Controlling the motor (spindle) with Mach3

[m_c]

In all honesty, I would probably say get one of the cheap 5-axis BOBs off ebay.

They've got a relay output, and a 0-10V output, along with extra inputs and outputs.
You'll need to wire in a 12-24VDC for the 0-10V output to work, and IIRC you need to connect the USB (or the 5V to the relevant terminals) to power the optos.

Just search on eBay for "5 axis breakout", and you'll get plenty options.
And you'll also need a straight through parallel cable to go with it (at least I think it's a straight through that you need, I've never actually used a parallel port for CNC!)

[JAZZCNC]

In all honesty, I would probably say get one of the cheap 5-axis BOBs off ebay.

Yep agree with M/C 100%, by far the easiest solution. Can forget messing around with that PWM board and using an external relay then.

[northwest]

Well I have ordered a Break Out Board, an enclosure and a power supply for the +5v. More questions when it finally arrives.

While I am at it, I was thinking about adding a handwheel to the setup to control the stepper motors as and when. Is it simply a matter of plugging this into a USB port on the computer? Or does this require me to start another thread? Better still, is there a thread already?

Thanks everyone for your help so far.

[m_c]

Well I have ordered a Break Out Board, an enclosure and a power supply for the +5v. More questions when it finally arrives.

While I am at it, I was thinking about adding a handwheel to the setup to control the stepper motors as and when. Is it simply a matter of plugging this into a USB port on the computer? Or does this require me to start another thread? Better still, is there a thread already?

Thanks everyone for your help so far.

There are various pendants available for Mach3, most of which work via USB.
Easiest option is to do a search on eBay for "Mach3 pendant", and you'll get a few different options.

The cheap option is just to use a basic joystick/controller (xbox controllers are cheap, and IIRC there is a Mach3 plugin for using one). It all depends on how much money you want to spend.