C11 - MULTIFUNCTION CNC BOARD Rev5

Overview.
This card has been designed to provide a flexible interface and functions to your computer numerical control projects, by using parallel port control software. This board comes as a response to many users that have been asking for a faster way to connect devices and reduce the possibility of wiring errors.

Features

• Fully optoisolated The card isolates connections to protect your computer from short-circuit. An opto-isolator is an integrated circuit that transmits the signal through an encapsulated LED and phototransistor. When the signal is on, the LED lights up, the phototransistor captures it and relays the signal. In that way, your computer’s electronics are completely isolated from the cnc circuitry. The signals are transmitted through light and not through physical connections. In this way, a power surge has no way of reaching your computer. That is the reason why this card has two power connections. One power connection is power powering the circuit that interacts with the PC, the other connection is for powering the circuit that interacts with your cnc system. Extra precautions have been taken when designing this circuit, by taking into consideration the extremely high voltages that stepper drivers can achieve and lack of experience that some users could have in wiring circuits of this kind.

• Support for up to 250khz optoisolation on step and direction signals. on this revision is that the optoisolation circuit has been optimized and now supports full optoisolation at speeds over 250 khz. Noise from the drivers or other devices cannot affect the performance of the optoisolators.

• Buffered outputs. All inputs and outputs are buffered through the use of high speed and high power buffers. Each pins deliver 24 milliamps.

• Built-in Safety Charge Pump. There is an on-board safety charge pump, which is a circuit that acts a watch dog by monitoring that mach is in control of your system. Mach can be programmed in a way, so when it is “in control”, it delivers a 12.5 KHz signal through one of the ports. This card lets you use this signal to work as an On/Off Switch for your system, enabling a powerful safety system for your equipment. If you ever had windows crash on you, then this card is for you. The parallel port can also do weird things while the system is coming up, or down. New on revision 3 of this board is a microcontroller based system that allows for more complex and accurate algorithms for analyzing how the signal is sampled. This will also allow the user between hi and low precision settings, depending on the user’s needs.

• Built-in Variable Speed Control. It has an optoisolated analog 0-10VDC output that will convert a step signal into an analog signal that can be used to command a commercial VFD. This analog can be adjusted using on-board pot, so this board can be adjusted to other voltages.

• Built-in 10 amp AC Solid State Relay. It is very useful to use a solid state relay instead of a electro-mechanical relay for starting motors or other devices that might produce arcs at contact. This will increase the life of the motors and relay. This relay is also optoisolated from the rest of the board and has a replaceable fuse.

• Built-in 8 amp Solid State Relay with NO and NC positions. Mechanical relays are very flexible because they can be used for AC or DC and come with NO and NC (Normally Open and Normally Closed) positions. This relay can also be used for controlling spindle rotation.

• The common terminal to pins 2-9 can be ground or +5vdc. The board has a jumper that allows you to select if the common terminal to pins 2-9 will carry a ground or +5vdc. So if you are connecting encoders or proximity switches, you can select it to ground. If you are connecting Geckodrives or limit switches, you can set it to be +5vdc.

• All pins can be used in a concurrent manner. You can use all the input or output pins in a concurrent manner. For example, if you are using output pin #1 to control the Built-in Solid State Relay Board, you can also access that signal from the output pin on the board or from the DB25 connector for output. Each connection will not affect the other current from the other connection.

• External Enable Pin (EN). The board has a pin that allows you to enable/disable all the outputs at once. The board requires +5vdc in the EN pin. If it is not present, it will send all the outputs to ground. You can use this to enable or disable the system manually, or you can install an external Safety Charge Pump or other external device.

• Status LEDs on all inputs and output connections. No more guessing. You can SEE all your signals. Save valuable time and brainpower for cncing.

• Has an extra DB25 female connection for output. This card can be used to optoisolate any existing setup just by connecting this card between the computer and current control box. That way, you can also see and access all the signals. This makes the board ideal for use with the xylotex, hobbycnc or other non-optoisolated boards. You only have to add this board to a DB25 male connection to a male cable.

• Has an extra DB25 female connection for output. Works with newer computers and laptops that have low voltage parallel ports

• All inputs are outputs are tied to pull-down resistors. Pins are never in the air open to noise. If you leave a pin in the air you will get a LOW or 0. If you input a ground you will get a LOW and a +3.3 or+ 5 vdc signal will deliver a HI.

• Works directly with popular CNC hardware and software. Such as Geckodrive, DeskCNC or Rutex, and parallel port control software, such as mach2, Linux EMC, TurboCNC, CNCZeus and others. (Not all tested)

BREAKOUT BOARD COMPARISON CHART