Looking for an inexpensive single axis stepper motor controller that has
a single output that can be programed. Simple contact closure on the
output is fine, no current to speak of is to be handled.
Strongly prefer something battery powered.

I'm very interested in the technique called stacking in macro
photography where multiple shots are taken with the camera moved ever so
slightly between exposures. In macro photography, depth of field can be
paper thin. These multiple shots can be digitally stacked to provide a
macro image with a vastly greater apparent depth of field than could
otherwise be achieved.

I've just made my 3rd attempt to get an ultra close shot of fine brass
chips, but the depth of field is so narrow, I can barely get a single
chip completely in focus. The bed of chips is far too uneven to get
anywhere near the effect I want without stacking.

I could use a dial indicator on my bellow's focusing rail and a remote
release, but of course, I want to automate! Something like the now
defunct Frog CNC with a single output would be perfect for field use.
I'd need to be able to program an output event, move the camera, pause
to let things settle, then repeat.
Not interested in schematics or even kits, if it's not available turn
key, I don't have time for it right now.

Thanks,


Jon

Jon Anderson wrote:

Looking for an inexpensive single axis stepper motor controller that has
a single output that can be programed. Simple contact closure on the
output is fine, no current to speak of is to be handled.
Strongly prefer something battery powered.

I'm very interested in the technique called stacking in macro
photography where multiple shots are taken with the camera moved ever so
slightly between exposures. In macro photography, depth of field can be
paper thin. These multiple shots can be digitally stacked to provide a
macro image with a vastly greater apparent depth of field than could
otherwise be achieved.

I've just made my 3rd attempt to get an ultra close shot of fine brass
chips, but the depth of field is so narrow, I can barely get a single
chip completely in focus. The bed of chips is far too uneven to get
anywhere near the effect I want without stacking.

I could use a dial indicator on my bellow's focusing rail and a remote
release, but of course, I want to automate! Something like the now
defunct Frog CNC with a single output would be perfect for field use.
I'd need to be able to program an output event, move the camera, pause
to let things settle, then repeat.
Not interested in schematics or even kits, if it's not available turn
key, I don't have time for it right now.

Thanks,

Jon

How about that single stepper controller that Sherline makes, P/N 8850?
It comes with a 23 size stepper and appears to have GPI/GPO
functionality on a mini-din connector.

On 7/15/2011 7:22 PM, Pete C. wrote:

How about that single stepper controller that Sherline makes, P/N 8850?
It comes with a 23 size stepper and appears to have GPI/GPO
functionality on a mini-din connector.

That would do almost exactly what I want. Unfortunately it's a bit
pricey for me given everything else I'd need to build. For $25 more I
can buy a turnkey setup:
http://www.cognisys-inc.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=122&osCsid=f 148f1bd614d63a28e604963dfe6bade

Not having $525 to burn, I was looking for a cheap solution. I don't
recall what the Frog CNC sold for, but I thought I recalled something
selling for around $150 or so a few years ago. Maybe I'm wrong.
Looks like the StackShot is a better bargain than I thought!

Thanks,


Jon

On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:41:30 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

I've just made my 3rd attempt to get an ultra close shot of fine brass
chips, but the depth of field is so narrow, I can barely get a single
chip completely in focus. The bed of chips is far too uneven to get
anywhere near the effect I want without stacking.

This is where you really need a F32 lens, or add a pin hole adapter to
your working rig.

Seriously.


Gunner

--
Maxim 12: A soft answer turneth away wrath.
Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head.

On 7/15/2011 11:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:

This is where you really need a F32 lens, or add a pin hole adapter to
your working rig.

Seriously.

Not too many of those around I recon, especially for a modern DSLR.
Such a small aperture calls for long exposures or some really bright
lighting. And I'm locked into that lens for any macro work calling for a
lot of depth of field (relatively speaking). There's -one- potentially
viable lens on ebay right now. A programmable slide offers the
flexibility to use any lens I can hang off the front of my bellows.
A lot has changed since the advent of high end DSLR cameras....

It just dawned on me, I -think- I still have a copy of the
step/direction version of the MaxNC software. Put that on a cheap laptop
and I've got my control. I also have a Sherline Z axis laying around,
and some stepper motors. Just need a cheap driver and a bit of work...
Not as clean and compact as the StackShot, but a hell of a lot cheaper...


Jon

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
On 7/15/2011 11:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:

This is where you really need a F32 lens, or add a pin hole adapter to
your working rig.

Seriously.

