Help needed, old user, new program....

[liquidmetal]

Greetings all, I had run Mach back in 06-09. I moved mt shop and recently set up my machine again. Unfortunately, my computer I drive the milling machine with will not start up. Artsoft was kind enough to look up my purchase history and provided me with a copy of the new Mach3 but it looks different from what I was using. I cannot get anything to work either, of course. What I have is this, a sherline 3 axis milling machine with Japan Servo Stepper motors, KP56LM@-097, a Hobby CNC 3 axis board and of course, Mach3. I would appreciate any help you guys can provide. MAn, I remember running all of this stuff just a couple years ago but I guess this is what happens with age. Thanks..

  Mike

[Hood]

You will need to set up the motors in ports and pins the way they were before, also motor tuning will need to be configured and things such as E-Stop and limits/home switches set up properly.
 If your machine is set up exactly the same way as all other Sherlines then hopefully someone who has one could send you a xml file.
The other option you may have is to put the hard drive from your old computer into another one as a slave and try and grab the xml file from it.
Hood

[liquidmetal]

There are settings I don't recognize, I figured out the X,Y and Z step and direction pins as well as the home pins for all three, I assigned ground pins but don't know what to do with the E stop. On the hobby cnc board, there is no input/output designation for that. It may seem trivial but all I need to do is to engrave lines of text using the text wizard. Even it looks different, I can enter the text but when I hit "write" and then return to mach3, there is no code generated. Is there a "help" just for the text wizard?

[Hood]

Do you have an E-Stop fitted to the machine?
Can you get  the Reset to stop flashing?

Did you choose a font?
Hood

[liquidmetal]

No, the machine does not nor has it ever had one. I've got the motors jogging but am having troublr "fine tuning" them, in other words, jogging an inch does not translate into an inch of movement. I'd like to get this part worked out first, then I'll worry about validading and running a code. Thanks for your help, Mike

[RICH]

Mike,
You can use the axis calibration in Mach Mill to fine tune the steps per quickly. Then just put those number into the turn configuration.
I have a sherline mill but you use servos so my  xml wont help in that reguard.
 You can just check the "emulate" for the Index in config ( note becomes a soft estop).

Not much help will be found on using the text wizard. I suggest you get things running and when you get to the wizard we'll chime in.
I have only used it to try it out and that was a long time ago.

BTW, As you age you know more than you think. I always tell my bride that I know everything but just can't seem to recall it as the drawer is stick that it was put in!

Have fun relearning..... George  

RICH

[liquidmetal]

Thanks, it seems to me there was a place to enter your leadscrew TPI, I have yet to find that again, I've been reviewing the users manual for some time now. Also, according to hobby CNC, the board setting pinouts are as follows:
 
       2=X dir 3=X step 4=Y dir 5=Y step 6=Z dir 7=Z step 8=A dir 9=A step 10=Limit 11=A home 12=X home 13=Y home 15=Zhome 18-25= Ground All others are not connected.

     How do I configure "home" with no limit switches? Also, under the Input Signals tab, I'm not sure what X++, X-- mean?

    I'm hoping to have an epiphany and all will come back to me!

 Thanks again,
    Mike

[RICH]

You can calculate the steps per and then enter the value in Config>Motor Tuning for the axis, also set the velocity and acceleration.
There is a write up in Members Docs on how to calculate step per in.
 For axis calibration using Mach see page 5 in Threading on the Lathe write up which can also be found in Members Docs.

If you don't use / have limit switches then have a look in the Members Docs and you will find two writeups on homing with no limit switches
one for the lathe and another for the mill. Remember that it will be  "soft " / electronic. No need for the home hookups as they will be of no value if you don't have switches.


Sorry for jerking you to different places but easier for me than typing it,

RICH