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« on: December 04, 2013, 12:18:35 PM »
Brains will not help you do what you want to do. Using encoders you can only detect gross position errors, unless you add custom hardware to monitor BOTH the encoders and the step pulses coming out of the parallel port, and determine for yourself whether you are really on-position or not in real-time. This question comes up on a regular basis, and what you propose has NEVER succesfullly solved the problem. In the end, everyone either gives up in frustration (after having spent a HUGE amount of time, money and effort in the attempt), or they finally break down and FIX the machine hardware. If you have NEMA23 motors, you can buy higher torque motors for about $50 each. More likely, the problem is your stepper drivers, and power supplies, which can be swapped for better ones for probably about $300 for all three axes. SOLVING the problem will give you a machine that performs FAR better than one that simply detects the problems, and in the end you'll be reliably turning out MORE good parts MUCH sooner. You got people here with many, many, many years of experience with CNC machines, and Mach3. Ignore them at your peril.
Regards,
Ray L.