Messages

601

General Mach Discussion / picaxe microcontroller input to parallel port in mach

« on: February 25, 2015, 06:03:36 PM »

I assumed that you were writing the pick axe code?  Then you just arrange to drive the output pin low to activate rather than high.  If you must use a hardware solution a single transistor inverter is cheaper and smaller than a relay and takes less current.


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602

General Mach Discussion / Re: picaxe microcontroller input to parallel port in mach

« on: February 25, 2015, 12:21:24 PM »

Is the power supply voltage to your BoB 5V?  If so, just connect the Pickaxe output to the BoB input.  You want to make sure the data bus is NOT tristated, so its levels are logic high or logic low, not something floating in between.  A relay is not a good way to do this IMHO.  Of course you need to make sure that the BoB pin you're connecting to is an input not an output - inputs don't have a "tristate". 

603

General Mach Discussion / Re: CNC Engraving : F-Engrave

« on: February 25, 2015, 12:09:15 PM »

Just for reassurance, I use F-Engrave with Mach 3 (licensed) and it works fine.

604

General Mach Discussion / Lost Steps with backlash compensation

« on: February 23, 2015, 06:17:44 PM »

Just a point.  You have got the backlash settings matching the actual backlash?  If it doesn't it will cause symptoms which can be like lost steps.


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605

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Conect 121 cnc retrofit

« on: February 11, 2015, 05:31:58 PM »

Yes!


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606

General Mach Discussion / Single pulse capacitance sensor selection

« on: February 08, 2015, 04:15:01 PM »

Just made a sensor for my mill using an Allegro Microsystems Hall effect sensor, and an 820 ohm resistor, built on a scrap of strip board and potted in Araldite.  Easily senses a small Neodymium magnet about 3 mm dia x 2 mm glued to the face of the spindle pulley. 


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607

General Mach Discussion / suggestions needed for setting up tailstock stepper on lathe

« on: January 31, 2015, 06:19:35 PM »

As far as I know Mach3 Turn only supports 2 axes so I'm not sure how you can do this.


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608

Mach3 and G-Rex / Have issues with my X axis need troubleshooting help!

« on: January 30, 2015, 05:49:01 PM »

When I had a problem like this it was because a wire had come adrift between the breakout board and a stepper driver, resulting in all pulses looking like left pulses.  Check the wiring to the x driver very carefully.


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609

General Mach Discussion / help of wiring this

« on: January 23, 2015, 03:42:58 PM »

That might work, it has a 0-5v control input.


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610

General Mach Discussion / help of wiring this

« on: January 22, 2015, 05:04:28 PM »

I don't think this will work I'm afraid.  This motor driver needs a PWM signal at a fairly high frequency, they say up to 10 kHz, to drive it.  This would normally be generated by the Arduino computer that it is designed to go with.  The recommended Mach 3 PWM signal is normally around 25 Hz and is designed to be smoothed to a variable dc voltage typically between 0 and 10 volts depending on mark/space ratio, which is compatible with standard motor speed controllers such as VFDs.  You can run Mach with a higher PWM frequency but the speed control would be very coarse.


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