Greetings Building a CNC has been on my to do list for many years. Recently I acquired a embroidery sewing machine that has a very heavy built frame and the stepper motors and computer cabinet is all intact. This machine is 20 years old. My first of many questions is setting up a interface between a computer running windows 10 and the machine that I really have no idea what software is on it. I have ordered a data cable with a 9 PIN to USB connectors. Thanks in advance for your input.
well, we do openbuilds things here..... and you did not mention the brand of the machine, the brand of the contoller, the voltage of the drivers, motor current requirements, or anything else really. I would replace the ancient unknown controller with a Blackbox X32 and a modern 24volt power supply. Then I would calibrate so it all moves the correct distances. But questions would remain, like how do you know when the needle is up or down? or Does it auto park? main Motor speed control? Blackbox has PWM and 0-10v outputs, will the existing motor speed control accept one of those? ultimately, depending entirely on what is already on the table, you may need to simply download the software from the manfacturers website, or you may need to replace everything with a controller like a Masso or UCCNC or even a 'made for embroidery' propietry unit, or fit the Blackbox and spend many hours writing custom control macros that plug into CONTROL or bCNC. Too many unkowns to say for sure.
