Just received my new DSP......

[k.cam]

Hi all,
Just a quick question.
I've just received my new DSP. Can I connect it and switch it on for testing or do all the steppers etc need to be connected.

The reason I ask is that on my CNC router if I switch it on with no steppers connected I risk blowing the driver chips.

Thanks
Kevin

[wctx1977]

Hi all,
Just a quick question.
I've just received my new DSP. Can I connect it and switch it on for testing or do all the steppers etc need to be connected.

The reason I ask is that on my CNC router if I switch it on with no steppers connected I risk blowing the driver chips.

Thanks
Kevin

Hi Kevin!
There is not such a thing as far as I know on DSP , or it may depend on the stepper drivers you will use but lets let Marco or someone else with more experience on this to confirm it. One thing I should remark is that you should always make sure you have a good ground connection to the system to prevent damage or malfunction as I already experienced and lost one of my stepper drivers. Good thing is that those are not expensive compared to the DSP board.

[Tech_Marco]

If you don't have a stepper connected, I'm wondering how could you test the DSP

I don't know too much about CNC stepping motor driver but when I tested my drivers, I didn't see any problem by disconnecting the motor and reconnecting it, even with power on. If you're concerning, you may want to unplug the power to the driver before disconnecting a stepper from the driver. Again, testing a DSP card without motor... strange thought.


Marco

[k.cam]

Hi all,
Thanks to the replys so far.

What I mean is can I have a play with the DSP now as I'm not ready to connect it to my laser as I'm still in the process of building it.

The other thing is somewhere I have seen how to connect the DSP to a TB6560 stepper controller but now can't find it. Does anyone know or have the info?

Regards
Kevin

[Things]

The DSP does not contain any stepper drivers, so there is no risk powering it up without anything attached.

As for the TB6560 stepper controller, there are a many different types. Like the single ones Marco sells, or the multi-axis boards you can get on eBay for like $80. Both will work, however, the parallel port version takes a bit more "bodging".