testing outputs on breakout card

[john351]

Under section 5.3.8 of the mach3 manual it covers testing.
It tells you to go to the diagnostic screen
it is then possible to test each input by shorting to ground each input pin
on the breakout card and an "led" on the screen lights up.
That great for the inputs.
Is it possible to test each of the outputs one by one by tweaking something on the screen.
I have an led and resistor on each of the outputs on the breakout card.

john f

[Hood]

You could do it several ways, first is set the outputs up one at a time as coolant and toggle the coolant button or you could set them all up as outputs then use the VB editor to toggle them, the VB for it would look something like this.
ActivateSignal(OutPut1)
Sleep 1000
DeActivateSignal(OutPut1)

What that would do is switch on Output 1 for 1 second then switch it off.
Hood

[john351]

I thought of something along these lines but was surprised how easy it was to test the inputs but not the outputs.
I used output 1 on ports and pins/output signals
I found that to change the pin no you have to use apply but once you have done this you can toggle the output
with the active low control.

Thanks

Incidentally they did work - thanks

[Hood]

Good to hear you got it
Hood

[john351]

I have had to go on holiday since my last post. When I got back I just could not get any of the outputs to work.
Pins 2 3 and 6 are always on. If I unplug the card all the outputs go on. If I earth any of the input pins each output turns off as expected.
If I twiddle via mach3 any of the outputs nothing happens and nothing shows up for the output on the diagnostic window.
I'm getting desperate.

John

[Hood]

Can you attach your xml please and I will have a look at your config.
Hood

[john351]

I hope this is it

[Hood]

XML looks fine, well you have the limits and E-Stop as active low but thats fine if you have normally open switches or likely you are just testing.
Are you testing direct at the port with a voltmeter or are you testing at the end of the cable?
I presume you have the correct address for the parallel port you are using?
On the diagnostics page do you see a frequency and a Time in Int?
Hood

[john351]

I have tested the pins on the d-type connector on the back of the computer.
today pin 6 is high all the rest are low. I have tested the cable from the computer end
by pulling each pin low. This activates the led's as it should.
The port address is the default 0378 as set by mach 3.
The inputs work and probably wouldn't if the address was wrong
on the diagnostics page fre is 25005 and time in int varies from 4.5 to 5.0 roughly.

john f

[Tweakie.CNC]

Hi John,

Take care when physically testing the inputs and outputs of the parallel port at the 25 way connector. They are quite fragile and intolerant to incorrect connection.

Tweakie.