Not too many of those around I recon, especially for a modern DSLR.
Such a small aperture calls for long exposures or some really bright
lighting. And I'm locked into that lens for any macro work calling for a
lot of depth of field (relatively speaking). There's -one- potentially
viable lens on ebay right now. A programmable slide offers the flexibility
to use any lens I can hang off the front of my bellows.
A lot has changed since the advent of high end DSLR cameras....

It just dawned on me, I -think- I still have a copy of the step/direction
version of the MaxNC software. Put that on a cheap laptop and I've got my
control. I also have a Sherline Z axis laying around, and some stepper
motors. Just need a cheap driver and a bit of work... Not as clean and
compact as the StackShot, but a hell of a lot cheaper...


Jon

I haven't used them but I've been interested in the Gecko drives, they have
enough current capability to be useful for many hobby type CNC applications.
There are also breakout boards for the parallel port to use with stepper
drives. With that kind of setup you could program your camera moves in
G-code and use M-codes to turn on your output to take the picture. For
software you can use EMC2 for free or there are demo versions of other
software that should let you run it in windows if that's what you want.

If you want cheaper there is a unipolar stepper driver chip, uln5804, they
work up to something like 1.2A and at the time I bought some they were $4.95
from spHerbach and Rademansp or something like that.

The breakout board I bought for my parallel port was under $30 IIRC, it
seemed worth it to me to try to avoid damaging the PC with a wiring mistake.
Some better boards are isolated to protect the PC but the cheaper ones seem
better than trying to wire straight to the connectors.

RogerN

RogerN wrote:

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
On 7/15/2011 11:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:

This is where you really need a F32 lens, or add a pin hole adapter to
your working rig.

Seriously.

Not too many of those around I recon, especially for a modern DSLR.
Such a small aperture calls for long exposures or some really bright
lighting. And I'm locked into that lens for any macro work calling for a
lot of depth of field (relatively speaking). There's -one- potentially
viable lens on ebay right now. A programmable slide offers the flexibility
to use any lens I can hang off the front of my bellows.
A lot has changed since the advent of high end DSLR cameras....

It just dawned on me, I -think- I still have a copy of the step/direction
version of the MaxNC software. Put that on a cheap laptop and I've got my
control. I also have a Sherline Z axis laying around, and some stepper
motors. Just need a cheap driver and a bit of work... Not as clean and
compact as the StackShot, but a hell of a lot cheaper...


Jon

I haven't used them but I've been interested in the Gecko drives, they have
enough current capability to be useful for many hobby type CNC applications.
There are also breakout boards for the parallel port to use with stepper
drives. With that kind of setup you could program your camera moves in
G-code and use M-codes to turn on your output to take the picture. For
software you can use EMC2 for free or there are demo versions of other
software that should let you run it in windows if that's what you want.

If you want cheaper there is a unipolar stepper driver chip, uln5804, they
work up to something like 1.2A and at the time I bought some they were $4.95
from spHerbach and Rademansp or something like that.

The breakout board I bought for my parallel port was under $30 IIRC, it
seemed worth it to me to try to avoid damaging the PC with a wiring mistake.
Some better boards are isolated to protect the PC but the cheaper ones seem
better than trying to wire straight to the connectors.

RogerN

The various Gecko drives work well, but the OP was looking for a
complete single axis control with GPI/GPO, not a standalone drive that
would need a control added.

"Pete C." wrote in message
.com...

RogerN wrote:

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
On 7/15/2011 11:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:

This is where you really need a F32 lens, or add a pin hole adapter to
your working rig.

Seriously.

Not too many of those around I recon, especially for a modern DSLR.
Such a small aperture calls for long exposures or some really bright
lighting. And I'm locked into that lens for any macro work calling for
a
lot of depth of field (relatively speaking). There's -one- potentially
viable lens on ebay right now. A programmable slide offers the
flexibility
to use any lens I can hang off the front of my bellows.
A lot has changed since the advent of high end DSLR cameras....

It just dawned on me, I -think- I still have a copy of the
step/direction
version of the MaxNC software. Put that on a cheap laptop and I've got
my
control. I also have a Sherline Z axis laying around, and some stepper
motors. Just need a cheap driver and a bit of work... Not as clean and
compact as the StackShot, but a hell of a lot cheaper...


Jon

I haven't used them but I've been interested in the Gecko drives, they
have
enough current capability to be useful for many hobby type CNC
applications.
There are also breakout boards for the parallel port to use with stepper
drives. With that kind of setup you could program your camera moves in
G-code and use M-codes to turn on your output to take the picture. For
software you can use EMC2 for free or there are demo versions of other
software that should let you run it in windows if that's what you want.

If you want cheaper there is a unipolar stepper driver chip, uln5804,
they
work up to something like 1.2A and at the time I bought some they were
$4.95
from spHerbach and Rademansp or something like that.

