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This Web site is dedicated to the thousands of "users" of my programs, those who have helped test my programs over the last 22 or so years, and especially those who shared their experiences with me.
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This documentation section has text mostly about DANCAM.EXE (tm) and DANPLOT.EXE (tm), my CAM programs, and might be looked to for information on some of the CAM program commands. See also the other documentation files, and pages in this Web site, for additional information. The disclaimer and most of the other legal text has been moved to SECTION: 0 , you must read the disclaimer, End User License Agreement (EULA), and other legal text, before you read any of the other documentation or use any part of this HTML document or associated files and programs. Be sure to read all the Warnings in SECTION: 3.2.10.0 , and the other documentation, before running, installing, testing, or using any of my programs, and especially before using DANCAM.EXE (tm) and DANPLOT.EXE (tm).
The text in this section was derived from the CAMPLOT.DOC file that was in the original v2.6 distribution, and has been updated somewhat so that some of the changes made in v2.7 are reflected. It may take me some time to get back to work some more on this section, but you can help proof-read what is here now. Some adjustment may be required for versions prior or subsequent to v2.72 since there are variations between versions and the various revisions of versions.
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Where you buy your parts for building your automation project might have a substantial impact on the cost of your project. Some time ago I purchased some 750 oz-in stepper like motors for less than $30 each that were apparently removed from photo copy machines, if I had purchased motors of comparable torque as new through a manufacture's representative I might have paid several times as much. In building your automated machine you might save a great deal of money if you take your time and collect parts as you are able to find them through a variety of sources.
Go to your local magazine store and buy the electronic, and mechanical hobby magazines or just go to your local library and look at the useful pages in such hobby magazines. In the back of such hobby magazines you may find advertisements for companies selling surplus and used parts. Write to all of the various discount, used, and surplus parts companies and request their catalogs. While you are at your local library you might look to see if there are any pertinent hobby magazines in foreign languages or from other countries that might also list companies that sell parts that might be available by mail order for use in your project, who knows what you might find out there somewhere.
Some hobby magazines have classified advertisements that list sales by individuals that have components, kits, or used equipment they are trying to sell. Classified advertisements might also be a way of finding parts you are looking for by taking out an advertisement asking if anyone has what you need, or knows where to get it. If you get parts in a large quantity, such as from an auction, you might get rid of your extras by placing a classified advertisement, you might make enough extra profit selling your extra parts to in essence get the portion of the parts you needed for free that way.
Look in your local phone book, or also in the phone books of major cities, under "Power transmission" and "Motion control" as well as "Motors", "Electronic, Resale", "Machine Tools", "Automation", "Metal", "Salvage", "Scrap metal", "Junk yard", "Surplus", "Thrift store", "Recycling", and similar categories. You local library may have the phone books of cities outside of your local calling area, or you may be able to get free copies of phone books for other cities by asking for them from your phone company. If a company is far away from you you might call them on the phone and ask them if they have what you are looking for, if you are not sure it is what you need you might ask them to take a Polaroid (tm) photograph of the item and send it to you by post or fax, or take a digital photo of the item and e-mail it to you.
Libraries sometimes have industry index guides that list a large number of manufacturing companies, OEM, and manufactures' representatives categorized in various ways. You might flip through such guides and request catalogs and technical information from all the companies that seem relevant to the various electronic and mechanical components you will need. You might learn a great deal from such literature since it frequently includes some technical explanations of the operations and the use of their components.
The Internet has become a new way of finding surplus CNC type parts, you might search for relevant keywords like: timing belt, stepper motor, UCN-5804B, CNC, and so forth. Many of the catalog companies and manufactures' representatives have their own Web sites, so if you search for specific part numbers or part values you might find the exact part you are looking for listed by different companies at different prices. Sometimes parts suppliers have specification sheets for particular parts available for viewing off of their Web site, but you may have to use the search engine in their Web site to find the document file. There are many search engines available to search the internet, you may sometimes find lists of search engines by using one search engine to search for other search engines. You might try www.alltheweb.com (tm), www.google.com (tm), www.dogpile.com (tm), www.search.com (tm), and www.ask.com (tm). Some of the search engines may have national versions that list different things, so you might also try the small search engines just for or about foreign countries and particular topics or particular Web sites.
You might also try on-line auctions, such as www.ebay.com (tm), and use their internal search engine to see if anyone is selling the parts you are looking for.Usenet, discussion groups, and mail lists and such may be a way to find an item for sale as well to ask other people where to find things and ask questions about how do or use things. You might want to be somewhat skeptical of answers you get in forums since people who sell stuff may direct you to their companies products, or products they are distributors for, even though they do not make that clear in their answer to your question.
Amateur radio operators might have "swap meets" around the U.S.A. from time to time, try asking your local A.R.R.L. representative if they have a "swap meet" in your state. If you live outside the U.S.A. there may be a HAM radio association (wireless amateur group) that you might contact in your country that could put you in touch with people near you that have knowledge in building electronic hobby projects, and who may know local parts sources, and such information, that they can share with you.
