Profi1 CNC Controller
Hybrid/Native PWM Stepping Motor Control electronic Unit for Hobby CNC machines

Discontinued!
Only product support !

Please see New H1 CNC Controller!

CNC Controller PCB V4.1B

Last modification: 11.05.2006

Box versions (Please Click!)

If load larger 8A

Possible Hobby CNC Axis combinations (with PWM CNC Controller and Mach2 CNC Software):

Technical specifications:

- Standard, 3-axis or 2-axis (3D or 2D), Hybrid/Native PWM, Step/Dir-system CNC motor control.
- Unipolar motor drive, with 12 pieces of Logic Level MOSFET power transistors (with integrated protecting supressor diodes).
- Possibility of mounting an external optional heat sink (for the FETs) (not necessary if load does not exceed 2.5A/phase).
- Input voltage and power supply range of the motors: 8 ... 50 V or 8 ... 90 V
- Maximum driving phase current of motors : 5A (above 2.5A heatsink is necessary).
- Minirelay with potential-independent make contacts for controlling the turning motor or the filament (maximum. ~250V, 5A).
- PC interface: standard CETRONICS interface female for standard printer cables (LPT port).
- Microcontroller: any 40-pin member of the PIC16F87x (16F871 ... 16F877) family with 20MHz clock.
- Step/Dir signal detection (by the means of two-way counters).
- Full galvanic separation from the PC, by the means of opto-couplers.
- Built-in 5V supply (necessary input voltage: +8 ... +12V).
- Built-in ICP (In-Circuit Programing) interface, for uploading Firmware/Setup.
- PCB-integrated PIEZO speaker (for signal sounds)
- 3 pieces LED drive (Power supply, LED1, LED2) for combinated signals.
- 1  push-botton for obtaining signals and functions.
- Serial datalink (PC-Link). Direct Setup uploading (PWM) and extended diagnostics.

Mechanical construction:

Large current FET's

Optional cooling space

- On board(160x100mm)-integrated controller.
-7-point-fastener bore holes with a diameter of 3.5mm.
- Optional fastening of the heatsink to the PCB in 4 points.
- Stable, to the PCB soldered high-current terminals for the motors (bolted joint).
- Line terminal for connecting end-positions, LEDs and push bottons.
- Partly SMD mounting.

Partly SMD mounting

Max. 5A and 90V!

(zoom in click!)

Profi Firmware (can be ordered):

Firmvare V5.1.1

Main features:

- 3-axis, independent, Hibrid PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), motor control (for unipolar motors)
- Independent, selectable 3 Step system (Half and Full Steps). Select via PC-Link. Full step always two phase excitation.
    (Half step = double CNC resolution without changing the hardware)
- 30 kHz clock, four-state (TF,T1,T2,T3), setup-adjusted, PWM generator (wide range of field current control)
- 3-axis hardware Step/Dir detection (through the LPT port)
- 3D performance at a processing speed, greater than 13000 impulse/s (simultaneous)
- Applicability of low-voltage (<8V), high-current motors (by the means of PWM pulse narrowing)
- Applicability of motor control with elevated voltage (soft reset)
- maximum torque approximately by 20 % increased at low speed (T1)
- impulse loss detection (it can be ackowledged), and its smoothed handling
- application of three-point digital filters (impulse filtering)
- smart end-position detection
- repeatable end-position detection (Power ON + push-button)
- motor overdrive detection and signalling (can be acknowledged)
- sound signals (Piezo)
- control card and motor diagnostics
     - motor phase indentifying, end position, by the means of LEDs and push-button test
    - test of counters (X, Y, Z)
- automatic motor diagnostics (tuning) with programmable tolerance and calibration path
- motor tuning and holding path PWM setup with a resolution of 3 times greater
- online diagnostics and forced impulse loss detection
- complex condition and error indication (via 2 LEDs + Piezo)
- all the functions and parameters are setup-adjusted by the means of a Windows-based   
  program (by the means of direct PC-Link uploading)
- Direct possibility of accessing FETs (for each phase) (via PC-Link)
- Load test of the power supply of motors up to 200 % (PC-Link)

Hobby CNC PWM Manager (Free!)

This Windows-based program can be used to access most easily to the very many adjustments and functions programmed into the controller and to modify the control parameters.
This program only used with Profi Firmware..
Please for the first time start PWM Manager, after entry Controller in PC-Link mode (for uploading)!
Downloading possibility of the software please see PWM Manager.

