Data Sheet

Connecting the driver box
The Sherline 8760 driver box is designed to power as
many as 4 individual stepper motors at one time. The
female plugs on the cables will attach directly to the
male plugs on the P/N 67127 stepper motors available
from Sherline. Each axis is labeled on the plug. There is
a 25-pin cable that plugs in to the printer (parallel) port
of your computer. The power supply that plugs into the
wall will automatically adapt to either 115 VAC or 230
VAC current, so no manual switching is necessary.
Operation
It is recommended that the driver box power switch be
left in the "Off" position while the computer is turned
on and the control program is loaded. Once EMC or
whatever control program you are using is fully loaded,
turn on the "Power" switch on the driver box to the "On"
position to power up the stepper motors. Once powered
up, it is not possible (or at least very difficult) to turn
the motors by hand using the handwheel. Therefore, it
is recommended that any manual positioning of the axes
be done before the power to the motors is turned on.
Emergency stop
Should you find that you have accidentally started a
program running with the cutter in some position other
than the home position or that some other physical damage
is about to occur, the On/Off switch on the driver box
can be used as an emergency stop switch. Switching it
to the "Off" position while a program is running will
simply stop all motors immediately but will not damage
the computer or program. The program will continue to
run but the axes will not move. Then, shut off the spindle
motor, stop the program on the computer, relocate the axes
to their home position manually or with the jog control,
turn power back on to the motors and spindle and run
the program again from the beginning.
Linux installation
Sherline does not guarantee that the Linux operating
system provided on the enclosed CD will install on any
given computer. Component compatibility is sometimes
an issue. It is recommended that anyone attempting to
install Linux themselves on their own computer should
have a fairly high level of familiarity with Linux. Sherline
does not provide technical support for installation of
CNC 4-axis Driver Box
P/N 8760
SHERLINE
PRODUCTS
INCORPORATED 1974
4/11/13
SHERLINE PRODUCTS INC. • 3235 Executive Ridge • Vista • California 92081-8527 • USA • Internet: www.sherline.com
FAX: [phone] • Toll Free Order Line: [phone] • International/Local/Tech. Assistance: [phone] • E-mail: [e-mail]
CAUTION!
Do not "hot plug" the stepper
motors. Always turn power off to
the driver box before plugging in
or unplugging a stepper motor.
Failure to do so can burn out a
chip in the driver box.
CAUTION! Make sure the female power plug is fully seated in
the power supply unit socket. A blue light should be lit. A poor
connection can short out components on the driver board.
Linux or EMC, but help is available on-line through the
Linux group at www.linux.org. An installation sheet is
provided with the CD to help you navigate the screens
while installing the program.
Safety Fuses
A fuse is now included on each axis to protect the driver
chips. Their locations are noted in the photo below. Two
extra fuses are included. If a single axis stops working, try
replacing its fuse as a first step. The spares are wrapped in
plastic and taped inside the cover lid. Use a needle nose
pliers to grasp the old fuse by the wire near the top and
pull straight up. Do not grip it by the green part. Install
the new one the same way. Once installed, determine
why the fuse was forced to protect the circuit. In most
cases it is because the motor is being worked too hard.
Reduce feed rate or depth of cut to keep from blowing
more fuses.
If replacing the fuse does not solve the problem, refer
to the CNC troubleshooting page at www.sherline.com/
trouble.htm.
Figure 1—The driver box with the cover removed
and individual axis fuse locations shown.
Parallel Cable
Connection
Spare Fuse
Spare Fuses in Bag
Fuse