Using printer motors and drivers

[NeoMoses]

Has anyone successfully used the electronics from an inkjet printer directly? I'm playing around with a small machine, and these inkjet motors should be sufficient to drive it.

I know I can use the motors alone, with other drivers, but what I'm wanting to do is use everything from the printer (power supply, driver, and motors).

My main question here is: Has anyone ever successfully used a CNC control program such as mach2, turbocnc, etc, through a parallel port directly to a printer and gotten any useful output of the stepper motors? If so, I'm interested to hear your story.

If not, does anyone know software/electronics well enough to make something like this work? It definitely could be a nice way to open up the low-cost, entry level of motion control, since inkjet printers are practically everywhere, and cheap.

[High Seas]

Originally Posted by NeoMoses If not, does anyone know software/electronics well enough to make something like this work? It definitely could be a nice way to open up the low-cost, entry level of motion control, since inkjet printers are practically everywhere, and cheap.

I'm with you mate!
I've salvaged a heap of motors - but my joy sometimes in "dumpster diving" is the salvage - and not the building....
So I too am looking for some inputs on integrating the bits! I'm not too into the electronics end (lets say ----yet) to know how to cobble up a controller - so, I'd be looking for a simple solution for that end. I couldn't even gues HOW to use the built in bits to do the job (embarresed smile)
I think that MACH2 and other progs would do ok - if you can get the controler/driver hardware/firmware to work with the motors!
PS Other bits available from a printer/scanner are the rails, carriages, gears, and all kinds of electric gear - sometimes I feel like a caveman looking at a wristwatch! And all I got for tolols is a hammer!

[ESjaavik]

Originally Posted by High Seas And all I got for tolols is a hammer!

I've heard that in that case all problems tends to look like a nail.

[NeoMoses]

Well, I was playing around with a printer and TurboCNC. I went through all of the possible pin out combinations for step/direction commands, and I couldn't get any reaction from the printer (Epson 777). I think it's time for me to start looking at the Linux world, maybe take a look at any existing open source drivers for these printers. I guess it's time for me to learn some c/c++.

[DragnsBane]

I was also looking into this and found the following site http://www.eminebea.com/content/html...or/index.shtml.

From what i have found the PM55L is the biggest PM motor used in the "home type" printer. It is a 24 volt version, havent been able to find out the amperage yet. but it only has about 17 in-lb of torque at max. Might work if it was fed through a gear reduction. As far as using the printer control panel, you would probably be better off building a board. Just my two cents.....

[Sanghera]

Oh , I just read something about joining some pins on the parallel port and tricking it if a circuit made on it doesn't work. If that makes any sense.

[abasir]

Printers (inkjet/laserjet/dotmatrix/whatever) do not use the standard step/dir signal! There is NO WAY you can configure TurboCNC/Mach2 to make it work without fidling with the electronics/software.
If you want to use them directly, you need to send the 'control commands' and they vary from printer to printers. I've done some work on such 'control commands' before; not too difficult but I was too lazy.

Here's what you need:
1. G-Code to Control Commands Translator
2. Sending Control Command to Printer

Does the above make sense

[abasir]

On 2nd thought, you could make it to work IF you could trace and identify the step/dir signals on the PCB and directly connecting it to the parallel port (bypassing the printer controller). Trace the wires from the steppers to the board, follow the trace to the driver ICs, identify the ICs (google it?) and take it from there....

[NeoMoses]

hmm, good information. I'll keep looking into it.

[NeoMoses]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printer_Control_Language

and another:
http://printers.necsam.com/public/pr...des/pcl5hp.htm

[greybeard]

Neo - I, too, would very much like to follow up this idea, and I'm sure a lot of others would admit the same.
I looked at your links in the last post, and noticed the encouraging statment in the first one " PCL output can also be easily generated by custom applications." I take this to mean that the basic idea is "ok to go".
Also noted that the pcl's are universal to all printers, so any method that gets us into one type should be of general application.
I'm going to have to print out the pages though to absorb some of the info, having no programmi ng experience. I'm strictly a discrete component man trying to keep up with ic's, never mind telling them what to do.

[NeoMoses]

and another... it looks like I might be getting warmer.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q154078/