DIYLILCNC

1. marzocci
   Member

   Hello,

   I'm looking to start my own CNC build; got some used steppers, an old laptop, and used SP3 breakout board from a friend. The laptop is running windows 98 (archaic...I know) and has Kcam 3 and a couple other CNC's on it. I also have an Ubuntu disk, but can't seem to get it to run. The Kcam seems to work fine on the windows platform. Now, I can't seem to get the Kcam to communicate through the correct port: I've gone so far as to change the port options and then test each pin with a multi meter, no change in powered and un-powered pins (25 pin socket). The guy I got the setup from said it DID work, but he hadn’t messed with it for years, so couldn’t offer much help.

   I also downloaded Mach 3 onto a newer computer with windows XP, but still was unable to find the correct port to communicate with the stepper board.
   If I unplug the cord from the computer and leave it plugged into the breakout board, the motors twitch irregularly and randomly...

   Any suggestions on testing the breakout board or finding the correct port and pin assignments? I am fairly new to the computer side of things here; maybe something completely simple?

   Thanks!

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. Taylor
   Key Master

   Laptops are notorious for causing signal problems on CNC machines (this supposedly has to do with power management and the need for real-time signaling to the controller). Don't worry about the archaic nature of the computer, as older is better in some cases. Have you got an old tower with a parallel port you could test with?

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. Chris
   Key Master

   In my experience, twitchy motors are a sign of incorrectly wired motors. Sounds like your motors and driver board were not packaged together. Are you sure you've got the motors wired to the board correctly? If not, here's a good link for reverse-engineering stepper motor wiring:

   http://www.jasonbabcock.com/computing/breadboard/unipolar/index.html

   Posted 1 year ago #

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