The breakout board I bought for my parallel port was under $30 IIRC, it
seemed worth it to me to try to avoid damaging the PC with a wiring
mistake.
Some better boards are isolated to protect the PC but the cheaper ones
seem
better than trying to wire straight to the connectors.

RogerN

The various Gecko drives work well, but the OP was looking for a
complete single axis control with GPI/GPO, not a standalone drive that
would need a control added.

I think they usually call those an indexer, the ones I've used are pretty
pricey new but possibly available on eBay. The projects I've done used
indexers in combination with a PLC to position axis at certain programmable
positions. Some used servo's some used steppers.

But another way to get better depth of field is if you can find a
telecentric lens but the field of view is about the size of the lens, also
pricey new.

I guess if you had a remote trigger and a hand crank slide (cross slide
vise) it might be good for experimental.

RogerN

On 7/16/2011 8:15 AM, Pete C. wrote:

The various Gecko drives work well, but the OP was looking for a
complete single axis control with GPI/GPO, not a standalone drive that
would need a control added.

Well, I was. But it's looking like what I wanted really doesn't exist
anymore at the price point I want. The Sherline setup will do it, but I
can buy a turn key rig for $25.

It's looking like a laptop, MaxNC Step/dir software, and a simple low
cost stepper driver. Geckos are very nice, but overkill. I don't need
much power or speed.


Jon

On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:17:54 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

On 7/15/2011 11:58 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:

This is where you really need a F32 lens, or add a pin hole adapter to
your working rig.

Seriously.

Not too many of those around I recon, especially for a modern DSLR.
Such a small aperture calls for long exposures or some really bright
lighting. And I'm locked into that lens for any macro work calling for a
lot of depth of field (relatively speaking). There's -one- potentially
viable lens on ebay right now. A programmable slide offers the
flexibility to use any lens I can hang off the front of my bellows.
A lot has changed since the advent of high end DSLR cameras....

It just dawned on me, I -think- I still have a copy of the
step/direction version of the MaxNC software. Put that on a cheap laptop
and I've got my control. I also have a Sherline Z axis laying around,
and some stepper motors. Just need a cheap driver and a bit of work...
Not as clean and compact as the StackShot, but a hell of a lot cheaper...


Jon

http://toothwalker.org/optics/dof.html

http://photo.net/nature-photography-forum/00M87M
http://photoblog.edu-perez.com/2009/...eld-macro.html

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Photography/Insects/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_camera
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...al-camera.html


--
Maxim 12: A soft answer turneth away wrath.
Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head.

On 7/16/2011 2:02 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:

(buncha links)

Ok, I looked at your links. Now you look at this one:
http://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker/docs/gallery

Tell me how I'm going to get that top shot at that level of detail with
a pinhole camera. Or with the 135mm f/32 lens I found on ebay. A screw
on close-up adapter, or conventional lens.

My macro bellows with an M42 adapter gives me a world of manual focus,
top quality lenses to chose from. Names like Zeiss. And many of these
lenses perform much better with a reversing adapter. Flexibility and
choices.

I'm not ignorant of photography by any means. I understand depth of
field and such reasonably well. What I want to do, isn't going to be
done with pinholes, screw on adapters, or a lens that merely stops down
to f/32. What you are talking about is valid and has it's place in
photography. Extreme macro work is a different place and calls for
different tools.
And it's my dang hobby so if I want a CNC macro stacking rail, by God,
I'm gonna have one!


Jon

Sounds like you have way more photography knowledge than I do, but here
goes.

I sometimes need to take pictures of small parts. I made a small light box
that works ok for some, but if shadows are not a huge issue I take them
outside and set them on the ground in the sunlight and stand up on top of
one of my jobsite boxes. This allows me to shoot straight down at the
part. Then I use my highest resolution and highest optical zoom to take the
picture. I have several digital cameras, and the one that does this the
best is actually an inexpensive Vivitar HD digital camcorder, but my old SLR
(looking) FUJI does ok too. Mid day is best. Alternatively in the shadow
on the north side of the shop works for some if glare or reflections are a
problem.

If I have to do it indoors I can do roughly the same thing, but I light the
part from an angle to either side of the camera with a pair of 250 watt
halogen work lights.

Instead of trying to macro at 3 feet or closer I zoom from about 8-10 feet.
As long as I get a good focus it shoots pretty good.

I usually get a pretty good shot within 3 tries with one of these methods.

On 7/16/2011 11:01 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

I usually get a pretty good shot within 3 tries with one of these methods.

