Firstly thanks for the help over the last year or so !!!
I've been able to use PnCConf to create a config which I could then search and replace to use the 7i80 board.
I now have the XYZ all moving very nicely.
BUT the old BDLC Spindle driver (Tonman bd-1100) does not seem to support an analog signal so I need to have a PWM output.
The old system used mach3 and a couple of parallel ports so I assume the PWM rate was fairly low. The mach3 config page was 2000 steps, step pulse of 2 and direct pulse 15.
Options:
1. I have a friend who could make me a board which converts the analog signal to a PWM
2. A new bit file which uses the 7I76 to generate the PWM the 4th channel stepper ?
3. Use a custom board on one of the other three ports of the 7i80-DB ?
4. Is there a board out there I could use on the extra port on the 7i80-DB ?
Some contradictory information there, PWM and Step/Dir do not go together.
Find the manual for the drive, check what types of control input it can work with.
Analog and PWM drives usually will work with the wrong type of signal, but not correctly, meaning they will spin but the speed control will be broken or erratic.
All Mesa cards can do PWM on the field outputs, but at a low rate. The high speed pins can do very fast PWM.
Warning: puting +- 10V analogue output to a 5V PWM input will most probably destroy that input, especialy the -10V.
so you can just make a low pas filter
or use a Digitaldivice for a 0-10V
cand find any infos of your driver
Code:
loadrt pwmgen output_type=0
addf pwmgen.update servo-thread
addf pwmgen.make-pulses base-thread
net spindle-speed-cmd motion.spindle-speed-out => pwmgen.0.value
net spindle-on motion.spindle-on => pwmgen.0.enable
net spindle-pwm pwmgen.0.pwm => parport.0.pin-09-out
# Set the spindle's top speed in RPM
setp pwmgen.0.scale 1800
There is no manual for the drive available.
I think my belief that the drive supported analog input is incorrect.
A bit file change on the step/dir port would allow it to be a PWM.
Correct a analog signal into a pwm does not work very well.
