Controlling Stepper motor driver boards

[scarr]

Hi,

OK I have just got a Orac CNC Lathe but it has it's own funny format for programming and quite a few limitations programming wize.

So I have had the cover off and found the two stepper driver boards inside, here is the PDF (they are SD3 on the Orac)

http://www.compumotor.com/manuals/Digiplan/SD/SD2.pdf

Now from the PDF I can see that you could control the Z + X axis via these boards using fairly sinple pin control but I am more than confused as to what the normal way of doing this is?

I would have thought that having the G-Code on the PC you would send it to a PCB board that you can purchase and it would convert the G-Code to signals that stepper drivers board understand.

but I have looked and I can't really find anything that looks right
am I missing something?

Thx

[balsaman]

If the controller uses step and direction signals you need software (not hardware) to provide them. Have a look at Turbocnc at www.dakeng.com. This software takes a gcode file and converts it real time it to step and dir signals out the parallel port to control your steppers via a controller board.

Eric

[abasir]

Short read on the manual indicate that it's Step/Dir driven. As mentioned by Eric, TurboCNC (or any other CNC software) can drive the controller board without additional electronics.

[Ken Bond]

I have the same drive and am trying to send it 5V step signals. No good. I think these drives need 12v step voltages and they are converted to TTL levels in the drive.... If anyone can verify it would save me alot of grief. Where can I find a good deal on an ocilliscope

[kato]

http://www.cetronic.co.uk/pdf/steppe...200%203424.pdf
031 A8 on an ORAC