I found the Hytec 2256 manual rather hard to understand. To make the module work in a simple way, the following should be observed:

• Connect pins 4, 14 together to provide power for opto-isolators
• Connect together 1, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15 (if using limit switch, connect N.C. switch in series with pin 5)
• Step/direction outputs are opto-isolated open-collector. A pull-up resistor <= 1k is required to +5V (i.e. pins 4, 14). Risetime is quite slow (few us) so some de-bounce may be needed.