Oh yea, forgot to say the board is a  TWIN INDUSTRIES model 8100-45.  Even on thier website it doesn't have a data sheet, it's just described as a proto board with through hole plating and one plane.
           
            Rick

I think you are going to have problems using that board, especially if you have to drill out the  holes as they are plated through holes so you will drill out the plating.
I think you would be better off trying to get the normal type of board, heres a link to what I am meaning, its copper one side only and the tracks can be easily separated by using a 4mm drill by hand just to cut the track., Just put the drill in a hole, rotate by hand and the track is cut.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/stripboards/0433826/

Hood

Well CRAP,
    Here I go having troubles again. While I wait for a proper board to build the error monitoring relay set-up I'm working on getting all 3 axis' wired to BOB and Scorpion output board, also adding a pair of wires at servo drive connector CN I/F which are to go to the relay board.
    I brought out a wire from pin 9, this is the one that has to be grounded for drive to accept pulse & sign input, when ungrounded it activates the drive "inhibit". This wire is to be ungrounded by the relay board at the same time as an E-stop in Mach 3 for the  "double safety" effect. That seems to be working as expected because I have the first (X) axis wired and even though the drive isn't alarmed it doesn't respond to jog commands with the wire from pin 9 ungrounded, but when it is grounded the servo motor jogs as it should, so far so good.
    I also brought out a wire from pin 26, the drive manual says this is the error/alarm output. The way I read the manual it says this output should be "hot" (Vcc) when drive is OK but transistor turns off when drive is in an error/alarm state. This is the output that is to be the "key" to the relay board, Vcc when drive is OK and 0V when drive is alarmed. Well, it's hot all the time no matter if drive is alarmed or not!   I can check between ground and pin 26 when drive is OK and get 21.5 vdc, (still don't know why BOB is getting 24 vdc but puts out 21.5 vdc but so far it hasn't been a problem) but if I disconnect an encoder cable the drive alarms with error 22, (as it should) but the output from pin 26 is still 21.5 vdc !! The alarm out of the drive doesn't seem to be working as manual says. I've double checked to be sure my wire is on pin 26 (it is), if this alarm output doesn't change state I don't have anything to "operate" the safety relay board so no need to build one. I really want Mach 3 to HALT when a drive is in an error state and I think this is a necessary thing but if the alarm output of drive doesn't work I don't know how else to pull it off.
    Just in case any of you servo drive experts should ask this is how I have connector CN I/F wired ;
                          pin 5  to  S+  from Scorpion
                          "  " 6  to  S-   "                     "
                          "  " 7  to  D+ "                     "
                          "  " 8  to  D-  "                     "
                          "  " 9  to  safety relay board (ground to run, open to inhibit)
                          "  " 26  to safety relay board (should be hot with no drive alarms, 0V when alarmed)
                          "  " 11 to BOB 24V
                          "  " 3,12,28,29 & 30 + cable shield all tied to ground at BOB

    Just to sum up, the alarm output from pin 26 is NOT turning on & off depending on drive being alarmed or not. Is it possible the transistor in the drive is bad or do I have something wrong again?
                  Rick  

Have you tried connecting the coil of a relay between 26 and your 0v of the supply you are powering the drives logic from?
Hood

EDIT
Just looked at the manual and the relay should be connected between pin 26 and the +24V

Thanks for the reply Hood,
    To answer your first question, No, I haven't tried a relay between pin 26 and ground. But after reading your post I tried checking between 26 & 24V and I get nothing, alarmed or not. The way I see it that's checking 24v against 24v which should read nothing because of no difference in voltage potential, but I could very well be wrong. Do you think a relay would act differently than what I see with VOM between 26 & ground?
     
Oh, BTW, could this be controlled by a parameter? Seems dumb to me to want to make alarm output ineffective but maybe a parameter could do that?
         Rick

The Outputs sink according to the manual so testing with a meter will not show you anything. If you put the relays coil between +24v and pin 26 it should  work.
Hood

Alright Hood,
    I have to get a flyback diode across the coil on one of the relays then I'll give it a try. Thank You AGAIN,

            Rick

Well I'm confused as hell now.
     I tried a relay between 26 and 24v, had VOM set for continuity on a set of the relay contacts, contacts never changed state weather drive alarmed or not. I did the same test with relay between 26 and ground, contacts never changed state. The VOM I was using has been known to screw up on continuity checks before so I got a different VOM, tried it both ways again, still no change in contact state. So then I use VOM #2 to check voltage, 26 to 24V =1.2 vdc, 26 to ground = 7.5 vdc, voltage never changed in either test weather drive was alarmed or not. At least with the first VOM I was seeing 20 something from 26 to ground. I'm really confused now, Don't understand why voltage is so different. I also don't understand what you said about not being able to check with a meter in the first place, if a meter can't see the 24V needed to turn relay on/off how can the relay possibly work? Please don't misunderstand me Hood, I'm not doubting you, I just really don't get it.

                Sorry, Rick

The drive has sinking outputs, ie instead of the drive providing 24v at the output it needs 24 into the output. When the output is active it provides a path to 0v internally.

I will have a look through the manual later on to see if there is a parameter to set the output up for the laarm but I would think not as it seems to be a dedicated output.
Hood

Well Hood,
    I have the relay and diode on a breadboard, was checking voltage with VOM #2 at the breadboard. Since my last post I took relay and diode out of system and used VOM #2 to check voltage at wires with nothing else in the system and at least the 21.5 vdc between 26 and ground is the same as it was in the first place with the other meter so at least I don't think I "hurt" or changed anything in the testing.
    So if relay is to be hooked between 26 and 24v, when I had it like that with the relay and diode in the system I only saw 1.2 volts or so rather drive alarmed or not, don't seem like that is gonna close a 24volt relay. I'm gonna take a look at the parameters too but like you I don't think the problem is very likely there, would be dumb to disable the alarm output IMHO.

               Rick