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Author Topic: Help with controlling coolant pump on KX3 w/ Mach 3  (Read 7454 times)

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Help with controlling coolant pump on KX3 w/ Mach 3
« on: January 20, 2011, 07:23:29 PM »
I am going to add a flood coolant pump to my KX3 and I have some questions I hope someone can help me with:

1. To see how it works, I plugged a small lamp into the 120 volt "coolant pump receptacle" in the back of the machine. The lamp worked in reverse - when supposed to be off it was on. So I looked and found the "motor outputs" had output #3 active low. I set it to high and now the lamp works as it should when hitting the manual coolant button on the front page. Did I correct the problem the way I should have, or (like usual)did I screw something else up I'll be sorry for later? And can you tell me what output #1 is for?

2. When the KX3 is energized, the lamp is energized for about a second, and then goes off. Is this right, and is there an easy way to not allow it to do that without adding a separate "on delay" timer or even power switch? I wouldn't want the coolant flowing each time I turn the mill on.

3. Is M8 (turns on) and M9 (off) the right codes to use in a program to turn it on and off.

Thanks!

Don
Don

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: Help with controlling coolant pump on KX3 w/ Mach 3
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2011, 01:09:10 PM »
Hi Don,

I think you are absolutely correct on all counts.

Output#1 when selected in the Spindle Setup - Flood Mist Control allows Output#1 in Output Signals to be mapped to the Port and Pin that is subsequently connected to the Flood (M8/M9) relay. If you are switching the lamp on/off then you already have this all configured correctly.

The glitch at machine switch on is bit of a problem area. I assume you have Mach up and running before you switch your machine on ? (this is the way it is supposed to be done) This being the case then even a charge pump circuit will not help as the problem is within the machine control and not Mach. I get a similar glitch with the pump for my vacuum table but this is harmless compared with an unwanted burst of coolant. I certainly don't know of an easy way to solve this perhaps there is someone else who has a suggestion.

Tweakie.
PEACE
Re: Help with controlling coolant pump on KX3 w/ Mach 3
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2011, 08:20:43 PM »
Tweakie,

Okay, in your mail you said output 1 and I said output 3. Little did you know you already resolved my problem. I turned on 1 and turned 3 back off and now it seems to work fine. I'll play with it tonite and give an update if I have any more troubles. Thanks for stating the basics, I'm new at this.

The on-delay timer I mentioned is a little electronic device that will, after it gets 120 volts, wait a preset time before closing a set of contacts. I will set the timer so it gets it's power whenever the mill is turned on, not when the pump should be on. So after the initial start of the mill (where it now has the flood going for 2 seconds), the electrical outlet on the mill that goes to the pump will now have to wait 3 seconds before it gets power. But after the initial start, it will instantly start and stop with the program. I could see how a flood system turning on for 2 seconds, especially if you had it turned off, when you turned the mill on could be quite a heart stopper. There must be someone here that has gone through this. I wonder if there are any dip switches on the mill control board that controls that relay function...

Thanks again!
Don
Don