Gecko 202 drives

[Pete Stenabaugh]

Hey guys, I think that I once saw a thread for a wiring diagram for wiring up Gecko 202's. I cannot find it any more. Is there a thread that you can direct me to for this. I am converting a manual milling machine to 4 axis cnc and I will be using Gecko 202's with 1780 oz in motors from homeshopcnc.com. I have a 1 Kw power supply already, but I am looking for the wiring information for the 202's. I will be using Mach 3 mill with this set up.

Can anyone help out on this.

Thanks, in advance.

By the way this conversion article, including the ball screw conversion (already done) will be published in an upcoming article in the new Digital Machinist Magazine (from Home Shop Machinist), although not likely until the Spring of 2007 by the time I get it ready for press.

Later,

Pete

[sdantonio]

Pete,

This may help. This is all I saved from the thread you refer to. I was under the impression that there would be a written summary with detailed instructions comming from that thread. Or may be I was just hoping that would be the case.

Steven

[Pete Stenabaugh]

Thanks Steven

Peter

[jarr88]

hey you have the motors wired as unipolar .Will the same wiring diagram work with bipolar motors.
thanks

[jarr88]

what is a 5 vdc supply

[ger21]

Originally Posted by jarr88 hey you have the motors wired as unipolar .Will the same wiring diagram work with bipolar motors. thanks

Actually, no it doesn't. It just says unipolar steppers. Geckos are bipolar drives, they can't be wired unipolar. They'll always use 4 wires.

You can use unipolar motors with them, though.

[sdantonio]

The diagram was one that someone else put together and posted here as part of a thread with the goal of putting together a sort of "Gecko wiring for the common man" kind of thing. I didn't draw it myself. I have no clue who to attribute credit to. I assume the unipolar label is just a keyboard slip.

[CJL5585]

Originally Posted by sdantonio The diagram was one that someone else put together and posted here as part of a thread with the goal of putting together a sort of "Gecko wiring for the common man" kind of thing. I didn't draw it myself. I have no clue who to attribute credit to. I assume the unipolar label is just a keyboard slip.

You can attribute the drawing to me.

The Uni-Polar legend is wrong. I imported the motor and did not notice that the legend was wrong.

The motor legend should be Bi-Polar.

I have changed the legend, but could not delete the origional drawing or replace it without having some sort of editing priviledges.

Here is the modified version in dxf. It also has the CNC4PC breakout board, and a diagram for adding SOLID STATE relays for external control.

Jerry

[sdantonio]

Jerry,

Thanks, Again, great work.

When you mention the boreakout board for CNC4PC are you using

C10 - Bidirectional Breakout Board

or

C1 - Parallel Port Interface Card

I assume the pinouts would be similar (though may be not identical) for any other breakout boards like the one Phil has on pminmo.com for example.

Steven

[sdantonio]

A side note for those of you who are cheep weasels like me.

I checked with Gecko (I figure it can't hurt to ask), they said they never have and refurbed units or scratch and dent sales. Sometimes you get lucky, but you'll never know unless you ask.

Steven

[CJL5585]

Originally Posted by sdantonio Jerry, Thanks, Again, great work. When you mention the boreakout board for CNC4PC are you using C10 - Bidirectional Breakout Board or C1 - Parallel Port Interface Card I assume the pinouts would be similar (though may be not identical) for any other breakout boards like the one Phil has on pminmo.com for example. Steven

The C10 Bi-directional board.

I have personally built 5 ea. CNC control systems by the above Gecko wiring diagram, and two or three others here on CNCZone have told me they have used the schematic to build systems without ANY problems.

Jerry

[sdantonio]

Hi Jerry,

I was looking at the manual for the C10. Looks good, but I may still build my own from Phils plans since I have the parts already and his supports e-stop and limit switches. It doesn't look like the C10 supports those. But I may also change my mind again.

Steven