[PARTTIMER01]

So after many years of having my mill sitting collecting dust,I've finally decided to dig into it. I've been lurking around here for quite awhile reading up and following the builds with great interest,like the Tree 325 retrofit. It has the same sd1525 amps as my lagun and I have the Baldor servos which i beleive are also the same so it's been a nice read so far for sure.
I know that Kanalog likes differential encoder signals,problem is my mill has them but it was only wired for single ended into the cabinet. I'm pretty sure by the looks of the cables on this machine that I'll never be able to run the extra wires required for the extra signals in the original harnesses.
I've been searching and 26LS31 keeps popping up. My question is, if I decide to just put this IC on a board for conversion of signals, will I need to integrate resistors or anything else into it or is it just a simple hook up to the 16 pin IC? Also,is anyone else using this to convert there signal ended encoder signals to differential for Kanalog?
Glen

[Al_The_Man]

I have used this IC on several occasions for any input that takes RS422 etc differential input, not specifically for Kanalog however.
But I don't see why not. No other resistors needed.
Al.

[PARTTIMER01]

Hi Al, I see you are also from our cold climate. Greetings
From what I have searched, the info is telling me that whatever single ended to differential converter I use should be positioned close to the encoder.
My mill motors are well shielded from the elements of machining but I would think securely fastened inside my cabinet would be the best placement. Is there a specific reason one cant (or shouldn't) place the converter inside the enclosed cabinet and simply hook up the encoder wires then run the extra signals to kanalog encoder inputs?
thanks

[Al_The_Man]

Ideally they should be close to the encoder as possible, you could do it that way, just that it defeats the noise suppression feature that the RS422 offers.
Al.

[m_c]

As Al mentions, by placing the linedriver in the cabinet, it defeats the main purpose of using differential signals. The main reason behind using differential signals, is they are far more noise tolerant, so by using single ended signals all the way to cabinet, you lose that benefit.

You would be just as easy connecting the single ended signals directly to the KFlop. The Kanalog encoder inputs simply convert the differential signals back to single ended inputs, before passing them through to the relevant inputs on the KFlop.

[TomKerekes]

Ditto to what AL and m_c said.

If you design the chip circuit yourself you should at least add a power supply filter capacitor. Also maybe a few hundred ohms termination for the single ended signals (smallest value your encoder is able to drive). You can buy modules to do this for a few bucks. See:
https://cnc4pc.com/differential-line-driver.html

Regards