Output Configuration

[dean]

Hello All,

I hope you are a patient bunch cause I feel I have some pretty elementary questions.

I have recently purchased Mach 3 (wish I had found you when I thought camsoft was the only option) and have all but set up a 4 axis retrofitted manual mill with a motorman robot for parts loading.

Mechanically the system is a beautiful thing but I'm afraid I score 0 when it comes to pins and ports and so on.

I use a Galil DMC2143 controller with an ICM 20105 optically isolated break out board, connected via an ethernet cable to the PC running Mach 3 (The PC has no parallel port if that is of any consequence and a USB to serial converter as an alternative to the ethernet cable seems to me like a bandaid solution? - not that that has probably anything to do with anything).

What I need is to connect a set of 24VDC relays to operate mill functions: Spindle on/Spindle off, Coolant on/Coolant off, a solenoid energise/de-energise, and a momentary VDC signal to the robot for cycle start (achieveable via relay on then off command I presume?).

I have no issue connecting the 24VDC output supply and the relays to the Galil output pins on the breakout board, the issue is how to set the pins in the config section in Mach 3, ie: what relates to what?, and what commands other than M3, M4, & M5 can be issued to switch the relays? Is VB programming required? (god I hope not).

I have read the Mach3 and Galil plugin literature relating to outputs yet I have no idea how to get Mach 3 to control them.

Are there any step by step guides for the those of us who are completely pin and port setup'dly challenged or can anyone offer some advice? Any suggestions will be much appreciated!

[mjanne65]

It can get a bit confusing, but it's not too bad.  First of all, Galil Out1-Out8 are represented by Mach pins #41-48 (port 1).  You use these pin numbers on the Output tab of the Mach Ports & Pins setup screen.  It sounds like you need four outputs and probably an Enable output.  I would map Output 1-4 to pin #41-44 and map Enable1 to pin #45.  Don't forget to enable all the outputs you are using.  Second, go to the Spindle Setup tab on the same screen and map the outputs to spindle CW, spindle CCW, Flood, or Mist as required.  For example, you can map both spindle CW and CCW to Output 1 and Flood Coolant to Output 2.  An M3, M4, or manual spindle 'on' activate Mach Output 1, which will now turn on the Galil Output 1.  Likewise, an M8 will turn on Galil Output 2 and an M9 (coolant off) will turn it back off.  Note that you can map out Mach Output to any Galil Output, but it gets confusing if you start mixing numbers.

You didn't say what function the solenoid will have, so you might have to write a Brain to control that Output.  Watch the Brain videos if you need help on this, they are very good.

Mike