Running the SpectraLight Lathe or Mill without a card
On my site: build.spaceopera.org I detail how to build a $6.00 cable that plugs the LMC controller box into the parallel port. This cable allows you to run EMC2 / MACH3 and other controller software that can interface using the parallel port.
I hope this helps. No need to spend a bunch of $$$ when you have the controller and mill/lathe but not controller card or software.
Shannon Haworth
Re: Running the SpectraLight Lathe or Mill without a card
I am not able to bring up the website for the instructions on the conversion cable. I would really like to build the cable and would gladly pay for the instructions to do so. Randy [email protected]
2 Attachment(s)
Re: Light Machine Corp CNC Lathe
Post some pictures of the electronics so we can help you out. You can do an easy conversion and add a cheap breakout board so you can hook it up to a computer and run Mach 3 or Linux CNC. I just got done converting an old D&M 5 milling center which originally had an old 386 installed. I pulled the old computer and added a cheap $25.00 breakout board wired to the stepper drives. I also had to make up a new front panel with a switch to turn on and off the spindle as well as a E-stop and pot switch for the spindle speed. You can
Here is a picture after adding the new breakout board. The set up worked pretty good, but I wan't happy with the performance of the original stepper motors so I ended up spending $300 on new motors and stepper drives. I was able to re use the original power supply and wiring as well as the cheap breakout board that I added. I will post some pictures of the new drives soon, but have one more night worth of work to do on them. They work really nice and have a lot more power than the original system. If I could do it all over again I would try replacing just the motors first with better ones as the original motors are only 135 oz motors and my new ones are 285 oz. The new drives put out a lot more amps, but I have them turned way down making me think that I could have gotten away with the old drives.
Hope this helps, Dale P.
Re: Running the SpectraLight Lathe or Mill without a card
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FireBear52
I am not able to bring up the website for the instructions on the conversion cable. I would really like to build the cable and would gladly pay for the instructions to do so. Randy
[email protected]
The site is down and I'm unable to restore it until after the 1st. At that time you should have what you need.
Shannon
Re: Running the SpectraLight Lathe or Mill without a card
I am also interested in the cable mod. Tried the web archive only 1 Page. https://web.archive.org/web/20110608...paceopera.org/
What I have to play with... Controller box not in the photo.
http://www.stevenrhine.com/wp-conten...l--300x169.jpg