Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: richag77 on May 05, 2019, 12:59:08 AM
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Hi, My name is Gary and I am from Albany in S/W Australia. I have just purchased a CNC router and with that machine there was included a disc with the Mach3 folder on it. (File name: Mach3VersionR3.041.exe)
After repeated attempts to open/unpack the .exe file I get an error message "INTERNAL ERROR B109-13 cannot decompress setup program".
My PC is a Dell Optiplex 760 running Win XP, 32 bit X86 based PC.
Any help great fully received.
Cheers Gary
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Hi,
Mach3 and Mach4 are available as a free download from the NFS website, you don't need a disc.
https://www.machsupport.com/ (https://www.machsupport.com/)
What won't be included is a license file for Mach3. It seems unlikely that the disc would include a license file unless it is a
pirate copy, very common from Chinese suppliers.
Mach4 has a different licensing arrangement with each individual PC licensed and that is done online on the NFS website
and could in no case be supplied on a disc.
Craig
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Hi joeaverage Thanks for the help. Could you clarify about the NFS website? I have found downloads on the artsoft website, is that what you mean? I have had 2 subsequent zip files sent to me from the supplier of the machine but those didn't work either. Thanks
Cheers Gary
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Hi,
NFS= NewFangled Solutions, the current business name of what was Artsoft.
What was very common with Chinese made controllers was that they did not support certain features of Mach, probing for example.
What they did was modify Mach to work with their controller because it would fail with standard Mach.
Craig
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Thanks for the advice. Well, I have got Mach3 installed on my XP machine but after about 10 hours work I still can't get anything moving. No axis will move and the spindle won't turn on. I have gone through the setup of ports & pins several times To check that is OK. Input#1 is set to 0x378. I think this is correct for my PC (I haven't confirmed it as yet in XP settings(Can't find it))
I am thinking it is a cable/pin connection problem. I have noticed that when I press keyboard buttons for JogX+ or minus, the LED's in Diagnostics page (called EJogx+ or EJogX-) don't light up. Also when I press the Estop button, the red Emergency LED doesn't light up. I feel that I am very close to getting this working. Bye Regards Gary
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Sorry, I forgot to add a picture of the Diagnostics page I took.
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Input#1 is set to 0x378. I think this is correct for my PC (I haven't confirmed it as yet in XP settings(Can't find it))
Assuming you are using the 25 pin Parallel Port to connect your PC to your machine...
Within WinXP - Control Panel / Device Manager / Ports / LPT1 Printer Port / Resources / IO Range ?
If you are using Ethernet or USB to connect your PC to your machine then you need the plugin / driver disc supplied by the vendor of your motion controller to set-up your machine - the Port Address mentioned above does not apply.
Tweakie.
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give us some Pictures/Manuals of what you are using.
without further Information it is like a walk in the dark.
to check for the port/Pins here is a good tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uglCm_qsojk
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Hi and thanks for the help so far. Yes, I am using a USB cable to connect to the machine, maybe that is the problem because when I went to Control Panel / Device Manager / Ports / there was no port labeled USB just LPT1, Com1 and Com3.
The machine I bought was a USB machine as opposed to a parallel port machine so would it help if I got a 25 pin cable instead?
I have installed what I thought was the plugin, I will check with the supplier. I have been receiving confirmation from the supplier in regards to the settings on the "Ports & Pins" section of the machine setup so hopefully that should be OK. I will try to get more info to help with this problem.
Bye Regards Gary
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The machine I bought was a USB machine as opposed to a parallel port machine so would it help if I got a 25 pin cable instead?
In a word, NO.
If you are getting info from your machine supplier then that is the way to go - follow the set-up instructions on the installation disc.
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again Pictures/Manuals ???
everything else is like watch into the Magic glas ball. :)
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Hello and thanks to everyone who has helped. I think the problem is solved. Upon opening "Mach3Mill" a dialogue box is displayed requesting the port to be used.
Options are: "Normal Printer Port operation. (this is the one I used at first)
and "RnR Motion Controller" (this is the one I changed to. The supplier didn't mention this in the manual supplied)
As soon as I changed to the second option all motors and spindle worked. The only problems still are:
* The E_Stop button on the CNC controller doesn't work. (Only the one on the screen works)
* None of the LED's on the diagnostics page light up when they should.