Uses PC Step/Dir CNC Controller Softwares (Not total list):

Recommended CNC Softwares: Mach2 CNC Controller!

(Mach2 CNC Controller Software)

Important:

• If use Mach2 CNC software, please setup Motor Tuning: Minimum Pulse Width: 10 uS, and Direction PreChange: 50 uS!

(Mach2 pulse datas)

• If use Mach3 CNC software, please setup Motor Tuning: Step Pulse & Dir Pulse =4 or 5!

(Mach3 pulse datas)

Special functions
 

1. Functions available both in Online mode (PC - CNC mode) and via Setup procedure:

- Repeated location of end-positions. It locates again the direction- and end position assignments for the individual (X, Y, Z) axes.
   Access: by depressed clear button turning on the CNC (Power ON + push button).

- Motor tuning. Determination of the gretaest speed (without step-loss) of the stepping motors

   + joined mechanical parts by the means of preprogrammed (Setup) step path and error

   tolarence.
   Access: by depressed YV1 and YV2 or ZV1 and ZV2 end position switches turning ont the CNC (Power ON  + YV1 + YV2 3D) or (Power ON + ZV1 + ZV2 2D).

- Holding path PWM tuning. Adjusting the force necessary to keep the motors in home

   position by controlling the manual moving force at constant PWM frequency determined

   during setup.
   Access: By turned-on CNC press both end-position switches of the Y or Z axis (Power ON  + YV1 + YV2 3D) or (Power ON + ZV1 + ZV2 2D).

- Direct data-upload and extended diagnostics, through the LPT port (PC-Link).

   Access: During Power On both end position switch of the X axis should be depressed (Power ON + XV1

   and XV2).

2. Functions available only via setup:

- Identifying the motor phases by the means of end-position LEDs and push-button tests.

- Diagnostics of counters.

- Switching on the On line forced Inpulse Loss Detection (modified Online mode).

- Load test of the power supply of motors up to 200 %

- Direct identifying of motor phases

- Elevated-voltage mode of motors

Detailed description of special functions can be found in the detailed description of the controller int he chapter of Manual Setup.

Documentation (Free!)
(include in ordered Controller CD)

3D (3 axis CNC) Controller:
Schematics	V4.1E Schematics, pdf 39kB
External connection diagram (3D) 3 axis (3D)	V4.1C 3dbekot.pdf (15 kB)
Component list:	V4.1C Component list:.pdf
Schematic of the power supply	V1.A Schematic of the power supply pdf 15 kB (jpg 206 kB)
Windows PWM Manager	Hobby CNC PWM Manager (Free, 4.4 MB)
Mounting prescriptions	Mounting prescriptions.pdf (318 kB)
Simple LED Display	Simple LED Display LED positions

Components dataseet:
Steping Motors (Japan, USA, GDR, etc.)
HALL-IC-sensors (Rafi)
74LS191 (pdf 126 kB)
LTV847 (pdf 117 kB)
IRLZ24N FET (pdf 179 kB) [normal voltage version]
IRL540N FET (pdf 290 kB) [enhance voltage version]

Mounting prescriptions:

PCB V4.1

To get a stabil and error-free operation some mounting prescriptions must be observed!

Supply voltages:

The negative terminal of the power supply of digital circuits and that of the power supply of the motors (GND) can be strapped only on the PCB. The supply current of the motors cannot flow through the ground terminal (GND) of the power supply of the digital circuits!
The power supply of the motors and that of the Mill (milling motor, filament) must be protected by fuses (Wickmann type) before the PCB!
The AC voltage for both the power supply for the stepping motors and that of for the digital circuits must be provided by a safety transformer according to the MSZ 172/1 standard!

(Info)

Power supply for the digital circuits:

The input voltage, that must be filtered by a capacitor of minimum 1000 μF, can be between +8V és +12V. The maximum load of the digital part is approximately 150 mA. This voltage must come from a transformer that is independent from the transformer of the motor power supply, or at least from an independent coil!
It is better to use lower input voltage, - about + 8 V, - as there is no need int hat case for heat sink for the stabilizer IC of + 5V (above +12V it gets warm, and its cooling may be necessary).

