LinuxCnc with Copley controls-Stepnet ST3-055-04?

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18 Sep 2012 00:50 #24344 by varun0421
I have a 3-axis stage which is driven by a Stepnet ST3-055-04. (I have attached the link below for the .pdf with the specifications of the driver.)
I wanted to know if i could make linuxcnc work with the 3-axis stage? Will it be able to interact with the stage given the specifications of the driver?
I basically plan to use the stage as a CNC machine by controlling its movements through codes generated by Pycam.
I have a separate stationary high speed spindle mounted with a tool which will help in the machining process.

I am a complete novice with linuxcnc. Please forgive me if i have not given you clear information.
Eagerly looking forward to any help i can get on this.

Link for the specification page for Stepnet ST3-055-04

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18 Sep 2012 06:22 #24349 by cncbasher
the short answer is yes ... Linuxcnc can drive the copley controls , you have the option of a number of ways , using the step / direction inputs or the analog 0 - 10v
the specific protocols such as can open etc are not supported .

can you give more details on the machine and are you using stepper motors or servo motors with encoders etc , we can then advise further on the options required to interface to linuxcnc
also details on your high speed spindle controller you are looking at using would be helpful

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18 Sep 2012 09:10 #24353 by andypugh
It looks like you can configure the digital inputs to be step/dir commands, so that part looks promising.

it is odd that there is a mention of hall sensors and brushless motors when the drive doesn't have enough motor terminals to drive a brushless motor. It appears to be stepper-motor only.

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18 Sep 2012 19:20 #24389 by varun0421
Thank you for replying so quickly.

The stage is driven by stepper motors.
The high speed spindle has a max rpm of 60,000. It currently has a collet which can hold a tool of upto 500 microns diameter.
The spindle has a separate control unit from where i manually adjust the rotation speed etc.

Below is a picture of the stage setup.

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18 Sep 2012 22:19 #24393 by cncbasher
ok then next item to research is how many signal inputs from limit switches or relay items ( i/o ) are needed . if the number is low you may get away with just a parallell port simple break out , but if theirs a fair few for toolchangers then the options are mesa or pico products
as far as interfaces go

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18 Sep 2012 22:38 #24394 by andypugh
cncbasher wrote:

options are mesa or pico products as far as interfaces go

There are several other supported interfaces, though they tend to be rather more expensive than Pico / Mesa unless cheap from eBay.
wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?EMC2_Supported_Hardware

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19 Sep 2012 00:02 #24395 by varun0421
I am sorry but i did not understand that. :unsure:
So, do i have to buy a new card? Is it because the Stepnet ST3-055-04 communicates through a RS-232 port that it cannot be used?
Is it possible to make it work using the Stepnet ST3-055-04 card? Or are we talking about two different things here.
And also i have a stepnet panel which i forgot to mention before.

The link for which is below.
This is the link for the stepnet panel

Please forgive me if my questions seem ignorant but i am completely new to this. :)

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19 Sep 2012 00:13 #24396 by andypugh
It should be fine, but it will be most straightforward to drive either of the two devices with step/dir signals from the parallel port rather than use the RS232 or CAN interfaces.

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19 Sep 2012 00:49 #24398 by varun0421
Do i have parallel port capability on the device?
I thought it only had rs-232 and CAN interface.

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19 Sep 2012 09:29 #24408 by andypugh
The docs indicate that the digital inputs can be configured to be step/direction (or up/down) signals

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