I've done the same thing, and gotten some great pics. But when I say
macro, I mean extreme macro, going into the world of small at a level of
detail not visible to the naked eye. Well, not mine anyway!
Like this sort of stuff:
http://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker/docs/gallery

BTW, I hardly know what I'm doing so far, but I have a brother that is
exceedingly talented with photography. He could seriously make a living
at it, even as competitive as the field is. But he does it just for
personal enjoyment.
He's my mentor. When he suggests something, I listen!


Jon

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
On 7/16/2011 11:01 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

I usually get a pretty good shot within 3 tries with one of these
methods.

I've done the same thing, and gotten some great pics. But when I say
macro, I mean extreme macro, going into the world of small at a level of
detail not visible to the naked eye. Well, not mine anyway!
Like this sort of stuff:
http://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker/docs/gallery

BTW, I hardly know what I'm doing so far, but I have a brother that is
exceedingly talented with photography. He could seriously make a living at
it, even as competitive as the field is. But he does it just for personal
enjoyment.
He's my mentor. When he suggests something, I listen!

How about using a simple CNC mill with trigger outputs on the controller,
and writing a bit of code. Move the head .001, fire the trigger, move the
head .001, fire the trigger. Could use a spindle relay output etc. I
could mod one for the application I bet in half a day.

On 7/17/2011 10:02 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

How about using a simple CNC mill with trigger outputs on the
controller, and writing a bit of code. Move the head .001, fire the
trigger, move the head .001, fire the trigger. Could use a spindle relay
output etc. I could mod one for the application I bet in half a day.

I've moved in that direction. Really wanted something portable I could
take afield, but think the StackShot is really the ticket there and I'll
just have to save up for one.
But for 'studio' work, I have most of a MaxNC sitting in the corner
gathering dust, and discovered I still have the step/direction version
of the MaxNC software. That would allow several degrees freedom if I
used all 3 axis. There's some trick software that allows cabling the
camera to a laptop and viewing in real time on the screen in Lightroom,
what is in the camera's field of view. If I stacked the Z axis onto the
table, I could use X-Z to frame the shot and Y for the stacked shots.
Down the road, will probably go to my older copy of Ahha Pro for this,
have a few more outputs, and programming with subroutines and parameters
would make for a couple generic programs that could be quickly modified
for most any task.

Hoping the Max software supports a rotary axis, I just don't remember if
it does or not. I was looking at taking this approach even further this
once I've moved down under, for astrophotography. At the very bottom of
that learning curve, but there's a fellow down under taking impressive
shots of the night sky. Dave (brother) says he uses some combo of linear
and rotary axis tracking, though I haven't found that info on his blog
yet. So a telescope and photography like this is slated for future
exploration.


Jon

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
On 7/17/2011 10:02 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

How about using a simple CNC mill with trigger outputs on the
controller, and writing a bit of code. Move the head .001, fire the
trigger, move the head .001, fire the trigger. Could use a spindle relay
output etc. I could mod one for the application I bet in half a day.

I've moved in that direction. Really wanted something portable I could
take afield, but think the StackShot is really the ticket there and I'll
just have to save up for one.
But for 'studio' work, I have most of a MaxNC sitting in the corner
gathering dust, and discovered I still have the step/direction version of
the MaxNC software. That would allow several degrees freedom if I used all
3 axis. There's some trick software that allows cabling the camera to a
laptop and viewing in real time on the screen in Lightroom, what is in the
camera's field of view. If I stacked the Z axis onto the table, I could
use X-Z to frame the shot and Y for the stacked shots.
Down the road, will probably go to my older copy of Ahha Pro for this,
have a few more outputs, and programming with subroutines and parameters
would make for a couple generic programs that could be quickly modified
for most any task.

Hoping the Max software supports a rotary axis, I just don't remember if
it does or not.

Are you still running the MaxNC controller? If so you need to look and see
if it has an A motor output or not. I didn't care for the MaxNC controller
or motors so I swapped them out on mine for a Gecko G540 and heavier motors.
The G540 definitely supports four motors and has a breakout built in for
trigger outputs. I use one (with a 48V relay) on my Taig to turn the
spindle and cutting oil pump on and off automatically. Same on the MaxNC
except I still haven't gotten around to putting it in an enclosure yet.

Mach 3 is fine and it supports upto 500 lines of code unlicensed. More than
enough I think for your 40 or 50 frames of macro shots.




I

--You should go over to gigapan.org and look up Rich Gibson; he's
doing extensive work in this area.

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Steel, Stainless, Titanium:
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : Guaranteed Uncertified Welding!
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

On 7/17/2011 11:00 AM, steamer wrote:

--You should go over to gigapan.org and look up Rich Gibson; he's
doing extensive work in this area.

Thanks for the link, that's cool stuff!


Jon