What have I done!

[magicniner]

The PP cards generally are 5v logic.

Nope, that used to be the case but modern hardware can be running anything down to 2V Signal High.

- Nick

[cropwell]

Nope, that used to be the case but modern hardware can be running anything down to 2V Signal High.

- Nick

Modern they aint. The cards with the Moschip MCS9805 or 9815 use 5v logic, and they are in the majority of add-on PP cards on the market.

Rob

[magicniner]

Modern they aint. The cards with the Moschip MCS9805 or 9815 use 5v logic, and they are in the majority of add-on PP cards on the market.

Rob

Useful info, any big brands to look out for or just generic ebay stuff?

[JAZZCNC]

If you have tried on another PC then you have elimnated the PC and it should have worked so this suggests you have other issues.?
Doesn't matter if PC was old, infact often better being old as the PP will be 5V not 3v.

I would start again removing anything that isn't required and re wire. Then Fresh install of software on Fresh PC if possible.
If still giving trouble then chances are you have damaged chips or something on the control board.

In this Case I would just scrap the whole lot and replace with modern gear.

[cropwell]

If you have tried on another PC then you have elimnated the PC and it should have worked so this suggests you have other issues.?
Doesn't matter if PC was old, infact often better being old as the PP will be 5V not 3v.

I would start again removing anything that isn't required and re wire. Then Fresh install of software on Fresh PC if possible.
If still giving trouble then chances are you have damaged chips or something on the control board.

In this Case I would just scrap the whole lot and replace with modern gear.

The only chips on the control board are the drivers. If the input stages are bolloxed then I personally would go with the last idea as the PC seems to be very vulnerable. Case and power supply seem OK though although the case may be a little small for 4 drivers.

Cheers,

Rob

[i2i]

Make sure the ground of the driver board is connected to the ground of the parallel port.

[artmin]

Make sure the ground of the driver board is connected to the ground of the parallel port.

Checked the ground and it is okay. Unfortunately I think JAZZCNC is correct. I installed the new PP card & lead and it's doing the same rubbish.

I have contacted Heiz and they have offered me an upgrade to the new Zero3 controller. It is available off the shelf in Germany for 360 Euro + VAT (19%) + shipping. It is a direct plug in replacement, so for the sake of speed & my sanity, I'm going to pull the trigger on it.

I'd still like to rebuild the old unit with CW5045 drivers & BOB as a direct plug in backup, install Mach on the spare PC and get learning.

Many thanks for all your help!

Gavin

[cropwell]

Useful info, any big brands to look out for or just generic ebay stuff?

Nick, I don't buy dozens every day. All I remember is that the last one I bought was about £7 and was 'Generic Chinese' - that's the only brand I could get at a decent price. Startech are charging 4x that.

Drivers are a sod to find if you lose the disk, you have to hunt t'Interweb based on chip or hardware id and try several before you find one that fits.

Rob

[artmin]

Thanks Guys and thanks Rob for the offer of the card if I get stuck.

I'm running XP still on the CNC but it's that WinPC-NC Economy that I'm using. The PCI card was churning out 5V.

Hopefully the new card will work and get it up and running, but I know that the old controller isn't the best. I would rather have a seperate PSU, BOB & drivers, so I'm thinking about building a second controller with 9 pin d sub OPs that will connect straight up to the machine and hold it as a backup until I can get time to crossover. I would also prefer to move over to Mach but I'd rather get a bit of practice on it first before going at it full tilt. I can't find anywhere on WinPC-NC to change the axis driver pins to match a BOB if I needed to. Spindle, coolant, tool sensor etc can be nominated but not the essentials it seems.

I just have to wait for the postman now!

Cheers,

Gavin