Can this be used?

[praetor]

I have an old 1980's robotic arm I bought off ebay that is equipped with six stepper motors that run off a controller card. It didn't come equipped with any programming. Also, i can't tell what kind of steppers they are;unipolar or bipolar, nor do i now the phase. unfortunately there is limited info on this particular machine. I know it can take 12.8 -14 volts.

I was wondering if I can use the controller card of this machine for cnc machining? Can I run the card with TurboCAD? If so, should I use a wall pack to supply the power or a toroidal transformer?

Also, the controller card's circuit etchings have raised "veinings", forgive the amatuerish terms,as they give away my knowledge of the CNC maching and electronics craft, will this pose a problem for me? I can always make a copy with a PCB etching kit if necessary, correct?

http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/bb197/praetor1/

[erikkate]

The controller that is shown on the photos, can deliver approximately 800 mA per phase, which is barely enough to drive a small plotter.
The way that I can see it, it's build around some discrete logic components and driven by a ULN or some kind.
So, it's fun to use with some kind of small robot hand but isn't very useful for bigger cnc apps.

[praetor]

Oh, Ok. Cool. Thanks, Much appreciated.