computer parallel port help..plz read once

[sizala]

hello friends,

i am trying to make a 3 Axis 3 axis cnc router. i want to control the 3 stepper motors with a parallel port...

MY PROBLEM IS = i bought a usb to parallel converter bcoz my laptop does not have any parallel port (**broken link removed**)

now when i try to turn on some leds (I/O Ports Uncensored - 1 - Controlling LEDs (Light Emiting Diodes) with Parallel Port - CodeProject) like this web site...then i show that my parallel port's D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 are continuously staying ON. and thay are not even blinking when i try to send some data on that pin....

so guyz plz help me out..i am stuck.....

 

[ericgibbs]

hello friends,

i am trying to make a 3 Axis 3 axis cnc router. i want to control the 3 stepper motors with a parallel port...

MY PROBLEM IS = i bought a usb to parallel converter bcoz my laptop does not have any parallel port (**broken link removed**)

now when i try to turn on some leds (I/O Ports Uncensored - 1 - Controlling LEDs (Light Emiting Diodes) with Parallel Port - CodeProject) like this web site...then i show that my parallel port's D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 are continuously staying ON. and thay are not even blinking when i try to send some data on that pin....

so guyz plz help me out..i am stuck.....

hi,
Unzip this file and copy the two DLL's into the Windows/System32 folder

 

[BrownOut]

Ok you got me Eric. The OP already is using a DLL with an embedded device driver, but it doesn't work with the USB-2-parallel converter. How does your driver solve the problem?

Luckily for me, I'm a cheap ba***rd, and haven't purchased a new computer in years, so all my machines have a parallel port to use with my projects. Eventually though, I'll have to join the 21st century and start using USB.

 

[sizala]

ericgibbs , BrownOut thankx for replying me...

ericgibbs i am currently going to do what you said...

and yes i thought about a USB controller but the problem with USB's are that thay are very tough to program.. i am going to make one software by my self for the parallel port convertor....

https://www.electronics-diy.com/electronics/stepper_motors.php
this is the thing what is i am currently trying to do via parallel port..but my parallel port converter is not working perfectly so i dont have any hope yet..

 

[sizala]

and ericgibbs you are looking an experienced electronic geek.... so will you guide me to make 3 stepper motor controller... i am a VB, ASP.NET, C# ...etc programmer so i can program a software which will help me to run my CNC via Parallel port..but i dont have any idea about how to program a USB port...

so if you have any good parallel port controller then plz let me know about it...

 

[sizala]

hi,
Unzip this file and copy the two DLL's into the Windows/System32 folder

ericgibbs
i tried what you said but the leds are still staying ON..and it does not even blinks when i run the the parallel port controller...

plz tell me some other solution ...

if you know about any usb stepper motor controller then i will go for it..and i dont have any IC programmer so i dont think that i can make a USB controller...

 

[BrownOut]

I know of a complete CNC program, but it cost a few bucks. I would post the name, but I have to look it up this evening when I"m home.

 

[ericgibbs]

ericgibbs
i tried what you said but the leds are still staying ON..and it does not even blinks when i run the the parallel port controller...

plz tell me some other solution ...

if you know about any usb stepper motor controller then i will go for it..and i dont have any IC programmer so i dont think that i can make a USB controller...

hi,
Download this linked program and install, you should be able to test the PC port, lets know.

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/blogs/ericgibbs/122-pc-parallel-port-using-vb5.html

 

[sizala]

ericgibbs ,
it is still not working...when ever i connect a LED with a resistor to the parallel port at that time the LED turns ON and never goes off. i tried lots of parallel port controller but the LED is not even blinking ...i dont understand that what is the problem ..

hey friend can you just do what i say = if you have a parallel port in your PC (or a usb to parallel port convector) then plz just check that your parallel port is having same problem as mine? i mean does your parallel port is giving you power on D0 to D7 connected with anyone of the GND..

plz do that for me...
thankx for the reply friend...

 

[sizala]

ericgibbs ,
am i having this problem bcoz of XP? when ever i connect the usb to parallel port converter it comes up in device manager as "USB printing support "

**broken link removed**
**broken link removed**




and i tried to connect LEDs on my brother's desktop (there is an on board parallel port on that computer) ..but the problem was the same on his computer too.. when i connect LEDs all of them became ON. (i didn't tried to run any kind of parallel port controller on that comptuer.)
his computer has a Asus MoBo and it was running on XP SP2 (same as my OS)

bytheway my laptop is Asus EEE pc 904HD

 

[ericgibbs]

hi sizala,
Windows XP blocks direct access to the printer port, thats why the DLL's are required, even for PC's with a parallel port.
I cannot suggest what the problem is with your USB/Para converter.?

