Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: furkanyilmaz11 on May 22, 2015, 05:30:25 AM

Title: THC Problem
Post by: furkanyilmaz11 on May 22, 2015, 05:30:25 AM
Hi All,

I have a thc with logic outputs for up, down, inposition and touch. And I am using usb bob card.

I installed everything nicely. And I can seeing the up, down leds turning on or off, when thc receive the signal. So everything ok about configuration.
But z axis isnt moving! I tried turn on the allow thc up down even if not in thc mode. But same, so there are no movements at the z axis when up or down leds on mach3 and thc is turning on.

where should I look to solve my problem? Any suggest?

I am sorry about my bad english...

Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Davek0974 on May 22, 2015, 03:10:17 PM
are you running a fully licensed copy of Mach??

THC does not work in free mode
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: furkanyilmaz11 on May 22, 2015, 04:19:53 PM
Sure, I buy the license from artsoft and I load it. And now I can see the text at the bar which one is top of the window

mach3: Licensed to:"My company name"

But before I buy the license, software was used for a more than one week. But just in demo mode there are no pirate license or something like that. So now my mach3 is licensed.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: BR549 on May 22, 2015, 04:24:52 PM
THC with Mach3 will NOT work with any controller BUT an LPT version .  UNLESS that card was designed to run a THC from inside itself. Mach3 will not run it unless it is a LPT driver.

(;-) TP

Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: furkanyilmaz11 on May 22, 2015, 04:39:56 PM
UNLESS that card was designed to run a THC from inside itself.

I attached the cards document. I have no idea about is that card supporting running thc inside itself? Have you got an any idea?

And which usb or ethernet motion control cards supporting thc? And how can I use THC with the usb or ethernet based control card?

Thanks in advance..
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: BR549 on May 22, 2015, 05:26:20 PM
SORRY but I do not trouble shoot Chinglish manuals or cards.  Odds are good it does NOT support THC from the card.

(;-) TP
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Chaosas on July 27, 2015, 03:47:34 PM
Hello,

maybe somebody know, why THC function not working in Mach3 with USB cards? Why THC can work only with LPT port? What Mach3 need to start work?

Thanks in advance
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: RICH on July 27, 2015, 08:29:54 PM
Chaosas,

Quote
why THC function not working in Mach3 with USB cards?

Which cards are you talking about?

If there are problems with say a Chinese Card, then go back to the Chinese / maker of that card and ask for support.

Now the following is just my own opinion on the matter............
So many of them provide pirated copies of Mach  which have problems because it is pirated software, then they sell
pure JUNK cards with poop / no / poor documentation, then they expect us to provide support for their product and solve their
problems. They just sit back and laugh and insult we dumb kind hearted folks through their actions and steal folks money.

WELL ....NOT THIS GUY........

Absolutely no support for them at my expense of time.

RICH

Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Tweakie.CNC on July 28, 2015, 01:48:20 AM
Chaosas,

Quote
why THC function not working in Mach3 with USB cards?

Which cards are you talking about?

If there are problems with say a Chinese Card, then go back to the Chinese / maker of that card and ask for support.

Now the following is just my own opinion on the matter............
So many of them provide pirated copies of Mach  which have problems because it is pirated software, then they sell
pure JUNK cards with poop / no / poor documentation, then they expect us to provide support for their product and solve their
problems. They just sit back and laugh and insult we dumb kind hearted folks through their actions and steal folks money.

WELL ....NOT THIS GUY........

Absolutely no support for them at my expense of time.

RICH



Well said Rich.   ;)

Tweakie.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Chaosas on July 28, 2015, 02:45:41 PM
OK RICH,
please give me an advise. Which card I should use for my plasma CNC?
I need 13 24VDC digital inputs and 5 24VDC outputs.
Also I need THC function.
:)
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: beefy on July 29, 2015, 05:22:21 PM
Hello,

maybe somebody know, why THC function not working in Mach3 with USB cards? Why THC can work only with LPT port? What Mach3 need to start work?

Thanks in advance

An external motion controller card (USB/ethernet) usually has a plugin written for Mach3. A plugin is a peice of software that you install "inside" Mach3, and it tells Mach how to "communicate" with the external card. The card must have been designed specifically for THC use. If it hasn't been designed for that use it won't work. It's a bit like trying to open a spreadsheet in a word processor. It won't work because the word processor was not designed for that.

Your 2nd question has a similar answer. Mach was designed with the parallel port as it's main high speed I/O portal. The THC functionality was designed around the parallel port. Mach3 THC only works with the parallel port because it was designed that way.

Google for "UC300" or "UC-300". I believe that USB card has THC functionality but contact the manufacturer first and ask questions to see if it's suitable for you. If that board is suitable for you, then I think you must also add a breakout board to it if you want optical isolation.

If you want to learn more about the built-in THC functionality in Mach3, then check out the older Mach2 manual:
http://www.machsupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Mach2Mill_6.11.pdf

One option you have it to actually use the parallel port. Buy a dual parallel port card for one of the computers PCI slots. In Mach configuration you can set the second parallel port to make pins 2-9 as inputs, giving a total of 13 inputs on that port alone. You would then need to find breakout boards for your two parallel ports, that will give you the needed 24v levels.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Chaosas on July 30, 2015, 03:18:15 PM
Thank you for good answer beefy. :)
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Wadzii on February 22, 2016, 12:00:25 PM
reviving an old thread, but is this still the case?  All of my computers are running 64 bit windows and they are either laptops or compact systems and dont have a parallel port so the Mach3 parallel driver wont work.  I'm using this usb motion controller.. http://www.sainsmart.com/sainsmart-4-axis-mach3-usb-cnc-motion-controller-card-interface-breakout-board.html 

Everything else is working perfectly just not my THC, in the diag tab I can see the inputs for thc up/down working but the Z never changes.  There has to be a connection I'm missing, I dont understand what the motion control board has to do with the thc not working.  The software see's the inputs just fine all it has to do is change the Z.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: BR549 on February 22, 2016, 02:18:50 PM
Teh internal THC in Mach3 ONLY works with teh LPT version of Mach3. IF you are using an outside control card teh CARD itself most do teh THC functions with Z.

