Messages

4081

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 set up for clearpath motors and c62 BOB with Ethernet SmoothStepper

« on: July 09, 2018, 07:38:06 PM »

Hi,
while I don't know how your spindle is wired or configured certainly your Clearpath servos
will require an active high Enable signal from Mach. Therefore the servos cannot move
even if the power supply to the servo is active AND there were sufficient noise on the
Step signal line to cause the servo to believe that a movement command has been made
because the Enable signal is low.

Once Mach is 'live' then the Enable signal can go high but the Step signal is under Machs control.
I don't think you are risking having the servos behave in some uncontrolled and potentially dangerous
manner prior to Mach assuming control and therefore a charge pump is not strictly required.
Confirmation that your spindle cannot inadvertantly start as Mach powers up.

Craig

4082

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 set up for clearpath motors and c62 BOB with Ethernet SmoothStepper

« on: July 09, 2018, 07:07:28 PM »

Hi,
the RJ45 plug I'm guessing was intended to go to Tecknics 'Motherboard' which you
don't have or want. Cut it off and wire direct to your BoB.

The Molex pins 4 and 8 are Enable + and Enable - respectively.

Craig

4083

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 set up for clearpath motors and c62 BOB with Ethernet SmoothStepper

« on: July 09, 2018, 05:11:39 PM »

Hi,
H(igh) L(evel) F(eed) B(ack). Its in the manual, it is the fault signal line FROM the servo TO your
controller.

'In Position' is the same intent as 'Following Error', it indicates whether the servo can keep up,if it can't
follow its commanded input, or as Clearpath put it, stay 'In Position' then it will send a fault signal to Mach.

You will need to know all about it if you are going to use Clearpath servos.

Craig

4084

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 09, 2018, 04:10:47 AM »

Hi,
put this code in a macro, m100, in the macros folder of your current profile:

Code: [Select]

function m100()
local inst=mc.mcGetInstance()
local hsig=mc.mcSignalGetHandle(inst,mc.OSIG_OUTPUT2)
local outstate=mc.mcSignalGetState(hsig)
if (outstate==1) then
mc.mcSignalSetState(hsig,0)
else
mc.mcSignalSetState(hsig,1)
end
end
if (mc.mcInEditor()==1)then
m100()
end
If you run this macro (m100 from the MDI panel) then Output#2 will change state each time you do so. You should see the Output#2 LED
of the machine diagnostics tab change as you do so.You can now attach that output to any output pin of your BoB you choose.
In this way you can test each output pin individually. Would pay to take attention of your potentially dodgy output port 2 pin 9.

Note that the ESS plugin automates certain activities between the ESS plugin and the Control (Mach) plugin. In particular note that if you
enable the Motor 0 Enable signal in the ESS Output Signals page with port 1 pin 1 say and THEN go and check the Control (Mach) plugin
Output Signals page that the Motor 0 Enable signal has automatically been updated BY the ESS plugin.

If now having checked that Motor Enable say is working and you now want to test another output you will have to clear the previous asigments
from BOTH the ESS AND the Control (Mach) plugin. That is to say that a setting made in the ESS plugin will propagate TO the Control plugin
but NOT  A DELETION.

Craig

4085

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 09, 2018, 03:48:12 AM »

Hi,
to have a motor enable output first the motor must be enabled in the Control (also called Mach in earlier builds).
You see in the attached pic that I have enabled three motors; motor0, motor1, and motor2 by checking the boxes associated
with each.

The next pic is where Mach is in disabled state and note M0, M1 and M2 LEDs are not light.

The last pic is with Mach enabled and not M0, m1 and M2 LEDs are light.

I conclude that Mach is correctly handling the motor enable outputs.

Can you repeat these steps? Does your Mach installation behave the same?

Craig

4086

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: angular axis incremental stepping

« on: July 08, 2018, 11:18:59 PM »

Hi,
if you have Gecko and are using 10 microsteps that suggests you have a mechanical reduction of 10:1 in addition?
If that is so could you change that reduction to 9:1 instead?

200(steps/rev for a two phase stepper) X 10 (10 microsteps per full step) x 9 (mechanical reduction)= 18000

18000 / 360 =50....an integer!

Craig

4087

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 08, 2018, 08:59:44 PM »

Hi,
yes using a SSR or even a MOSFET would be sufficient to enable all ten motors.

I suspect you have two issues causing you grief with respect to getting output signals
to work. If you are expecting the outputs M1, M2, M3 etc to operate I suspect you may be
getting confused. Mach handles those its own way, I'm at work at the moment and so cannot
get to my machine and refresh my memory as to how and when those signals operate. If memory
serves however they behave in a manner which you or I might not call logical, and I can't remember
just how.

My recommendation is to use one of the general purpose outputs OSIG_OUTPUT1 through ISIG_OUTPUT64
instead. Tonight I will post a little code that will help you set it up for test purposes.
This will allow you to test and get familiar with the ESS, its plugin and your C25 BoB.
Once you become familiar with that then using M1, M2 etc will become alot easier.

Craig

4088

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 08, 2018, 06:32:39 PM »

Hi,

Also port 2 pin 9 is always on with 2.43v output for some crazy reason.  

That sounds like an actual fault. Can you test the output of the ESS and then the output of
the C25?

I will give some more thought to those other issues. You recall my previous post which tells that the
dedicated C25 outputs are directly hooked to the ESS output pins. It will be necessary to look at ESS output
circuit diagram to establish what its state will be when Mach is idle or disabled.

I have already spent tying to get these control boards to do what I need them to do, which is what is so frustrating.

By designing and building your own machine YOU have assumed responsibility as machine integrator.
As such reading and understanding the manuals IS YOUR RESPONSIBILTY. Make a decision whether
you have the aptitude and attitude to continue.

Craig

4089

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: angular axis incremental stepping

« on: July 08, 2018, 04:45:20 PM »

Hi,
one other possibility is if you can introduce an additional gear or belt reduction?

If you can and choose a ratio of 1.8:1 then your steps per unit would be 100, ie integer.

Craig

4090

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: angular axis incremental stepping

« on: July 08, 2018, 02:55:46 PM »

Hi,
I would have thought that the servo can move an integer number of steps, it can't do fractional.

I think Mach calculates and stores its position as a real number but the axis motor can only step integer numbers.

May I suggest trying entering 56 as steps per and try your series of moves and then try 55 steps per.
My expectation is that while the axis will move a little more than one degree (Steps Per=55), say 1.02 degree but it would be consistent.

Craig