Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Aussie John on September 22, 2017, 09:13:10 PM

Title: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 22, 2017, 09:13:10 PM
Hello
We have a KX1 with Mach3.
Have taken advise from Tweakie.cnc Downloaded and installed Mach3 and extract file from Mach3.xml and attached zip folder. All the motor and ports & pin file is there.
Now when we try to contact the mill through key board to move X Y Z there is only a chick noise from mill and no movement.
Does any one know what may be wrong?
Cheers
Aussie John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: joeaverage on September 22, 2017, 09:20:31 PM
Hi,
when you jog backwards and forwards do Machs DROs go up and down?

Can you run DriverTest.exe and post a screen shot?

These are a couple of basic Mach tests...the first one proves that Machs core software is working and enabled and the second proves that Mach can
signal the parallel port driver and produce the required pulse streams.

Craig
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 22, 2017, 10:36:36 PM
Hello Joeaverage. Craig
Thanks for your response.
The Dro move when use key board.
The mach test is saying Pulsing to fast and there is no lines on the screen. Blank
 Cheers John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 22, 2017, 10:41:07 PM
Craig
I have removed the spindle cover, do I have to turn off any pin or some things?
Cheers John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 22, 2017, 10:49:53 PM
Craig
went back out to the mill and the test is now over and it is saying System Excellent.
Sorry I don't no how to post a screen shot.
Cheers John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: joeaverage on September 22, 2017, 11:19:30 PM
Hi John,
may pay to run that test again. It might sound rather hopeful that it returns 'excellent' but it returns that in ANY situation where it doesn't return
'*********house'. Would prefer to see the numbers, in particular looking for timing jitter, with any sort of luck under 4usec. Also the 'line' across the screen can tell
you something about the PCs behaviour.

Does your machine or its control box have an Estop button? Most units do. With Mach enabled on the screen, the Reset button lower left light continuously
and surrounded by a green border, hit your Estop button. Does the Reset button change?. If it does then the BoB in your control box is talking back to Mach
which is good news.

Let us know how you get on and then we can talk about some more simple tests.

Craig
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 12:30:32 AM
Hello Craig
The reset on the computer will change through key board. . The estop on the mill will not set the reset on the computer to flash.
Ran test again and on the start there was two lines close together they were from top to bottom 0 to 80 then there was other lines above line just under 48.
Pulse 2499. Max variation 5008 to 7.183, short 38.44, long 44.12Apic control 7995. CPU 3000, CPU MHL 300, version 601, PCI 3000
Craig the new Mach loaded is showing Demo. We have bought a Mach3 licence and have the machine serial and manual serial numbers they supplied with mill.
Being in Demo mode would that change anything?
Thank You Craig
Cheers
John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 12:41:00 AM
Craig
On the start of the test the two lines from top to bottom are reading between 2675 to 9.318 and 365.943 to 370.325
Cheers John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: joeaverage on September 23, 2017, 01:11:34 AM
Hi John,
I cannot run the DriverTest.exe on my laptop as it is Window 8 and can't therefore load Machs parallel port. Without having the screen open in front of me
struggling to make sense of you description however:
Quote
38.44, long 44.12
sounds very much like the longest and shortest times of a nominal 40us period square wave. That suggests a timing
jitter of 44.12-38.44=5.68us, not brill but not too bad either. It represents your PCs ability to generate accurate pulse streams, because your PC has to do
all sorts of tasks like running Windows and all its services and Mach and any other software you have running it cant concentrate on it alone and so you get
this variance, in this case about 14% of nominal period.

There is a problem tho if your Estop button cannot signal Mach, if the BoB cant talk to Mach then its pretty fair that Mach can't talk to the BoB and can't
send pulses to the motor drives.

Can you take the lid off the control box and take some pics. I'm hoping that the BoB outputs have LEDs so you can see at a glance whether they change
in response to Mach commands. I'm of the opinion that Mach has not enabled the breakout board, maybe an enable signal or signals or maybe a charge pump
signal.

Can you post some screen shots of the first four pages of Config/Ports and Pins?

Craig
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 02:33:43 AM
Hello Craig
The computer running the mill has no internet connection. We were told not to.
Have taken photos on my Ipad of the first four of the con/fig ports and pin, taken photos of the test with the start long signals and other through the test.
Taken the sides off the mill and taken photos of all the inside, quite a few LEDS working, pressed the keys on the key board and the lights never changed /blinked.
Turned off mill and the reset button started to flash and would not stop, asking for external reset. turned mill back on and the restart on the computer would turn off.
Sorry Craig, pretty old (71) and have trouble understanding some of the things.
Cheers John 
 
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: joeaverage on September 23, 2017, 07:29:57 PM
Hi John,
can you post those pics?

Craig
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 07:54:35 PM
hi Craig

Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 07:57:21 PM
hi
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 07:58:59 PM
hi
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 08:03:08 PM
hi
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: joeaverage on September 23, 2017, 09:10:57 PM
Hi John,
the DriverTest.exe is fine.

I notice a few errors in the other screens tho. You are also guily of trying to get too much going at once and in fact not achieving anything.

Your E stop input is OK. All your other inputs are rubbish. First disable ALL Limits and Home switches. You don't need them yet.
Likewise disable the spindle on the output pins page, you don't need it yet.

On the input pins page you will have seen that pins 10-13 and 15 are available as inputs....whereas you have nominated pins 0, which doesn't
exist and pin 1 which is an output pin.

To start with you only need one input, an Estop. Estop's are usually active low, so when the pin is taken to low voltage the machine goes into
emergency shutdown. The only outputs you need to start with are the motor outputs...everything else is just confusing the issue.

Craig
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: joeaverage on September 23, 2017, 09:13:57 PM
Hi,
I see in the second last pi you posted an output Dig Trigger? Whats that for? Do you need it?

Craig
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 10:18:06 PM
Hello Craig
Where do I find Limit and home switch?
The spindle is in Motor Outputs not outputs in my Mach3. Went into  Motor outputs and disable Spindle.
Digt Trig now disabled
in input signals made X++ Pin number 10 and X- made pin number 13.are input pin the same as Port#?
Craig all the numbers and enables were generated in con/fig when we down loaded Mach3 vision .062. when the old computer hard drive crashed and had to reload Mach3
It is running in demo mode, have asked Mach support for our licence numbers and how to change to licenced mill.
I must have nearly drove you to the drink with all these questions.
Thank you
Craig
Cheers John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: Aussie John on September 23, 2017, 10:40:46 PM
Hello Craig
Just tried the estop on the mill when pressed another LED comes on inside.
John
Title: Re: KX1 with Mach3 not talking to computer
Post by: joeaverage on September 23, 2017, 11:03:25 PM
Hi John,
Limits and Homes are input signals.
Limits are X++,X--, Y++ etc, disable all of them to start with. If they are disabled it doesn't matter what pin is assigned, but suggest you put '0'
as the pin. Pin 0 doesn't exist.
Homes are X Home, Y Home etc disable all of them to start with and assign them to pin 0.
Your Estop should be port 1 pin 13, or at least that's the pic you posted. Try Estop active low. Fire up Mach and see if the Estop button works.
If it doesn't try Estop not active low and try Mach again. One of the combinations should work if your machine is wired with the Estop wire
going to pin 13 on your BoB. If not you're going to have to trace the wire from the Estop to the pin on the BOB.

You don't need a licence at the moment, even if you had one it won't change anything.

You might go to the Artsoft site and get:
Quote
Mach3 CNC Controller
Software Installation and
Configuration

Manuals seem to work best when read, sometimes more than once.

Craig