(;-) TP
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Wadzii on February 22, 2016, 02:25:32 PM
This sucks, I have already spent money on all this crap twice.  Why on earth can they not get with this century and support USB and 64 bit OS.   I don't even own a computer with a parallel port so outside of spending another $200 on a device to use this old junk is there anything else that can be done. Why it it not as simple as it moving the z axis in the software.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: BR549 on February 22, 2016, 03:58:56 PM
Mach3 does supoort USB and does support 64bit for use with an outside controller.  MICROSOFT is the one that CANNED the used of the LPT driver with 64 bit OS . (;-) Not mach3.

Mach3 cannot support the THC Z moves across the USB side because it is WAY too slow to work properly  SO it is UP TO the Motion control card itself to do the THC Z MOVES as it should be.  
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Wadzii on February 22, 2016, 04:12:22 PM
So you're telling me USB is slower than lpt. You've got to be kidding me.  They didn't quit supporting lpt because it's better than lpt.  This crap drives me insane.  If I buy what amounts to a $200 USB to lpt adapter it'll supposedly work.  I really don't buy it.   Is there anything besides mach3 out there?  I'd like something designed in the last 15 years please.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: Davek0974 on February 22, 2016, 04:19:51 PM
LinuxCNC ?

Never tried it, but its out there ;)

Its not USB that is slow as such, well USB1.0 is, but more the interface between software and the USB bus i think.

LPT was fast, it was dropped because USB was universal - Universal Serial Bus - having two sockets on the pc means more cost, more space, more components, it's just evolution.
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: BR549 on February 22, 2016, 04:32:31 PM
You CANNOT use a USB to LPT adaptor either  . It has to be a USB or Ethernet motion control board that HAS  a Mach3 plugin so that it can run Mach3. The plugin is UP TO teh Manf of teh Motion control card not Mach3. SO IF they support THC then you will have it if they do NOT support THC then you won't.

Yes I am telling you that teh USB THC would be VERY slow compared to teh LPT. With USB functions your THC controller has to signal teh Motion controller then the motion controller has to signal MACH3 to do a THC move THEN Mach3 has to plan it and then talk BACK to teh controller to tell it to move Z. THAT takes time.

WITH the LPT version Mach3 sees teh THC signal at kernal speed and responds directly the LPT port. It happens in uS not mS.

(;-) TP
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: BR549 on February 22, 2016, 04:39:07 PM
DID you not check to see IF the USB card DID THC before you bought it?  MAYBE it does  and you don't have it setup correctly ?? Check with the OEM that sold you the card.

(;-) TP
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: stirling on February 23, 2016, 06:11:19 AM
in the diag tab I can see the inputs for thc up/down working but the Z never changes.  There has to be a connection I'm missing, I dont understand what the motion control board has to do with the thc not working.  The software see's the inputs just fine all it has to do is change the Z.

PCs running Windows are NOT real time systems. CNC machines ARE real-time. For PCs to control CNC machines, they need something else to do the real-time things on their behalf.

One such thing is an external BUFFERED controller.

One other such thing is a kernel level BUFFERED driver that can actually give itself higher priority than Windows itself and can thus implement a passable version of real-time.

In older versions of Windows this was possible. In later versions the "holes and hooks" that allowed this have been closed - period. Address all complaints to:

Microsoft Corporation
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond


Soooooooo... you're using the external controller option:

1) Your THC hardware activates (say) TorchUP.

2) Your motion controller "sees" that signal

3) Your motion controller **** To Do ****

4) Your motion controller sends a packet of info via USB to Mach3 (which includes the fact that TorchUP is activated).
(remember that although USB is fast in communication - yes - even faster than a parallel port - unlike a parallel port, it will only send this message when IT is good and ready - if this doesn't make sense to you - read up on USB. In a nutshell though, it's all very well for me to be able to send you a message at the speed of light - but if I choose to wait a while before I send it - then your going to get it "in a while" - regardless of how fast the comms medium is.

5) Every 1/10th of a second Mach3 reads any packets of info pending and updates the GUI so a human being can see what's going on.

So...

What do you reckon goes in the ToDo?
Does YOUR controller do this?
If it doesn't, is that a Mach3 shortcoming or your controller's?
Title: Re: THC Problem
Post by: ramiroocnc on March 17, 2016, 07:22:52 PM
hola atodos,buenas tardes,
mi nombre es andres de colombia,tengo un problema con mi controlador y thc,la situacion es que doy la orden, y la maquina realiza los movimientos,el control de altura baja y luego se eleva, pero no genera el arco,necesito que me ayuden,yo no se si he configurado mal el thc,o estoy dando una orden incorrecta al controlador.
el thc es start shapon y el controlador es microstep.
gracias ??? ???

atodos hello, good afternoon,
my name is andres de Colombia, I have a problem with my driver and thc, the situation is that I give the order, and the machine performs the movements, control of low and then rises, but does not generate the arc, I need you help, I do not know if I misconfigured the thc, or am giving a wrong order to the controller.
THC is Shapon start and the controller is microstep.
Thank you