Jamie at the BackyardWorkshop developed this project using a Parallax Propeller Proto board and an Easydriver stepper driver from Sparkfun to build this homemade workshop power drive for a lathe / mill / drill. The project costs around $50 in parts, representing a major cost savings over buying a manufactured unit at $300 – $500.
He writes:
Basically I’ve wired up an Easydriver stepper controller to a Parallax Propeller Proto board and written a little program to drive a stepper at different speeds based on a potentiometer. There’s also a direction switch and a limit switch set up like any good power drive system should have.
His website includes photos of the build, and he’ll make the schematic available to those interested.