parallel port

[wantsout]

after a long delay on building my cnc router mill,I got It together. then I put together a duel transformer and a 25 amp Bridge rectifer and some 80 volt capacitors,with 12000 MDF to smooth out the AC ripple. Setup three 202 qecko drives. Im telling all this thinking it was the hardest but when I get to the computer, I update it to a 1.2gigabit AMD CPU with windows XP. This is for the Mach2/3 that i want to try when i get done. Now the problem, Im trying to setup the parallel port,with a small program called fkeybit to toggle the step and direction pins of the port high or low. but when i try to toggle them low they stay high, I have used a led with a 470 ohm resistor on the out put to gnd and the volt meter also. They stay at 3.38 volts even when the program shows they should be low or off. Has any one run into this problem,and what did you do to correct it. Thinking a Break out board might be the solution. But Im at my wits end... HELP !!!!!! ( this is a desktop computer,not a lap top.)

[Bubba]

may be showing my ignorance here, but is not fkeybit a DOS program????? IF so, I think there is a problem trying to write to the port in XP. Just going on something in the deep dark recesses of my so called mind.

[Crevice Reamer]

That voltage is too low anyway. Your best bet will be to get a BOB that includes a 5V PS onboard--like one from CandCNC or CNC4pc.

CR.

[wantsout]

Yes you guys are right, and I did order a BOB about 1/2 hr. ago Im too old to fight the port issue I want to get to trying my CNC out. So Im waiting for that to come in. thank you guys so much for that information. I read this website almost every day because it has loads of information here....

[DaveDoesIT]

Originally Posted by wantsout Im trying to setup the parallel port,with a small program called fkeybit to toggle the step and direction pins of the port high or low.

I believe the other poster is correct that FKeyBit is a DOS program and would required a driver for XP even though you are running at the command prompt. The DOS prompt in XP is no longer true DOS and is actually still under the control of XP.

You can try this open source DOS emulator, I am using it under XP and it is working fine. I am actually running win3.1 within XP and then DOSBox for another older app.

http://www.dosbox.com/

Dave

[kowell]

Try here :

http://neil.fraser.name/software/

get the Parallel port monitor written in vb 6.

works on XP , and will toggle the pins as you want.

Kym

[wantsout]

Got my geckos 202 and the breakout board from cnc4pc and two transformers with a bridge rectifer and some 80 volt capacitors on the out put of the power supply that gives me 71.3 volts. But just for grins I thought I would measure the ripple ac voltage on the dc out put and my meter shows 155.3 volts ac.

I would have thought the ripple voltage would be very low, at the most 4-5 volts. but this has me worried. My bridge does not seem to be shorted,and the capacitors are total of 47,000MFD. what could be wrong HELP

[jalessi]

You mentioned two transformers, can you upload a diagram of your power supply?

Jeff...

[wantsout]

yes I will as soon as if figure out how to do it, but all I did was from the ac power to the transformers was tyied them together in parallel, and on the stepdown side where i am wiring up the D.C. I wired them in series, ( dasiey chained them) that makes there output voltages add mine are two 24 volt ac transformers about 20 amp each...

[jalessi]

Separate the secondaries and use two bridge rectifiers, then combine the D.C. outputs and filter capacitor....

Do not apply power to the Gecko's until you fix this issue.


Jeff...

[Al_The_Man]

Originally Posted by wantsout But just for grins I thought I would measure the ripple ac voltage on the dc out put and my meter shows 155.3 volts ac. I would have thought the ripple voltage would be very low, at the most 4-5 volts. but this has me worried. P

If off load the ripple should be near zero, if you are measuring the ripple with a digital meter on the ac range, you are most likely to get an erroneous reading, these meters are usually intended to read an AC RMS value.

Originally Posted by jalessi Separate the secondaries and use two bridge rectifiers, then combine the D.C. outputs and filter capacitor.... .

I don't see any problem with series'ing up two transformers?
The current rating is whatever the lower one is rated for.
You can also parallel them if they are closely matched, this is more critical than the series mode, but in the case of parallel you have to use greater care to phase the secondaries.
Al.

[wantsout]

I will do like Jalessi suggusted by using two bridge rectifers,because Radio Shack has some 25 amp bridge rectifers ( they dont have any thing for hobbiest any more I dont even like to go there any more) Im using my 24 vollt power supply to get my Breakout board and Queckos running got two running now and they sound great but they are not mounted.. thanks you guys are the best