Likewise flea markets, garage sales, and thrift shops may turn up junk computers, old heavy duty dot matrix and daisy wheel printers with stepper motors, things with power supplies in them, things with heating elements that might be used as power resistors, and other useful stuff. An old toaster might yield some heating elements that can be used as power resistors, if you get the toaster for $0.50 and it might be used to replace two $10 power resistors you saved some money. On neighborhood clean up day people sometimes put working computers out by the curb for the trash collection, it doesn't hurt to ask them if you might take the computer for parts, they might just give it to you for free. You might walk around and look for dumpsters, you would be surprised what people get rid of, but be sure to ask before you take anything and always obey your local laws.
Some Universities may have auctions of surplus laboratory equipment, or have a store through which they sell off surplus equipment. Likewise the Armed forces may have surplus auctions on their bases to sell off equipment, you might contact your local military base and ask them if they have an auction date list, or contact the DOD directly about getting put on a mailing list for auctions in your state. If you live in a hi-tech area you might look for bankruptcy sales and auctions.
Estate sales sometimes are a source of machine tools like band saws, metal working lathes, and drill presses. Sometimes people had all kinds of tools and things in their basement that needs to be gotten rid of before a house may be sold to a new owner.
You may have friends and family that have old computers and other electronic and mechanical stuff you might cannibalize for parts sitting around in their garage that they might give to you. Tell people about your project and ask them if they have any junk you could take off of their hands to help you realize your dream. If you see that a business is closing or moving you might go in and ask them if they are getting rid of any machine tools or other kinds of stuff you could use before they send it to the dump, advertise it, or put it up for auction. Sometimes people are just happy to get big or heavy things out of their way that they are not using any more, and are happy to give it to you for free just to avoid the cost of sending it to the dump.
I am offering some suggested reading below that you might use to supplement some of the information in my documents. Doing machine work may be a lot of fun, and building electronic circuits yourself might help you understand how to repair the circuits when they fail. Also you might also save yourself some money by doing the work yourself. I hope you enjoy learning about automation and automated manufacturing.
Remember that in the U.S.A. your local public library may be able to obtain just about any book for you through the inter- library loan program, you tell them what book you want, and they search other libraries for it, have it mailed to your local library, and depending on how rare the book is, they will let you read it in the library or take it home for a few days. You may also find Web sites with links and general information about hobby type automation projects on the Internet now, try several search engines to find them since each one seems to sometimes find some different Web sites for the same keyword. You might try to use a talking program or a talking browser that you may be able to download from the Internet to have CAD and CAM information you find for free on the Internet read aloud to you through your computer's sound board. Hearing the information read to you while you read along with the computer's voice might help you retain more of the new information you will be learning.
See the sub-sections below.
Argus Books Limited, 1 Golden Square, London, W1R 3AB, England, has printed a series of books for the home workshop that you might find useful to learn more about the traditional aspects of metalworking. You may be able to write to them for a full list of their Workshop Practice books. These are two books you might find useful for learning about milling operations:
Workshop Practice Series #2 "Vertical Milling in the Home Workshop" By Arnold Throp (C) Argus Books Ltd. 1977 ISBN 0 85242 843 X Workshop Practice Series #5 "Milling Operations in the Lathe" By Tubal Cain (C) Argus Books Ltd. 1984 ISBN 0 85242 840 5
For electronics knowledge, you might try Radio Shack (tm) stores to see if they have a selection of books that show you how to build electronic circuits. Since the parallel port has TTL compatible outputs, and some circuits for use with my programs could use TTL integrated circuits you might want to read the TTL Cookbook by Don Lancaster.
SAMS 21035 "TTL Cookbook" By Don Lancaster (C) 1974 by Howard W. Sams & Co. ISBN 0-672-21035-5
While a very detailed understanding of electronics theory might not be required to hook-up electronic circuits from a drawing, such knowledge is a help in figuring out why the circuits do not work properly or in selecting components where substitutions might be desired. Perhaps the best book I know about as a general introduction to electronics is the A.R.R.L. "The Radio Amateur's Hand Book." The ARRL, a.k.a. American Radio Relay League, has been a group of HAM radio operators that negotiate with the FCC, on behalf of radio amateurs, for use of space in the Radio Frequency Spectrum, and they publish material of interest to radio amateurs. The "ARRL Handbook" seems to have been updated yearly to cover advancements in electronics over time. In this handbook you may find sections on electronic theory, how to build circuits, and example radio circuits. You might be able to find a copy of the ARRL handbook at your local library, if not you could probably contact the ARRL and ask them where you might purchase a copy. You might also try looking at used book sellers.
The catalogs published by motion control companies might also a be source of information. Many manufactures have free technical information available on their products that they will send to you if you ask.
You will probably need to learn a lot of new stuff while building your automated machine, best wishes for success in your automation project!