Hey everyone, new to the site and to milling machines. Recently picked up a Supermax vertical mill with Crusader M (anilam) controls on it and uses stepper motors with glass scales.
Would like to convert the machine over to Mach 3 running on a PC. Probably replace the control panel with a touch screen. Someone tell me how far off this sounds:
I will need a PC, a touch screen, a parallel port breakout card (only one or two?) or should I go with the new USB driven ones? How does the feedback from the glass scales get to the PC? thru the breakout board?
So the PC will send the signals needed thru the breakout card directly to the existing stepper driver boards? Or is another device needed (like the smooth stepper board)?
Trying to learn as much as I can to come up to speed ....
Thanks!