Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Tillybose on February 04, 2022, 06:23:00 AM
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Hi there
I’ve just bought a 6090 USB router which came supplied with a Mach3 setup disk which included 2 zip files. Mach3 setup & 6090
Having run these I was expecting it to set all the parameter in the configuration. XYZ motors run but when I look at the configuration windows all the figures seem wrong. I/O figures are 0 &I get no waveform when I do a driver test.
I have watched various setup YouTube videos but they all seem to give different settings
Can anyone help me please
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When you say "the motors" run, how are you making them - by jogging or how? If by jogging at least the basic system is operating.
What are "I/O" figures? Are these the settings in the config boxes (ports&pins, motor tuning, etc)? What is an I/O figure of 0?
Where are you looking for a waveform on a driver test? You say that this is a "USB" router which implies that it doesn't use a parallel port, in which case the driver test is irrelevant since it just tests the ability of the PC to generate pulses fast enough to drive the steppers. There are software plug-ins to manage the pulse interface - parallel port, USB motion controller etc - and if you select config->plugins there probably isn't one for a PP but should be one for a USB device. If the PP one does show it should not be ticked, the USB one should be.
What is in the "6090" zip? If it contains something which looks like "6090.xml" that would be a configuration file that has all the pin assignments etc and if you copy it into the mach3 folder it should set up the controller for you.
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Hi,
&I get no waveform when I do a driver test.
The DriverTest.exe program is to test/asses a parallel port driver installation....and yet you say your machine is USB.
Why would you even attempt to run DriverTest.exe when you don't have a parallel port driver?
Craig
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The videos watched all told me about a driver test & although I am connecting with a usb I assumed there must be a driver to run the motors
I have not been able to find any info for a usb test
The motors run when I use the keyboard or the jog buttons
Yes. I/O are the input/output on configuration windows for motor tuning & ports & pins
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Yes there will be a plug-in but it sounds like it must be installed if your motors are running. You don't need a test facility with USB motion control, it was only to test that your PC was running fast enough to drive the parallel port. There is no USB test.
When you say "use the keyboard" are you inputting g-code via the MDI, or what? Do all the axes run the right way when jogged? It sounds though like you are going in the right direction and the machine is basically working. Follow the Mach 3 manual to check out functionality, try some g-code commands from the MDI screen.
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Inputting Gcode.
I haven’t got that far yet. I was probably looking for something that doesn’t exist but my knowledge of computers is to follow instructions.
Next I will try to set up homing & soft limits & then running the roadrunner gcode that’s already in it
Thank you for helping me.
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Happy to help.
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Hi Guys
Trying to set up machine coordinates
I’ve positioned the machine close to my hard limits
I’ve set the motor/home soft limits for my table dimensions
I have home neg & auto zero checked
I’ve restarted my computer & Mach3
Machine coordinates is selected
Problem
The DRO s will not zero individually & pressing REF ALL HOME just causes Y AXIS to run (in the home direction) from this position straight past ZERO until it hits the hard limit switch
Can someone tell me what I’ve done wrong please
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Have you checked that the limit switches are working? And that they are configured in ports&pins?
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Yes
All limit switches work
When the travel hits any one of them every axis stops with the alarm LIMIT SWITCH ACTIVATED. This then requires a manual press of the override button on the controller & the reset pressed. I can then jog off the limit switch & reset the manual override button to normal position. Once I’ve done this with both X & Y AXIS I then find my DROs have positive readings & ZERO BUTTONS (X & Y are red. Z is at zero & green) do nothing. If I press REF ALL HOME Y AXIS moves back down the table past the zero until it hits the hard limit switch
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Ports/pins setup
X HOME
Y HOME
Z HOME
all ticked
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I’ve managed to jog my controller to ZERO positions on all axis with the machine turned off
But the AXIS ZERO BUTTONS on the DROs will not change from red to green
What I am trying to achieve is to set the machine coordinates just inside the limit switches
I’m following the video from cnc4uuk on homing limits & offsets & just cannot see where I am going wrong
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Hi,
But the AXIS ZERO BUTTONS on the DROs will not change from red to green
No, they won't, nor will they, nor are they supposed to. The green LED indicates whether that axis is Homed or Referenced.
The only way to cause that is to Home or Referefnce with <Ref All>, say, each axis in turn and therefore zero the MACHINE COORDINATE for each axis, and the LED go green.
<Axis Zero> button zero's the WORK COORDINATES not MACHINE COORDINATES.
Craig
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Thank you Craig
But if I position my table for the machine coordinates & hit REF ALL my Y AXIS counts down past zero untill it hits the hard limit switch
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Hi,
then you have mis-programmed, or not programmed any Home switches.
Craig
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Thank you for your help. I not sure what I did but it now seems to home to the soft limits
I downloaded the ROADRUNNER. it runs & it controls the cutter but
The tool lifts off the workpiece instead of cutting into it Also I’m not sure how big this is supposed to be but but the tool would have created an image approx 3mm square
I’m beginning not to like Mach3. It is the only program running on my computer but it’s just crashed & now keeps locking up when trying to open Mach3
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You may need to re-install it. However if it's any consolation I've been using Mach3 for 10 years and it has almost never crashed in all that time.
Now, DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE MANUAL? If not, download it from NFS and turn to section 5.18. But read the rest of the information on configuration also.
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No I don’t doubt it. It’s probably me having corrupted the program by trying to follow the videos for parallel port connection rather than usb.
I think I’ll uninstall Mach3 & start again.
I have a slightly better understanding now than last week
Sorry. What is NFS. Looked on Google & found ‘Need for Speed’. I can’t keep up now let alone if it’s faster lol.
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Hi,
NFS= New Fangled Solutions, the company that produces and sells Mach products.
Craig.
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Hi I’m back again
I have installed Mach3 on my windows 10 pc because my Xp pc now won’t load past the Acer flash screen.
I ve just started to configure soft & homing limits & it’s come up with an error message.
‘VB Failure. Check system’
Cannot find any reference to what this means or what needs checking in the manual
As always. Your assistance is very much appreciated
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Hi,
unfamiliar with that fault. Mach3 uses Visual Basic, or rather a subset of it called C(ypress) E(nable), and I would guess that the VB interpreter is not loading or working.
I have not used Mach3 for nearly eight years, I use Mach4, and mach4 does not rely on VB but rather Lua.
Craig
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There are a few references to this fault arising both here and in other places on the web, but no fix I'm afraid! I can't see anywhere in the Mach 3 folder structure where the interpreter would be, but I know that it's there and works in Win10 as macros work on my lathe and mill both using Win10 over USB. All I can suggest is that you reinstall Mach 3 again, getting a fresh copy from the NFS download page, and try again.