LPT card

[widgitmaster]

For several months I've been designing and building a CNC router table, it has 4 axis powered by 144 oz/in bipolar steppers. the controllers were made by ACS. The LPT card was also made by ACS; however, they have stopped selling and supporting it! http://www.acscontrol.com/
There is nothing available on the internet to replace this card! The closest I'v come to an LPT card is: http://members.shaw.ca/axxus/db1v20.htm
I hve sent them an email to try to order a couple of their cards, but no reply!
Can anyone help me locate a LPT or USB card for 4-axis!

Thanks,
Eric

[ger21]

http://www.cnc4pc.com
http://www.campbelldesigns.com

[widgitmaster]

Thanks Gerry!

This is exactly what I was looking for!
http://www.cnc4pc.com/

With a little from my PayPal account, it should be in my machine in a few days!
Thanks again!
Eric

[Fred in NC]

LPT cards, (parallell printer port) are becoming a rarity, and are very hard to find. One source I found is the people who repair computers and build them to order. They often have boxes of used components. I have been able to buy them very cheap.

Incidentally, I consider using a printer port card very good insurance for your computer. I would rather mess up a card that I can replace than a part of the motherboard.

I have done business with the following company, which still carries these cards.

http://www.centralcomputer.com/products.asp?pline=HCONO

[cromaisld]

hi Eric

may i ask you a question?
i also buy the control board form acscontrol,
can you tell me , can it run on mach2 and turbocnc?
thank you

[widgitmaster]

The answer is NO!
I have gone through hell and have NOT been able to get them to operate my motors! Finally I got them to accept a return and they gave me an RMA number!

Their boards use something other than digital pulses!
So I scrapped two months of work, two aluminum plates designed to hold the controllers and their LPT interface, bought Gecko drives www.geckodrives.com, and have gone back to the drawing board to incorporate the NEW boards into my electronics drawer. Even my 12vdc 45a power supply had to be replaced!

Now I have a parallel breakout board, and a safety charge pump from www.cnc2pc.com, Gecko drives, and a 65vdc 6A P.S. from www.transformertechnology.com on order!

The controllers from ACS Motion Control www.acscontrol.com are designed to work with their LPT interface, but they decided to discontinue it because of low sales! Now they have boards which are proprietary, and will be "Driving" us nuts, not stepper motors!

If I had only gone to this FORUM first!

Good Luck!

[cromaisld]

thanks Eric
thank you again.

[widgitmaster]

Here are a few pics of my creation!

I'm using a Makita 30,000 RPM Die Grinder with 1/4" shank capacity.

http://home.cfl.rr.com/eaa/008_08.JPG
http://home.cfl.rr.com/eaa/003_03.JPG
http://home.cfl.rr.com/eaa/011_11.JPG
http://home.cfl.rr.com/eaa/023_23.JPG

So far, my router machine weighs 145lbs!