Power supplies for the motors:

Stabilization is not necessary but filtering by capacitors is a must. All the current load must be taken into account, and a capacity of 1000 µF should be encountered for a load of 1A.

Care must be taken that the unloadad motor-voltage should not exceed the maximum allowed voltage (50 V, or 90 V DC n case of elevated voltage version)!

Care should be taken of section and joints of feeding (because of high currents).

High-current wires should not be guided close to the contorller circuit.

Cooling of FETs :

Cooling is not necessary up to a load of maximum 2.5A/phase! If the load exceed this value, cooling is necessary.
As heat sink, aluminium plates fixed to FETs can be used or 2 pieces of special heat sink with great heat-dissipation , which optionally can be ordered, can also be applied.
All the FETs must be insulated from the heat sink!

The FETs must fixed by srews to the 2 pieces of heat sinks, which  can be optionally ordered. Their insulation is necessary. The heat sink is fixed from the bottom of the PBC by plastic screws through the specially formed borings (4 pieces).

Mounting of the PCB:

Connections(V4.1)

(in-case-built-in)

The PCB must be mounted possibly through all the mounting bores. It is necessary to place insulating (e.g. made of plastic) underplates above the metal distance pieces, between the PCB and distance pieces! In the course of mounting the PCB should not be bent.

Int he course of tightening the bolt joints the move of terminals should be prevented (so that it could not be twisted)!

Putting the unit into operation:

Check if polarity of terminals of the power supplies (power supply for the digital circuits and for motors) is correct.

At first the PIC mustn’t be in its case, motors should not be connected, and power supply for the motors shoould be turned off (+8...50V or +8...90V)!

By these conditions and with the power supply for the digital circuits on, Vcc (+ 5V) and its polarity should be checked at the pins of PIC (see schematics!)

Following that turn on the power supply for the motors and check the value and polarity of the voltage between CON18 or CON 21 or CON27 or CON30 or CON33 positive and CON35 terminals.

Then turn of f the motor supply and connect CON18, CON21, CON24, CON27, CON30, CON33 points to the coil tap terminals of the assigned (X, Y, Z) motors (they can be identified by a resistance instrument) according to the figure.

The correct phase-order necessary for the unidirectioal rotation must be searched!

There are two possibilities for that (recommended 1. method!):

1.

Place the preprogrammed PIC into its case.

Then connect the motors first in the following way:

Now turn on both power supplies and using the moving test function of PWM Manager programme check whether the rotation is correct (at low number of steps).

If incorrect stepping is noticed, exchange both ends of one of the coils e.g. as it is shown:

2. (alternative possibility):

Turn on the motors’ power supply (the coil tap terminals are under voltage, the other ends are free, - in the air)!
Contact one after the other the free ends of the phases to the negative terminal of the power supply of the motors (e.g. CON35) for a moment by using  a piece of wire.
The motor will jump to the position assigned to the given phase. Note the direction and measure of the move.
Search for the correct phase order, with that you can get unidirectional rotation by using repeated touchments.
The actual direction does not count, only the fact that the motor should rotate in the same direction in each touchment!
Repeated toruchment order:
1---  (the motor makes a step forward)
-2--  (again a step forward)
--3-  (...)
---4  (...)
1---  (again a step FORWARD!)
...      (...)
If you could get the correct order, note it and connect the lines to the terminals (for each axis)!
1 -> CON17 (for the axis X)
2 -> CON19 (.".)
3 -> CON20 (.".)
4 -> CON22 (.".)

1 -> CON23 (for the axisY)
...
For further information see information of PC-Link.

Contact the end-positions (care should be taken not to exchange the axes), LEDs (take care of the polarities) as well as the push button.

Take the PIC into its case, if you haven’t done that, (if it is empty yet, with the digital power supply on upload the Firmware on the ICP).

If everything is ready, it is worth performing all the tests (see knowlidge of the firmware).

In case of elevated motor voltages see description of Motor tuning.

If everything has been done, the controller is ready for operation.

PC-side configuration of the controller (PCB V4.xx):

(KCAM4)

(Master5)

(Mach2 bit setup)

Please setup Motor Tuning Minimum Pulse Width: 10uS, and Direction PreChange: 50 uS!

If use Mach3, then Scherline mode=off!

(PCB V4.1)

Discontinued!
Profi1 CNC Controller