[curiosity22]

How do pin outs work?

eg AXBB-E and UCSB -- axbb has pinouts 09 to 17
ucsb has pinouts 01 to 09,14,16 and 17

Does the software eg : UCCNC/MACH3 auto recognise the two boards and can accept none unique pin outs,

eg axbb you set 15 and 16 for say Y axis and you set ucsb breakout board for 16 and 17 for say X.

I don't understand how this works? Do the pin outs to the steppers have to be unique or it doesn't matter?

If someone wouldn't mind demystifying this for me please.

Cheers,

Steve

[RCaffin]

Might be worth while reading (slowly) the Mach3 mill documentation first.

Do the pin outs to the steppers have to be unique
I am not sure what you mean here, but being conservative I will start with an 'absolutely yes' position for any one situation.

Cheers
Roger

[curiosity22]

Roger G'day and ty for posting..

I'll try to be more precise with my question, in the manual for axbb they give an example of how to set up a 4 axis rig. eg output 09 and 10 for step+ and dir+ same for output 11/12 for Y 13/14 for Z and 15/16 for A.. now I need a rotary as 2 axis are taken up for my Y travel. So to add the rotary I need some more pinouts. Hence the UCSB breakout board, it hooks into the axbb via parallel cable. So when you setup the pin numbers in Mach3 or UCCNC you would list x is 09 and 10 etc for the rest.

The UCSB adds some more outputs for adding another axis in my case I need a B axis for the rotary. its choices are as far as outputs 01 to 09,14,16 and 17 which is a replication of output numbers on the axbb as well. The example given to add an axis in the UCSB is 01 and 02 for step - and dir - ...

Now on the axbb 01.02. 03 are used for a relay and VFD.. What I would like to know is if I use output 01/02 on the breakout board does this mean I can not use 01/02 on the axbb? is the hardware intelligent enough to reassign the numbering of its outputs? or does the software require unique numbers. So if I use 01 on axbb I cant use 01 on ucsb and visa versa?

The only difference I have spotted between the two manuals is axbb the step+ and dir+ is assigned to outputs where as the ucsb step- and dir- is assigned to the outputs. Is this to avoid conflicts and allow you to use the same pinout numbers the differentiation being the + or - (or that has no bearing on it at all and you can not use the same numbers be it +/- )

eg windows you used to only have coms 1, 2 and 3 to choose from for modems and other attachments. Nowadays with so many peripherals on the market there is still a demand for coms ports but if 2 accessories require coms 3 windows in the background assigns a virtual coms ..(ok you need coms 3 no problems you keep thinking your using coms 3 but Ill assign coms 12 for you)

Is this hardware axbb/ucsb as inteligent? Does it matter, is it a software thing? Just trying to understand how it works. or the rule is once you use a number on one peripheral you cant reuse the same number on another. Its not like I can access either of the boards and assign my own numbers.... axbb finishes at output 17 and Ill just code the others on the breakout board to start from 18 and finish whatever number...

Am I any clearer on what I'm asking?


Cheers,
Steve

[ger21]

The software doesn't Auto Recognize. You tell it what port and pins you are using.

eg axbb you set 15 and 16 for say Y axis and you set ucsb breakout board for 16 and 17 for say X.

The port number differentiates between these two.

The AXBB has 17 outputs on Port 1, with pins 1-8 being isolated outputs, and pins 9-17 being non isolated outputs. You'd typically use pins 9-17 for step and direction to your drives, as most drives have isolation built in.

You could also use the output pins on the UCSB by specifying port 3 in the software.
I wouldn't use the UCSB until you run out of outputs on the AXBB.

[ger21]

Now that you've given more info, use pins 9-16 on the AXBB, assigning port 1, and use pins 1-4 on the UCSB, assigning port 3.
You can use any outputs on the UCSB (1-9, 14, 16, 17). You just assign them to port 3 in the software.

[curiosity22]

Hey Gerry G'day,

Thanks for that mate, the answer I was looking for but missing port numbers - now it makes more sense so I can use output 01/02 port 1 as an example only and output 01/02 port 2 on the breakout board. Fantastic ok that puts things down neatly for me. I can do some extra reading now on assigning port numbers. I will assume its not like a computer motherboard where you have shorting pins/jumper which can reassign ports/coms etc resets.......

Balazs told me when I was buying the axbb that I would need a breakout board if I wanted to use 5 axis so I did. So by adding 4 axis to the axbb not really understanding the product I don't know if I have exhausted all the ports available to me.

The reason I'm asking the questions is an attempt to educate my self and to be able to digest the technology I understand, with the technology I'm not familiar with. In an attempt to find some common ground to continue researching.

Thank you for taking the time Gerry, much appreciated.

Steve

[ger21]

The breakout board is port 3, not port 2.

[curiosity22]

Yes I apologise, port 3...

TY for the correction.

[RCaffin]

The entire system is based on the pins in a standard parallel printer port (LPT) - quite literally the physical pins in the connector.
But just as you can have COMS1, COMS2, COMS3, you can have LPT1, LPT2, LPT3.
The 'magic' is that the bit of hardware hanging off a USB or ethernet port can emulate these COMS and LPT ports. That is done by the software driver in the computer. The number of pins on a single LPT port is just not enough!

Cheers
Roger

[curiosity22]

Roger G'day,

Understood mate and ty for taking the time to post. The penny finally dropped when Gerry revealed Port 3 and setting it in the software. It dawned on me why and the axbb diagram finally made sense.. Of course the lpt was plugged into yes Port 3. I looked at that diagram so many times and the penny was just spinning in a circle.

I asked a lot of questions necessarily ... but I learned a lot last couple of days!!!

Some times reading and comprehension and then tying the two together don't work straight of the bat.

Now its well how obvious... sighhh

Cheers and avagreatday mate..

Steve

[RCaffin]

Don't worry: I think we have all been through that learning path. Me too.

Cheers
Roger

- - - Updated - - -

Don't worry: I think we have all been through that learning path. Me too.

Cheers
Roger