Back to Motion Control home.
This list was compiled quite a few years ago in conjunction with and for Bruce Shapiro and his course, ‘From Bits, to Bytes…to Bots‘.
It is intended to aid in finding all of the right parts quickly and cheaply, through each phase of learning control via a computer parallel port.
How much will you spend? Depending on how good you are at scrounging, plan on at least $30, though if you’re stocking up on decent motors it may be closer to $80!
The_Parallel_Cable
LEDs
Resistors
The Chips
The Motors
MISC
Who are we ‘promoting’?
A list of companies listed here, and a few organizations.
The Parallel Cable:
www.digikey.com
www.jameco.com
Needed to interface the circuit to the printer port. Unfortunately, no ready-made male 25-pin to 26-pin socket exists (that I know of). You may be able to order them custom-made, or make them yourself using parts
from Digikey or Jameco:
| PARTS: |
JAMECO |
$ |
DIGIKEY |
$ |
| |
| 25 pin IDC D-sub male connector |
12335 |
1.89 |
? |
? |
| 26 pin IDC socket connector |
138333 |
0.42 |
? |
? |
| 25 conductor flat cable |
105697 |
6.29 (10 Ft) |
? |
? |
Bruce says:
"The press-fit connectors are easy to use, but take some practice. Make sure you check the alignment BEFORE pressing the two halves slowly in a vice."
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LEDs:
www.alltronics.com
Individual LEDs are probably the easiest to find part. These are cheap and usually run at 1.5, 3, or 5 volts. Too much voltage can pop them, so careful!
The bar graph LED is a little more difficult to find. I got one for just over $3 at Radio Shack (the only part they had that I needed…) I know Alltronics sells them, but am not sure the catalog number…
| PARTS: |
ALLTRONICS |
$ |
DIGIKEY |
$ |
| |
| 10-digit Bar Graph LED |
? |
? |
? |
? |
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Resistors:
www.jameco.com
www.digikey.com
Resistors are actually easier to come across than LEDs, but finding the right one is sometimes a task. In order to protect the parallel port while plugging wires into it, we suggest using a very high resistor value–up to 1K.
Bruce writes:
"…the resistor value I use is 1K. This limits the current through the LED’s to <5ma, which can be kind of dim– but I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t straining the output capabilities of the port. So far, I’ve used many tens of laptops, and have never had a problem with a parallel port.
The SIP resistor network is carried by Digikey and Jameco — Jameco #97877. Just remember to place it with the common lead connected in the right spot (grounded)."
If you are not sure how to read resistor color bands, there is a little tutorial here.
Single Resistors
Any place that sells electronics components will have
SIP (Single In-line Resistors
| PARTS: |
JAMECO |
$ |
DIGIKEY |
$ |
| |
| SIP resistor network |
97877 |
2.60 (10) |
? |
? |
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The Chip(s):
www.alltronics.com
www.newark.com
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The Motors:
www.alltronics.com
www.newark.com
www.ebay.com
NOTE:
Currently Alltronic’s site has the amperage for their 6-wire unipolar stepper (22M010) wrong. It claims 0.35 V, but the motor actually requires 1.35 V.
Bruce writes:
"The power supply needs to give 5V for the 5805 chip, and the voltage of your stepper (12V in my case). You can use a single 12V supply, and then use a 5V regulator (7805, or 78L05) to get the 5V. The 5804 chip can handle up to ~35V (check this) and ~1.2 amps / phase). Your motor will have to stay within these bounds. Unipolar means that electricity flows through the motor’s windings in only one direction. 5, 6, and 8 lead motors will allow this configuration. Check out one of the many stepper motor tutorials on the net to understand this. Bipolar drives result in more power, but require more electronic sophistication. I have not found a single chip like the 5804 that will take step and direction signals and output directly to a bipolar (4-wire) motor.
"One source for a stepper to use can be found in old floppy drives. The key features are: 5,6,or 8 wires; rated voltage <35, and rated amperage <1.2. Jameco lists a few, but the ones they have that are <$10 are ‘coarse’ — meaning they have a step angle of 7.5 degrees. These will work– but I like really smooth motion (look for 200 steps/rev or 1.8 degrees).
You may have to scrounge for the ‘perfect’ one of these!"
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MISC:
Still looking for resources regarding power supplies, and a way to connect one to a breadboard.
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Good luck in your motion control endeavors!