can you run
with 12000 counts per rev and a parallel port?
No and you can't with a Smooth stepper, try 1 count per rev,
They are setup for encoders but so far it only supports a single index pulse just like the PP.
Multi line hasn't been implemented yet.

I'm interested in one for threading on lathe, there is a problem with Mach using the PP, when threading if you thread is short, say less than 40mm the problem doesn't show.

Do a long thread and it gets out of pitch, the problem lies in the core of Mach which is still Art's baby. We have done many, many hours of testing even staying on the phone to Art for literally hours but the problem is still there.

The SS 'should' take care of this as it works real time, as you have said Hood has no problems but Hoods machines isn't the best one to beta test problems, he reckons he gets a good thread from a PP but seeing as he has something like a 12 HP motor driving a mechanical gearbox it's bound to remain stable when threading.

We mortals OTOH are trying to get hobby bench top lathes working with far smaller power facilities.

I'd love to keep my SS working long enough to do some serious test but for some reason it won't. The last 3 emails over 2 months to Greg have gone unanswered. There is a limit we can go, last month I lost 10 hours in testing various configurations, none of it chargeable.

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