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ESS Smoothstepper Pin Assignment

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Control
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2023-02-21

I just cant work out the in and out pin assignments, some clarity would be awesome. I have 2 BOBs connected to my ESS. Number 1 BOB is 100% full with inputs and outputs. BOB #2 I have a bunch of pins but they are mostly all input pins shown on the ESS configuration page with just a few random ones being output pins.

My question is pins 3,4,5 for example on BOB #2 are all listed in the ESS config as input. I want to use them for outputs. I have no idea how to change them. Or, does it not matter, I can just assign my outputs to them and they will work? I have sussed out how to put a small on/off script to these pins.

What am I missing here?

C

    • roy

      2023-02-22
      ccording to the old parallel port pin standard it was possible to assign pins #2-#9 of a parallel port as either inputs OR outputs, as a block of eight only.
Thus if pin #2 was an input then pins #3-#9 were also inputs.

The ESS has what amounts to three parallel ports, and this in turn dates back to when everyone used Mach3 and a parallel port. The prospective customers
were already with the parallel port numbering and so Warp9 continued that tradition.
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        • roy

          : Port one (of the ESS) is output dominated, that is to say pins #2 thru #9 are always outputs, as befit use for Step/Dir signals. Ports 2 and 3 (of the ESS) the pins #2 thru #9 can be assigned as inputs or outputs. The attached pic shows where the setting are found in the ESS Mach4 plugin.

        • roy
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          @roy

          : My breakout board that I made for myself treats all pins #2 thru #9 of both ports as inputs. Thus I have 31inputs and 20 outputs in total. The MB3 of CNCRoom has pins #2 thru #9 of port2 as inputs and pin#2 thru #9 of port three as outputs....so its whatever floats your boat.

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