoodyP]

They are unipolar steppers.