IMS IM483 quandry (Plz Help!)

[dondeaida]

Hi everyone, I'm new to cnczone as well as to CNC in general. Plz be EZ on this noob...

I got a couple of IMS IM483 drivers from ebay (8 pin P1 version, not 34 pin P1 version).
Has anyone succesfully wire this driver to breakout board for Mach3 (or similar software) use?

Attached ScreenHunter_042.jpg file shows IM483 driver has 8 P1 pins, among them is +5v "opto supply" (P1:4), but NO GROUND PIN for opto supply.
How should I GROUND the +5v opto?

To the driver side ground maybe... but the manual has a line saying (Plz open Attached ScreenHunter_043.jpg file) --->

"In order to maintain isolation, the optocouplers must be powered by an external power supply connected to P1:4, with the opto supply ground connected to the ground of the input control circuitry..."

This seems to preclude grounding +5v opto to driver side (motor side) ground pin (P2:3 for IM483)

Attached ScreenHunter_041.jpg, Attached ScreenHunter_044.jpg and Attached ScreenHunter_045.jpg are 3 signal input methods (interface methods) IM483 manual mentions (Switch Interface, Open Collector Interface and TTL Interface) however, the manual does not at all discuss computer-interfacing IM483 (Not a word of "computer", "parallel port" etc..)


manual is at ---> http://www.imshome.com/Product%20Manual%20PDF/im483.pdf
data **** ---> http://www.imshome.com/Product%20Datasheets/im483.pdf

Has anyone succesfully wire this driver to breakout board for Mach3 (or similar software) use?
I would so much appreciate your help.

Thank you for your time...

[Charlm]

Did you ever get this driver working? I am thing about getting one.

[unterhaus]

I've used these drives and I wouldn't get one unless it is cheap. At full retail, you are far better off with a Gecko. I'm pretty sure the reason there is no ground for the supply is that you are pulling the opposite side of the optoisolator low in order to make a current. Similar with almost all optoisolated equipment.

[jldavidian]

There should be two grounds for this system: 1) the Computer ground, and 2) the Motor ground. The Computer ground is on pins 18 to 24 of the Printer port. You can attach to that through your breakout board. The Motor ground is on your Motor Power supply. As long as these two grounds are not attached to each other there will be minimum interference or cross-talk between the two sides.

[Larken]

You don't connect a ground for most Step/direction to a BOB. You use a +5V power on the BOB and a Logic output from the BOB.

The circuit is completed on the BOB when the Logic output is pulled to ground. Then at the drive you have 5 volts across the input.

This is called an Open collector output and can drive more current than if you used a ground and a logic since output transistors can sink more current to ground then they can Source to +5

The IMS IM483 should work great and are a nice smooth little drive.

Larry K

[cnczoner]

I'm using IM805's and love them. They're very similar in wiring to the IM483's, as shown in this document.

Page 1-1 says "All Opto-Isolated inputs should be referenced to the Opto Supply Ground for Isolation, Not Drive Power Ground."

Page 2-26 says "In order to maintain isolation, the optocouplers must be powered by an external power supply connected to P1:4, with the opto supply ground connected to the ground of the input control circuitry. The logic inputs are internally limited to allow for a +5VDC power supply."

I won't be at my mill for a couple days, so if you want me to check my wiring, I can do that for you. But I suspect you would've called IMS by then (they're quite helpful on the phone).

HTH,
-Neil.