Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

When I think "PLC", I think of a general purpose programmable controller, like the controllers found controlling processes in industry. For instance, I sometimes serve as a consultant in the petroleum industry where a single industrial grade PLC controls a multi-million-dollar refinery. In...

I have a ClearCore module w/expansion module. I did not buy it to work directly with my Acorns. It can provide drive signals for Teknic servo motors or for stepper motors via stepper drivers. With a little ingenuity, you might find a way to use an Acorn and the ClearCore to control a tool changer. T...

Your drawing looks okay to me. The resistor pulls the step signal HIGH (24VDC) unless the Acorn is pulling the step signal LOW via the H2 connector. Use at least a 1 watt resistor. (24V / 1000 ohms = 240 mA and 240 mA X 24V = .57 Watt). I used 2K 2W resistors on my test bench with excellent results.

Random failures often mean electrical interference. Are you using the shunt resistors recommended by Teknic (ClearPath User Manual Rev. 2.27 Page 45)? Electrical interference can cause a flurry of quick pulses. The motor's internal driver would try to move the axis at a very high rate of speed, caus...

(Previous post edited) I should have read the Sherline data sheet before posting. It clearly states that the motors, as shipped, require a unipolar stepper drive; however, if the plug is cut off, the motors can be used with a bipolar drive, like the DM332. Refer to Figure 1 on the Sherline data shee...

In your photos, the DM860T has DIR+, DIR-, PUL+ and PUL-. Connect DIR+ and PUL+ to +5VDC on the Acorn's power supply. Connect DIR- to DB25 pin 3. Connect PUL- to DB25 pin2.

Look at schematic S14976.DWG (LEADSHINE DM 856/870/1182 & 2282). That schematic shows the basic connections to an open-loop stepper driver. I use DM542 stepper drivers (about $30 - $35 each). They work with the same connections shown in the schematic. Use an appropriate power supply that is sepa...

For the stepper encoders to function as designed, they have to be connected to encoder inputs on the controller card. The Acorn only has one encoder interface. It is designed to be used to get feed-back from the spindle. The steppers run open-loop without feedback to the Acorn. On my Taig Mill, I ha...

I haven't used the AMT10 series encoders,but the data sheet makes me think that they might be usable; however, I don't see the value of using a stepper encoder with the Acorn. For threading, the encoder needs to be attached to the spindle. To better understand how to use an encoder with the Acorn, r...

Peachy,
The Acorn in Marty's video is Version 3. That board only has two relay outputs, so an external 6-port relay board was often used so that there were relays on all outputs. The Version 4 board ships with an external relay board.