Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

Tell us about your computer. Do you have WiFi enabled? Is it a laptop? Have you followed the instructions to prepare your PC for use with the Acorn?

Contact Gary Cambell. He's helped a lot of guys upgrade their Shopbots by using an Acorn controller.

I've used Teknic's ASU-FR510 unit to control an MCPV motor from 0-10VDC. The ASU-FR510 costs about $60.

Maybe if I drawn the circuit as a generic snubber, you'll see that the diode is not shorted. In the circuit, current passes through the resistor, through the coil, and then through the NPN transistor. The diode suppresses induced current when the transistor is turned off by shunting that current bac...

KB58, no offense taken. However, did you notice that the In4148 is reversed biased, which is the correct orientation for its use as a shunt to protect an Acorn Input. The Acorn input is basically an opto-coupler. The Anode of the opto-coupler is connected to +24VDC internally. The Cathode of the opt...

Mistakes happen. Years ago, I bought some PNP prox. sensors instead of NPN sensors. That was before parts were available in two days on the Internet. I wasn't uncommon to have to wait for weeks for parts to arrive, unless you were willing to pay expense rush fees. Instead of spending $100 for three ...

Google Earth-leakage circuit breaker. By definition, they are not exactly the same as a GFI breaker. A Wikipedia article described two types, ELCB (voltage) and RCCB (current). Since you're the designer/engineer on your project, you can do anything that you want; but, if I were using your components...

One of my favorite physicists is Richard Feynman because he explained complex things simply. His goal was to convey knowledge so that whoever was listening would understand both the problem and the solution. With Feynman's approach in mind, connecting a stepper motor driver to the acorn is simple. 1...

You stated that the LED is GREEN. Wouldn't that indicate NOT tripped? RED would indicate tripped. Noise can cause a false signal. You can reduce noise by adding a resistor to the input. You could use a 1/2W 4,700 ohm resistor. Connect one end of the resistor to 24VDC. Connect the other end to the IN...

Here's a simple schematic that might help. L1 is the solenoid. D1 is a diode (1N4002 - 1N4007). SW1 is the relay module on the relay board. When the relay is turned ON, power flows through the solenoid. When the relay is turned OFF, induced voltage (surge) is shunted back through the diode to the po...