Smooth Stepper, what do I need?

Hi all, relatively new to CNC machining and have what some very beginner questions.

Assuming I have the smooth stepper USB or ethernet controller what else do I need?

1) I read of people using breakout boards in conjunction with the SS, why is that necessary?
2) I'm assuming I still need the drivers to run the motors?
3) What is the purpose of the 5v power supply if it can already be supplied by the USB cable?

Lastly, what is the advantage of the smooth stepper other than getting rid of the need for a parallel port?

Thanks in advance,
IK

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Originally Posted by itko

Hi all, relatively new to CNC machining and have what some very beginner questions.

Assuming I have the smooth stepper USB or ethernet controller what else do I need?

1) I read of people using breakout boards in conjunction with the SS, why is that necessary?
2) I'm assuming I still need the drivers to run the motors?
3) What is the purpose of the 5v power supply if it can already be supplied by the USB cable?

Lastly, what is the advantage of the smooth stepper other than getting rid of the need for a parallel port?

Thanks in advance,
IK

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I do not own a SmoothStepper board, but I'll try to address your questions.

1) The SmoothStepper replaces one or two parallel port cards in your computer, allowing you to use a USB port (or ethernet) instead. So anything that you would have used downstream of the one or two parallel port boards, you would also use downstream of the SmoothStepper.

2) Yes, that includes the stepper motor drivers.

3) See page 24 of the SmoothStepper manual, http://warp9td.com/documentation/Smo...ManualV1.0.pdf

An external 5 volt supply is optional.

4) Getting rid of the need for one or two parallel ports is a major advantage. Another advantage would be offloading the step generation from the computer.

I bought the ethernet smoothstepper and plan to use it later this Spring. I still need to read up on configuring SS for my system.

The SmoothStepper needs Mach3 to run. SS outputs two parallel ports.
These ports allow you to connect various I/O, like limit switches, spindle RPM output, relays, STEP/DIRECTION outputs, etc. Whatever Mach3 can control, SS will have a port for it.

As doorknob mentions in his item 4, SS can do higher step pulse frequency than native Mach3. For example, the Gecko G540 stepper driver does 10 microstepping and can input up 300KHZ step rate frequency. Mach3 can't go that high - perhaps 100KHZ with some computers. The SS can easily do this frequency rate. These higher rates are not required for every situation. So you need to do your homework to determine what you require for your setup.

You could construct a block diagram for the various components so that you have some idea of what is required to run your CNC machine. This helps focus on what you need for your situation. And hopefully, this process can save you from buying items that are not needed.