* Spindle won't go above 8,000 RPM (Error msg comes up if you try to go higher and returns it to 8,000)
It appears that the CNC mill doesn't have any home switches or homing facility.
What would happen if the carriage hit the end of travel? Damage? or overload?
This is possibly all the help needed at this stage,thanks again.
Cheers Gary
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As soon as I changed to the second option all motors and spindle worked.
sounds good, nice to hear that it is working now
The only problems still are:
* The E_Stop button on the CNC controller doesn't work. (Only the one on the screen works)
figure out to witch Input the button is wired to, then check Config -> Ports&Pins -> Inputs
* None of the LED's on the diagnostics page light up when they should.
witch LED's do not work
* Spindle won't go above 8,000 RPM (Error msg comes up if you try to go higher and returns it to 8,000)
check Config -> Spindle Pulleys -> Pulley Number 4
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Hi and thanks TPS, I have solved the max spindle speed problem. I fished around and found the place where that can be set.
The LED's that didn't light up were the EJog ones when the respective axis was jogged. Also there were no green lights showing pins active (Upper right hand side on diagnostics page.) The machine seems to work OK but I am concerned if it were to over-travel.
It appears that the CNC mill doesn't have any home switches or homing facility.
What would happen if the carriage hit the end of travel? Damage? or overload?
Thanks,Regards Gary
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Hi,
the cheap USB external controllers supplied typically have the equivalent of 'one ports' worth of IO,
that is the same number of inputs and outputs as Machs parallel port......12 outputs and 5 inputs.
You are pretty much required to have one input as an Estop. that leaves just four inputs for limit switches,
home switches and a probe. As you can see inputs are at a premium.
Over the years many people have used different wiring schemes to combine as many limit and home switches together
to conserve inputs.
You will have to identify the inputs on your board and use those. Support and documentation for those cheap USB
boards is atrocious. Good luck.
I bought an Ethernet SmoothStepper (ESS) and it has 'three ports' worth of IO, 51 inputs and outputs....plenty!
It means I don't have to combine limit and home switches. My current setup has three home switches (x,y,z), each
on there own input and all six limit switches wired in series on another input and one input for a probe.
I could, and in fact should, have all six limit switches on individual inputs, it lessens confusion and improves
the safety and security when recovering from a limit event. The ESS has plenty of spare inputs so why not use them?
Craig
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Hi and thanks TPS, I have solved the max spindle speed problem. I fished around and found the place where that can be set.
The LED's that didn't light up were the EJog ones when the respective axis was jogged. Also there were no green lights showing pins active (Upper right hand side on diagnostics page.) The machine seems to work OK but I am concerned if it were to over-travel.
It appears that the CNC mill doesn't have any home switches or homing facility.
What would happen if the carriage hit the end of travel? Damage? or overload?
Thanks,Regards Gary
Attached is a manual usable for your RnR USB motion controller.
Please plan to install Home/Limit switches as a matter of URGENCY.
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It appears that the CNC mill doesn't have any home switches or homing facility.
What would happen if the carriage hit the end of travel? Damage? or overload?
Simplistic answer is it all depends on the conditions at time of impact. The resultant affects of the
impact can vary from nothing to major.
Safety considerations should be personal safety primary and damage to property secondary!
Personaly don't have switches on any of my machines except a hand held manual kill switch to stop axis movement instantly.
I don't recomend what I do to anyone! ::)
RICH
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Thanks again everyone for the help, I am a lot wiser now. Youtube tutorial guys; some of them say that with the CNC routers that they build, they don't add limit switches. they just take care to not over travel. If I did put them on would they be the micro switches that I see on Ebay or some special one?
Also, I have noticed that every now and then my machine goes haywire and wont move or spindle wont turn on. I reboot the operating system and everything works again. Do others have this problem ?(I have WinXP communicating through a USB cable)
Cheers
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Hi,
Also, I have noticed that every now and then my machine goes haywire and wont move or spindle wont turn on. I reboot the operating system and everything works again. Do others have this problem ?(I have WinXP communicating through a USB cable)
Classic symptoms of electrical noise breaking USB communications. Ethernet is a better solution for noise immunity.
Craig