Need a Manual!

[Contract_Pilot]

Picked up a 12X36 Lathe with a Microkinetics CNC kit over the weekend for a great price. I now need to find the manual for the Microkinetics Drive Rack model # 3400-304 if anyone has one I need a copy so I can hook it up when done cleaning and installing the CNC stuff.Tried to contact Microkinetics no luck they just want to sell me a $70.00 cable to Hook up to the MN400E Motion Controller!

Photo of the Lathe And Drive Rack.



Drive Rack:


Motion Controller:

 

[JimDawson]

I did a pretty comprehensive web search, I can't find a thing. I did find a PDF from Microkinetics that kind of shows the pinouts. It also looks like that it has a RS232 interface and proprietary command set, so you may need to either write your own user interface software or use theirs. It doesn't look like it is compatible with Mach3, but I could be wrong here.

 

[Contract_Pilot]

The drive rack is compatible using a CNC breakout controller board! But need the pinouts for the Driverrack.

I do have their software on the PC that came with the Lathe and their MN400E Motion Controller it has a SCSI 50 Connector to DB25/DB15 but they do not offer the pin-outs for the DB25 End.

The Pinouts for the 50pin scsi connector on the MN400E are in the MN400 manual I found on their site and the manual that was in the stack of paperwork.

If I cannot find the pin-out I may have to open the unit up and trace it all down! That will be a chore! But i refuse to pay $70.00 for a Cable I can build for under $10.00

 

[Contract_Pilot]

The drive rack has the power supplies and 3 of the DM8010 Stepper Motor Driver's inside.


http://www.microkinetics.com/index.php?page=motor_drivers/dm8010

 

[Contract_Pilot]

What I am Reading is that this Drive Rack will work with the Opti ISA Card.... Or if yo want USB Control you use The MN400 or MN400E... I would assume that the pinout would be the same as the Opti Card? Here is the pin out for the Opti Card... http://www.microkinetics.com/pdfmanuals/BO25wirediag.pdf

 

[JimDawson]

There doesn't seem to be a lot going on in the Drive Rack, so tracing it out might not be too bad. From what I read, it looks like there might be some pass through wiring to the terminal strip for encoder inputs and the 4 outputs, if I read it correctly. The travel limit switches must connect to the MN400, because I don't see any provision for that on the Drive Rack, unless that is what the MT+/- is for, rather than encoder inputs as illustrated in the PDF.

 

[JimDawson]

What I am Reading is that this Drive Rack will work with the Opti ISA Card.... Or if yo want USB Control you use The MN400 or MN400E... I would assume that the pinout would be the same as the Opti Card? Here is the pin out for the Opti Card... http://www.microkinetics.com/pdfmanuals/BO25wirediag.pdf

I'm guessing that they are the same. That's the I/O I would expect to see, looks like it's all there.

 

[Contract_Pilot]

Jim right above where it says to computer is where i have read that the limit switched connect to.

 

[Contract_Pilot]

Response from Microkinetics.

Hello Steven,

I don't see a manual even for the current model.

There are manuals for the drivers and power supplies used in it and no instruction manual for the driverack.

WE do have great support. Is there anything I can help you with?

Best regards,

Maurice

As I See it no way to hook this up with out the wiring diagram that is in the manual. Unless I crack it open and chase every thing out!

What they have for a manual on the new one!
http://www.microkinetics.com/pdfmanuals/DriveRack.pdf

 

[JimDawson]

Yup, you're right. I just took another look at the PDF I found, there are 2 terminal strips on that one. http://www.microkinetics.com/pdfmanuals/DriveRack.pdf

A different model than yours.