I thought that some of you guys would like to check this out. It would be a cheap way to setup a Phlatprinter with an encoder system to let you know where the gantry is in real time I was thinking that if you had steppers with dual shafts this would be no problem but if not there still may be a way to set it up for single shaft steppers as well. Maybe the circuit could be mounted under the shaft and a wheel or belt added to the stepper shaft that would spin the encoder wheel mounted underneath? Just thought it would make a great mod. Mark Here's a link that gives you the breakdown of hacking the mouse http://www.boondog.com/tutorials/mouse/mouseHack.htm
10:29 AM - I'm going over to WeirdStuff at lunchtime to see what they get for a cheap wheeled mouse, and I'll report back later. I'll bet it's a lot less than $5.
$2.95 for the dusted off full-size PS2 mice. Probably less for the dusty ones, but nobody was around to ask - I'd guess $2 for them (untested). But encoders are no good for a stepper system, they must be run open-loop. Are you planning to change to servo-motors so you can run the encoders?
Isn't an encoder the thing that is connected to the stepper when they have the shaft from both side sticking out? Or is it called something else? Mark, no picture came up when I went to the link. Did you have pictures coming up? Yoram
When using a Stepper, the controller sends a certain number of "move" pulses to make the Stepper move that exact number of steps. It doesn't "read" an encoder for anything. When using a Servo Motor, the controller tells the Motor to move in a certain direction until it is told to stop, but doesn't know when to stop unless it gets a signal from an encoder or switch that it has reached its destiny. They are two completely different types of motion control, and I don't believe they can be mixed. I remember reading a discussion about his at http://www.cnczone.com/forums/
You can purchase Steppers with encoders just as well as with out, not uncommon. They are also not that much more $. Encoders talk to the control board/software and that info is interpulated and the signals are sent to the steppers or servos. In short if you have one thing telling the software where its at the software can send the pulses for the motor and correct any errors real time. That is closed loop. The only thing about using the mouse idea is which mouse you use. If you use the type mouse with the pulse wheel where as it has little holes all the way around it and an optic eye, your tolerance is only as good as the steps between the holes. On the matter I would honestly have to look into it more in depth but I think it's a neat DIY project. Eric
