Copyright (C) 1986-2008 by Daniel H. Hudgins, All Rights Reserved.
No part of "This Web Site" (HTML document), including associated files, may be: distributed, sublicensed, transmitted, copied, archived, mirrored, modified, bundled, embedded, sold, given away, rented, loaned, or shared in any form without express written permission in a formal Vendor agreement contract dated and signed in ink obtained directly from Daniel H. Hudgins by registered postal mail. All agreements for permission to distribute expire after a period no greater than one year from the date of the signing of the agreement by Daniel H. Hudgins. See the current "EULA" for information regarding limited copying and storage for the purpose of "Beta Testing" "This Web Site."
To view or use the current version of this Web page you may need to reload or refresh the display of this page by your browser. Just clicking on the browser's [Reload] or [Refresh] icon may not be enough to insure that all of the page's most current contents have been cached and displayed. Some browsers may have additional commands to help display the page's most current contents such as: holding down the [Shift] key and clicking on the [Reload] icon, holding down the [Control] key and clicking on the [Refresh] icon, holding down the [Control] and [Shift] keys and clicking on the [Refresh] icon, pressing the [Control] and [F5] keys, pressing [Control] and the [R] key, or some other combination of keys or clicks. Check to see which commands your HTML browser uses to load the most current page contents into its cache and then to display them onto the screen.
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.
You must read this notice: This is a licensed Web site (HTML document and associated files). You must read and agree to be legally bound in contract by the Terms of Use and conditions given in the End User License Agreement ("EULA"), Legal Notices, Instructions, Warnings, Disclaimers, and all other text in "SECTION: 0" of "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) before reading or using any of the information, software programs, and or files, contained in, linked to, and or associated with, "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files). Any use or "Beta Testing" of "This Web Site" constitutes your acknowledgment of your full agreement with the current End User License Agreement ("EULA") and your decision to have this current license supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements and understandings. Information and files in "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) have been placed here so that long time users of "The Author's" programs DANCAD3D.COM (tm) , DANCAM.EXE (tm) , or DANPLOT.EXE (tm) could help proofread the text of the documentation files or screens displayed, and also help test data files, example files, and or any software programs that might be made available from time to time, to aid "The Author" in finding mistakes, bugs, and other errors, omissions, defects, mistakes, and faults. Everything in "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) is "Beta Test", "Beta Code", Experimental, Preliminary, requires proofreading, or is being evaluated for possible revision, and is NOT warranted to be free of defect. To help "The Author" report any bugs, foul-ups, defects, or mistakes that you find, see "SECTION: 8" for instructions. "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) and all other files and programs by Daniel H. Hudgins are made available "AS IS" without warranty of any kind express, expressed, or implied. All offers and specifications are subject to change or discontinuation without notice of any kind. Please read "SECTION: 8" of "This Web Site" (HTML document and associated files) before trying to contact "The Author."
This section has text and drawings derived from some of the v2.0 through v2.6 era documentation, so there may be some differences between the version you have and some of this material. You must read all the instructions, and documentation, in all of the other parts of this HTML documentation before trying to hook up, or make connections from, your computer's parallel port to your automated machine's electronic circuits and switches. This description of possible connections to your computer's parallel port is intended only for use in testing DANCAM.EXE (tm) or DANPLOT.EXE (tm).
See also the parallel port and game port Hook-up information in SECTION: 3.2.40.0.
Steps to hook-up to your parallel port:
Decide if you are going to use a standard printer cable or a cable with 25 pin connectors on both ends.
Purchase connector that mates with your cable.
Pick and adjust the hook-up that is right for your machine.
Turn your computer off before making any connections.
Connect and label the wires to your connector.
Connect the other end of the wires to your drivers, relays, switches, and pull-up resistors.
Check all of your connections before turning your computer on.
Check all your connections again with your computer turned on by using the software's "Jog" menu to test for misconnections, and EMI/RFI problems. If you set the pulse width factor to a large value you may be able to use a volt meter, or LED, to see the step pulses while you use the arrow keys in the jog menu to send movement commands.
Check limit switches by jogging past the limit point one step at a time.
Configure the home switches so that the motors turn the right direction, i.e. that the motors make the tool, or work-piece, to go toward the home switches after jogging out to the center of the work area and you select the home up command.
HOOKUP1 is the normal hook-up you might use for where three motors are used, i.e. for the x, y, and z axis, and up to four relays are used to control things like the spindle motor, coolant pump, and such. When making three dimensional parts HOOKUP1 would normally be used with DANCAM.EXE (tm). When drilling with DANPLOT.EXE (tm) you might also use HOOKUP1 since you will probably want to control the speed with which the drill goes down so that the drill has time to remove material.
The HOOKUP2 and HOOKUP3 circuits are for use with DANPLOT.EXE (tm). HOOKUP2 might be used when the Z axis lowers a tool that needs to rotate into the motion of the cutting, such as the knife in a vinyl sign cutting machine. The auxiliary input in circuit HOOKUP2 is used for the C axis home switch, and since the pins used for auxiliary relays A and B are used for the C axis step pulse and direction signals only two relays are available in circuit HOOKUP2. To jog the C axis, you can use the [A] and [B] keys in the jog command, the keymatic (automatic repeat when a key is held down) in the keyboard will pulse the step signal for you. HOOKUP3 can be used where the Z axis motor is not used, but a relay on the Z axis direction signal operates something on the Z axis that can be controlled by an on or off signal. In HOOKUP3 the Z axis direction pin is "active" when the tool would move to the "down" position if you were using HOOKUP1, and "inactive" when the tool would move to the "up" position.
The stepper driver in circuit HOOKUP1 shows a five lead motor being run from a Uni-Polar driver module. You will need to adjust the connections to what is required for the motor drivers you will be using. The step pulse, direction signal, and signal ground will be required for most stepper motor driver modules, but the number of wires going to and from the motor, and the motor power supply connections might be different for the motors you will be using. Also you may have two power supplies, rather than a single supply with two outputs, i.e. one five volt supply, and another supply for the motor driver voltage.
HOOKUP2 is for DANPLOT.EXE (tm) when the C axis is needed. The C axis turns to point the tool into the direction of movement, such as when a knife is used and you want to keep the sharp edge pointing "forward" as it is moved around. When the tool path turns a sharp corner DANPLOT.EXE (tm) can be configured to pull the tool up turn, and then put the tool back down at the new angle. The auxiliary input pin is used for the C axis home switch.
HOOKUP3 is used for devices where the Z axis can be "active" or "inactive." Many pen plotters use a solenoid to put the pen up or down, so the Z direction pin can be used to turn the power on or off to control the Z axis solenoid. Other things that can be switched on or off might be able to be used as well.
