Craig,

Testing the wheels. Looks like when turned CW the A pin gives 3.9-4.1V and B pin is 0.5V.

Then vise versa. If I turn quick it will jump up to 7-8V briefly.

Will I need to worry about that? Or can I direct wire to the BoB with the 4V and 0.5V changes?

Thanks,
Kyle

Okay, well here is a video of the MPG. Again not sure if I did it properly but the zenners sound like an easy enough thing to do.

Let me know what you think?

https://youtu.be/852qesaJWrg

Also, I think they are pulsing properly from reading other forums?

right
both
left
none
right
both
left
none

and the other way:

left
both
right
none
left
both
right
none

By watching the volts it seems correct on the single pin?

Kyle

Hi,
what the hell, in your video you showed the outputs varying, in probably the correct pattern but to about 50mV.....what gives?. The input to the BoB
needs to be 4.5-5V???

Don'y worry about the switching pattern....that will look after itself. Just hook one input, say A, to the BoB and measure the voltages as it turns on and off, and report.
Be careful to note whether you are seeing 'volts' or 'milliVolts'.

Craig

Hard to be sure what the wiring is from the video but the negative meter lead is connected to a terminal I think is only common to the +12-24V for inputs and the analog circuit.
 I don't see a wire to the PC COM terminal.

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=43939.70
Several posts down ZASto provided the schematic for what is probably the same BOB board. It hard to be sure whether the 5V and 24V commons are the same.
Even if they are the same there would have to be a connection to the 12V common of the supply for the encoder.

Would the 10V from the BOB be enough to power the encoder, if it has 5V outputs it may well regulate its DC input to 5 V internally.

Hard to be sure what the wiring is from the video but the negative meter lead is connected to a terminal I think is only common to the +12-24V for inputs and the analog circuit.
 I don't see a wire to the PC COM terminal.

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=43939.70
Several posts down ZASto provided the schematic for what is probably the same BOB board. It hard to be sure whether the 5V and 24V commons are the same.
Even if they are the same there would have to be a connection to the 12V common of the supply for the encoder.

Would the 10V from the BOB be enough to power the encoder, if it has 5V outputs it may well regulate its DC input to 5 V internally.

Thanks for the reply MN300,

The MPGs have an external power supply that comes from the wall which is 12V. That supply runs to both of them.

(Above video I just have the A terminal run through the meter to the main ground wire and was reading the output).

I have a C10 board with pins 2 and 3 as A and B with the COM set to ground. The C10 is only a 5V power supply in it. Hence needing the external 12V.

**** question then - does the BOB need to supply the MPG for proper reading in Mach3? ****

I left 1 terminal going through the bread board to the BoB and then put the meter in line on the other to test in this video.

Here is an updated video in Volts (lol)

https://youtu.be/-4xDqu0xisA

Thanks,

Kyle

Hi,
your making progress....but why is there 36V showing from time to time.

Do you have the 0V from your 12V external supply connected to the 0V COM of your BoB?. They will need to be connected.

Craig

Hi,
your making progress....but why is there 36V showing from time to time.

Do you have the 0V from your 12V external supply connected to the 0V COM of your BoB?. They will need to be connected.

Craig

No, the 12V and 0V are just wired to the external power source.

This image is what is hooked up. BOB isn't powered currently. Was just testing MPG A and B signal to see what I need to put between MPG and the BOB (resistors, zenners, etc) to make this work proper.

Hi,
Yes, the 0V of the external supply will have to be referenced to the COM of the BoB.

I suspect the that output impedance of the MPG is such that the inputs of the BoB will swamp the 12V A/B outputs down to 5v of the BoB,
Its not very elegant but it should work. Using Zeners and resistors is preferable.

Craig

That's minus 36V on the meter!
In one video you have a parallel port board and a C10 in the other. Neither really needs to be involved in the encoder test unless we establish a need for a pullup.

That's minus 36V on the meter!
In one video you have a parallel port board and a C10 in the other. Neither really needs to be involved in the encoder test unless we establish a need for a pullup.

The DB25 1R5AM board you see in the video is connected to the motors. The DB25 is strictly output pins and I couldn't get the MPG to run through it. The C10 which I had here recognized them and allowed mach3 to recognize them as well. So I've been  running just MPGs through the C10.

My computers PCI cards don't work properly. Signals to motors is all F****ed up and they don't get consistent pulsing. I am waiting on a Ethernet Smooth stepper to arrive to run the boards and use shielded cable to the computer.

Newest video coming soon, just uploading haha.

- Kyle

Here is the minimum required for the encoder test.

Power supply negative to Encoder negative and to negative meter lead

Power supply positive to Encoder positive

Meter positive lead to Encoder output being tested.

Try that, more no less.