I would suggest that you look at the Velleman K8055 USB kit, its comes with Visual Basic for the PC, which can be changed to suit your project.
This sounds a better option than trying to get the USB/Para unit working.

https://www.velleman.eu/distributor/products/view/?country=be&lang=en&id=351346

 

[sizala]

ok..... i looked at that link...and yes that is a nice thing to start with...i was trying to make my own controller but now i think it is impossible for me to create a controller bcoz i am not an electronic expert . so now i will buy this USB controller and then i will program it by mbbby self ...

thankx for your help friend...

 

[BrownOut]

Funny thing about those convertors, they don't work like a 'real' port. I've never had a problem getting a real port to work, but was never able to get a emulated one to work. But I know there has to be a way because legacy programs work just fine with those emulated ports. For example, I can use hyper-term with my USB-2-serial convertor, so the registers must be created somewhere. Here is some code from the site **broken link removed**, which extracts port register addresses from bios. Maybe this is the missing key

#include <stdio.h>
#include <dos.h>

void main(void)
{
 unsigned int far *ptraddr;  /* Pointer to location of Port Addresses */
 unsigned int address;       /* Address of Port */
 int a;

 ptraddr=(unsigned int far *)0x00000408;

 for (a = 0; a < 3; a++)
   {
    address = *ptraddr;
    if (address == 0)
		printf("No port found for LPT%d \n",a+1);
    else
		printf("Address assigned to LPT%d is %Xh\n",a+1,address);
    *ptraddr++;
   }
}

 

[sizala]

thenkx for replying BrownOut,
but i am not using a serial port . i am using a 25 pin usb to parallel converter .

ericgibbs,

i decided to use the USB controller that you told me to take a look at... but can you just tell me that who to bump-up the power? i mean i am going to run 3 average size stepper motor so i will need more power out put from that usb controller.. so i will need to attache a power up circuits.. i know i have to make it by my self from transistors . but if you have some free time then can you just send me a simple diagram to do that?

thankx for reading friends

 

[sizala]

ericgibbs ,
the usb controller you told me to use is just has 8 output pins(am i right?). but i want to control 3 stepper motors that means i will need atlist 12 pin controller ....

 

[BrownOut]

thenkx for replying BrownOut,
but i am not using a serial port . i am using a 25 pin usb to parallel converter .

Yeah sorry, I grabbed the wrong code, but if you go back to that site, you'll find an article called "Interfacing the Standard Parallel Port" and in it, there is similar code to discover the resources for the parallel port. I don't know if that gets you going or not as I've never tried it. Anyway, good luck!

 

[sizala]

ok friends , i found the problem.. the problem is my laptop is detecting the converter as "usb printing support" but i have you MAP it as a LPT1 port... so plz hep me to solve this problem....

i tried to control that stepper motor from my class's computer and it worked that properly( from that PC's on board parallel port) ...**broken link removed**

 

[sizala]

hey guyz , i made up a controller and it is working fine with me brother's on board parallel port ... so i decided to by a very old computer (2nd hand) which have a parallel port...that is the easiest thing that i can see to solve my problem ...

thankx guyzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[ericgibbs]

hey guyz , i made up a controller and it is working fine with me brother's on board parallel port ... so i decided to by a very old computer (2nd hand) which have a parallel port...that is the easiest thing that i can see to solve my problem ...

thankx guyzzzzzzzzzzzz

hi,
Thanks for the feedback, lets know the project goes.

 

[sizala]

ok...i will let you guyz know about it...

and eric i want some precision in that cnc ..so can you give me a hint that what size of threaded road i can use in that? can i have 0.001 mm precision in? it will be ok if the precision is 0.010 or 0.10 mm ...(but i really want 0.001...

so plz can you calculate the details of the x,y,z threaded road bcoz i am just a computer an electronic geek and i am not a knowledge man like you.
(my 3-4 friends has CNCs and VMCs so thay will make those roads and other panels for me)

thankx friend...i wasn't even imagined that some one will help me online to solve my problems...

and eric i am thinking to make the cnc size about x=500mm , y= 500mm , and z=250-300 mm ......and the stepper motor has 48 steps ..if you have any suggestions for me about the stepper motors then plz let me know. i will go for the motors which you will tell me to use....
(i want to have maximum precision)

thankx for reading ... and friends if you are thinking that i ask to much questions ..then i think you are right..bcoz i dont have much knowledge but you do so plz help me to improve my knowledge..

thankx plz plz reaply....