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  1. #21
    The fiber laser has a board called DLC2-M4-2D which is a 2 board connected with pins. The top board is a controller for X,Y,Z,A axis (can drive a Z axis, a rotary axis, an XY table and all the combination between). The bottom board is dedicated to run the laser head itself (2 small servo motors connected to 2 mirrors to steer the beam and stop it and start it depending the user design).
    The top board is a step and dir controller and is connected to a stepper motor which operates the Z axis
    I also have a device (with his own stepper driver) which has a measuring sensor for the focal distance (different lens have different focal distance) and this device needs to use the same stepper motor on the z axis.
    This was my question: how can I change the drivers (safely) to use the same motor when I need to use one or the other device?

    Thank you
    Gabi
    Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #22
    They're have been a couple of methods put forward.

    Unfortunately with no actual information on the controller boards only a generic answer can be given. The actual way to implement a specific method is up to the person/persons that have the hardware sitting in front of them. That's usually the situation with these issues. A question is asked without a lot of information regarding the hardware involved so only a generic answer can be given.

    Maybe the best answer would be to ask the person/persons that designed your setup, or try and think of a way of not having to change the stepper driver or inputs.

    The best option would for the main control software\hardware to operate\adjust the Z axis and be able to read the output from the system that adjusts your focal length. Of course this would depend on the main control software\hardware.

  3. #23
    I assume you are manually selecting between the two devices rather than using both systems at once. Then I would suggest using a single driver with step and dir inputs switched as previously suggested but use standard logic gates to do the selecting between sources, possibly with optical or other isolators on the inputs to keep the grounds of the two boards separate if required. Power the logic and provide it's ground from the same board that powers the driver.

    This way you could avoid any contact bounce on a mechanical switch and remove the need to common the logic grounds of your two boards. The enable line (if used) could also be buffered/switched/maintained during the changeover by your logic if required.
    An optimist says the glass is half full, a pessimist says the glass is half empty, an engineer says you're using the wrong sized glass.

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by gabi68 View Post
    Can you be more specific? A diagram will be awesome. Thank you
    I am sorry but I have no diagram. Anyway, it is a simple circuit with one switch and a relay which flips the step, dir, en and gnd signals, all four at the flip of the switch. The circuit is really simple.

    I made a simple sketch and scanned it for clarity.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    UCCNC generates the pulses if I flip the switch and select it, or the Arduino box if I select the lathe mode. The servo is a servo with integrated driver, but it could be a DM542 also, it makes no difference as long as the step, dir, en and the gnd can be used to control it. The relay in my case is one I had in my drawer, if you can't find one which switches all the four signals at once, you can use two, or even four separate relays as long as you switch all at the same time. Just connect the coils in parallel and you'll be fine. Of course, as I said before, it assumes that both controlling devices work independently and you don't need to rely on exact positions between each devices. In my case, I don't care where the motor stops, the lathe accelerates and decelerates to a speed I want it to, and if I use UCCNC then I have to zero the position for UCCNC, so the position is lost every time I flip the switch, but for me that's perfectly fine.

    I don't know if you have seen this before, but I made a video about the control box. This is an early version, since then I swapped the stepper to a servo and built my lathe, which now can spin considerably faster.

    Last edited by A_Camera; 22-12-2021 at 10:04 PM.

  5. #25
    What kind of relay? A link, please?

  6. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by gabi68 View Post
    What kind of relay? A link, please?
    I have no link. As I said, I had it in my drawer. You have to Google.

  7. #27
    Diagram looks like some kind of 4 pole contactor type where the coil activates all the contacts at once.
    Positioned all 4 NO for UC300 use and NC for arduino.

    I'd suggest the most used one of the 2 controls be on the NO side then power the switch to the coil to flip it NC for the other.

    Step/Dir could be a problem if the logic I/O flips with contactor switch over could it not?.

  8. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by A_Camera View Post
    I have no link. As I said, I had it in my drawer. You have to Google.
    I keep asking about the relay because DM542 has - Pul+, Pul-, Dir+, Dir-, Ena +, Ena-, Gnd and+24VDC. According to your diagram I should have a relay with 7 inputs. Where I can find something like that? Or I got this wrong....
    You use Arduino for the operation you want to be executed by your lathe. I don't need this. I only need to use safely 2 stepper motors (alternatively) with a one stepper driver.

  9. #29
    Neale's Avatar
    Lives in Plymouth, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 21 Hours Ago Has been a member for 9-10 years. Has a total post count of 1,725. Received thanks 295 times, giving thanks to others 11 times.
    But surely the original question concerned one stepper and two drivers? And that's the question that's been answered - best way is one driver, one motor, and switch the inputs to the driver. However, the precise way of doing this - couple of logic chips, relays, switches, etc - depends so much on what you have already. Need to isolate common grounds, whether opto-isolation is needed, a bunch of things like that, are trivial to sort out - but only with a full understanding of where you are coming from, and I appreciate that this is difficult for someone with no knowledge of electronics so no insight into what info is needed.

    But please don't change the question!

  10. #30
    Hi,

    I din't change the question. I simply follow the advices given. Now I understand is easy to use one driver and switch the inputs. Sorry for confusion since I am very new to this and obviously electronic circuitry are not my forte (IT software background here).

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