ESS Smoothstepper Pin Assignment

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.

• 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.