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Author Topic: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion  (Read 5813 times)

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MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« on: December 07, 2015, 03:14:48 PM »
Hi guys,
I basically have the stock Microkinetics Mill CNC Express XL with all their "bells and whistles."
It is stepper motor driven with a MN400 Controller card, DM8010 Drivers.

first question is can Mach handle simultaneous 4 AXIS?  I currently do 4 axis simultaneous.

What should I change with the mach 3 Upgrade, does anyone know if this MN400 card is great or crap? I know i'm not happy with it right now but that could just be the software on the PC?

Can anybody recommend a really awesome motion controller card to go with mach 3 if mine isn't that brilliant?  Also, do I need to get new stepper drivers if I get a new controller card?  My current drivers are DM8010 Drivers.

Only thing I would like to not change are the stepper motors for now, when those need replacement I will go with AC servos though.  This machine is used commercially, so i'm hoping for quality suggestions rather than budget suggestions.

Does Mach 3 plug and play with this existing setup anyhow?
Re: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2015, 07:13:15 PM »
My first question is what is it you are unhappy with?  It looks like a fairly nice machine on their website.

Yes Mach 3 can handle 4 axis simutaneous motion. I looked at your drivers and they would work with Mach 3.  I have a Xulifeng USB 4 axis drive card and it seems to work fine with Mach 3 but I doubt anyone would say it is the best. I doubt the MN400 card would work with Mach 3.

I don't know what AC servos would do for you. It won't improve the position accuracy, unless you are missing steps. However if that is happening then there are other issues because my machine never misses a step ever, unless I actually crash it.  It might make the machine faster, but only if the ball screws and ways can handle that and you may get the same results simply by using larger stepper motors as it appears the motors you have are not the largest the drives can handle.
Re: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2015, 02:35:40 PM »
garyhlucas,

I'm really not missing steps, I was only mentioning AC servo's in the event that the steppers need to be replaced, might as well as go with the best, but yes the current steppers work fine.

One of the things I am unhappy with is G02 and G03 circular cut feed codes run incredibly slow.  G01 cuts in a straight path at appropriate feeds, but when I give it an arc cut it never cuts faster than maybe 3 IPM.  If I use my CAM software to only output line segments and no arcs in the GCODE, it gets better, but then there is a small delay between each line segment.  I have a suspicion that the controller software is taking G03 codes and feeding the controller very small line segments at a high resolution, resulting in the code buffer being empty most of the time and the PC thinking too hard.  Also, even when the line segments are longer and straight it still seems like there is delay (300ms maybe) between line executions.  I am suspecting that the software is spoon feeding the buffer too slow on the card.
Also, I know the card supports helical cuts, but the control software does not.  I cannot spiral down to plunge, or do helical moves for 3d surfacing.
Last but not least, occasionally (maybe once every few months) the machine will rise against the human race and act contrary to the codes it was given.  This could be as simple as it forgot to retract between 2 pockets.  Sometimes the software gets into a weird state and glitches happen, it almost never glitches the same twice (excluding a few specific things), its like lightning, this is solved by re installing the software.

Bottom line is we are buying SolidCam 3DiMachining with 4th axis simultaneous, but our machine can't take advantage of this upgrade as is.

The PC is an Intel Core2duo with 1GB Ram, WinXP SP3, no network, nothing else installed, no MP3's or anything of that sort.  PC is dedicated to this machine.
Re: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2015, 06:32:29 PM »
Okay,
It sounds like you have very legit reasons to change, and I can tell you my home built CNC preforms WAY better than that under Mach 3!  So the changeover shouldn't be such a big deal if you keep the current drivers and power supplies and change out the USB motion card and the software on the PC. Let us know what you do and how it works for you.
Re: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« Reply #4 on: December 10, 2015, 09:21:33 AM »
I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions on good motion cards, I have seen them in the $50-$400 range so far, not sure if there are better ones out there or not.  We don't mind spending $400 on a motion card, or more if there are even better cards.  I just have no idea how to even do a comparison on these, any suggestions on what's the hottest card out right now that works with Mach 3?  Any suggestions appreciated.

One more thing.  To me, our PC seems plenty fast enough for running a mill.  Do you see any problems with these specs?
Quote
The PC is an Intel Core2duo with 1GB Ram, WinXP SP3, no network, nothing else installed, no MP3's or anything of that sort.  PC is dedicated to this machine.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2015, 09:25:31 AM by SomeBodyElse »
Re: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« Reply #5 on: December 10, 2015, 10:55:16 AM »
Once you have a motion card with USB or Ethernet the PC speed becomes a non-issue.  I am surprised no one else has chimed in here with motion card suggestions.  The cards I hear about the most seem to be the ones from Pokeys or Kflop, and Smooth Stepper.  My Xiulifeng from AutomationTechnologies has worked well but I don't know any other users.
Re: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« Reply #6 on: December 10, 2015, 10:57:47 AM »
Ok, I will check those out and see what they have, I'll look for USB and Ethernet, thanks!
Re: MicroKinetics to Mach3 Conversion
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2015, 11:10:59 AM »
I went to that automation technologies website, it looks like the best board they have (best I have seen yet) is the Hicon Integra.  Im gonna do some more searching and reading on it but I think that may be the board.