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[on:]

I've got a homemade cnc, an arduino duemilanove, a macbook, and a hobby cnc stepper driver that takes input from a db25 cable. I want to interface the arduino and the hobbycnc stepper driver. Can I build or buy an adapter that connects the arduino to the db25 cable?

thanks

sF

[Reply #1 on:]

You have to give us a bit more information. Is the DB25 cable a RS232 interface? What type is the stepper driver? Do you have a link to the datasheet?

[Reply #2 on:]

With these CNC boards the parallel port of the computer is used as just a bunch of digital I/O pins (TTL level). Your problem isn't an electrical one but rather a physical one.

There is no standard pin out. You can buy breakout boards or DB25 "shells" that might help in wiring it up, or you could even cut a parallel cable and strip the wires. All depends on what you think will work best for you and how much money you want to spend.

[Reply #3 on:]

I don't have a link to the datasheet, but here is a link to the specs for the board.

http://www.hobbycnc.com/products/hobbycnc-pro-chopper-driver-board-kits/

and the motors:

http://www.hobbycnc.com/products/stepper-motors/

the plug is a 25 pin male rs-232

the board is meant to be used with step/direction software like mach3, which I have but my pc died and so here I am. I would like to us something like GRBL.

Chagrin, I thought about cutting the plug off, but I'm not sure if I would be able to differentiate the wires inside. A shell seems like a pretty good solution. It's just a question of routing pwm signals on 6 pins(x-y-z) isn't it?

[Reply #4 on:]

From your specs it seems Chagrin is right with the connector: it's a parallel port plug. The signals you have to provide are not PWM but you have a direction and a step pin. Selected the direction (using the pin HIGH or LOW) you make a step with the motor for every tick on the step line. The pin numbers and the signal meaning is on the specs page you linked.