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Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: appalachiatools on April 15, 2009, 03:10:13 PM

Title: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 15, 2009, 03:10:13 PM
I bought a system a while back and was told and assumed that it had been working. The wiring was sloppy so I cleaned it up a bit but now I'm second guessing the correctness of the wiring. I am using slo-syn MD808 drives (3) x, y, & z - M091-FD09 steppers (3). It has a power supply putting out 62 vdc. First off, are these compatible units? I'm starting to wonder if it was all thrown together. The machine itself is very well built but the computer, which I replaced, the power supply, and drives were very sloppy as if it were all thrown together and the previous owner could not get it running. I've installed Mach3 and set up but can't get nothing to jog. The motors will heat up after a few minutes and seem like they are locked up. They spin very freely when not connected to a power source. Please help as I have no idea of what I am doing. I can't seem to find a wiring diagram on the motors and I hate to assume that they came wired correctly. Thanks! ???
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: Sam on April 15, 2009, 07:12:01 PM
The drives and motors should be compatible. I have no idea about the the drives being compatible with mach. If they take step/dir inputs, they could work. The motors should act like they are locked, this is normal. Do not attempt to take apart the motors. This will damage them. 62 vdc should be great.
Here is a pdf of your motor. I believe yours are 4 wire. http://www.sinistersam.com/temp/superior.pdf
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 15, 2009, 07:43:51 PM
Thanks for the info. I did find a manual on the drives as well and everything seems to check out. My biggest question now as I still have not been able to jog or move the motors is this...
I have 72 - 80 volts across each motor winding (A & B) as soon as my power supply is plugged in at the same time. This does not seem right to me. I would have thought there should be voltage across one winding at a time as the drive calls for motion depending on the direction. As far as compatibility, I was told that this system was running off Mach3 before I purchased it. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, --Rick
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: MachineMaster on April 15, 2009, 08:51:18 PM
Disconnect one of your motors (Power Off) and measure the resistance of the A winding and B winding.
Divide 72 by the resistance of one of the windings. This is the Amperage the motor is drawing on that winding.
The drive should be limiting the motor amperage but it doesn't sound like it is.
How many amps is the motor rated for? To many amps will definitely make the motor hot. To much heat will destroy the motor.
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 15, 2009, 09:25:31 PM
I disconnected the leads but could not read anything between the leads...hopefully my cheaper fluke. Do not have anything else to read with. The drives were set at a higher amperage and I changed them earlier. No telling what damage was caused to my drives or motors. These were the settings when I bought the machine. The voltage at the windings is now 56vdc.
I still have this voltage on both windings at the same time as soon as the power supply is switched on. Is this correct?
I would have thought one winding at a time depending on the direction and only when the drive is calling for motion. Is this assumption correct?
Thanks, Rick
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: Sam on April 15, 2009, 11:20:55 PM
Quote
I still have this voltage on both windings at the same time as soon as the power supply is switched on. Is this correct?
Yes.
Quote
I would have thought one winding at a time depending on the direction and only when the drive is calling for motion. Is this assumption correct?
No, not with steppers.

Taken from "step motor basics" from Gecko.....
In an ideal step motor, as speed approaches zero, its torque would approach infinity while at
infinite speed, torque would be zero.

In other words, as speed increases, torque decreases.
As speed decreases, torque increases.
You should have the most holding torque at zero speed.

The very fact that the motor locks up with you, says that it is 'most likely' wired and operating correctly. I am assuming you have never had the motors running. The most likely reason you are not getting movement, is something is configured wrong in "ports and pins" or some other settings inside mach. I would double check your settings, and watch the configuration videos here. We've all been where your at, if that makes you feel better.  ;D Usually getting a hammer and smashing stuff makes you feel better.
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 16, 2009, 06:55:51 AM
Thank you. makes me feel a bit better. Your right, I have never had these motors running. I'll keep watching the videos. Is anyone aware of any compatibility issue with mach and superior electric drives MD808? I have spent more time tweaking settings in ports and pins than anything else. I'm sure it's something really easy and stupid staring right at me as it usually is. Thanks for your help!
--Rick
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: MachineMaster on April 16, 2009, 01:18:37 PM
First, open control panel/system/hardware/device manager/ports and check the properties on LPT1.  Look at the Resources tab and note the IO range (mine is 03BC - 03BF)
In Ports and Pins in Mach 3 set port #1 to enabled and port address to the first group of numbers in the IO range (03BC in my case) don't enter the leading 0x. See if you can move anything. If not,
Start with just one axis. Disconnect power from the other two. Identify Which pin on the twenty five pin connector is connected to the pulse connector on the MD808. Set that pin to Step in Mach 3. Find the pin that is connected to Dir on the MD808 and set that pin to Dir in mach 3.
Make sure there is a green check on the axis that you just set those pin on. Power up and try moving.
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 17, 2009, 03:36:17 PM
I opened the control panel and my LPT1 low setting is 0378 which was the default in mach. I had checked that in the initial set up. I checked the dir in my x axis and it is connected to pin 3 on my C10- PARALLEL PORT INTERFACE CARD. I had visually confirmed all this in the initial set up. When I try to read through the card with my meter (with the power off and the port cable disconnected from the computer end) I get no reading. Does the card have to be powered up to read through to the pin? The card's led powers up when the computer is turned on. I'm thinking (dangerously) that maybe the setting of the control filter and auto reduce switches on my drive is off. I really don't know what they should be. The switches for amperage to the steppers was high for my motors and I corrected them. When I bought this system it had "supposedly" been working so I assumed all settings were correct. That does not seem to be the case. The pdf for my drive is at http://mcsupplyco.com/uploads/images/drawings/pdf1/md808.pdf . I just sent my xml file and the link to my drive's pdf to Hood in another section of the forum. I really appreciate all the help from everyone here.
--Rick
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: MachineMaster on April 17, 2009, 04:18:06 PM
Not sure what you mean "LPT1 low setting is 0378" What is the complete set of numbers?
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 17, 2009, 04:56:27 PM
I/O range - 0378 - 037f
under that is another I/O range;
0778 - 077f
under that;
DMA 01
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 17, 2009, 04:59:26 PM
under resources tab for LPT1;

I/O range - 0378 - 037f
I/O range - 0778 - 077f
DMA  01
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: MachineMaster on April 17, 2009, 05:09:52 PM
Just for drill, try setting Port #1 to 778.
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on April 17, 2009, 05:13:48 PM
I tried that already with the same result...

--Rick
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: mhasting2004 on May 25, 2009, 06:21:31 PM
Hi Rick

Not sure if you got an answer to the compatability issue..... I am using md808's and they work fine. Like others have said if the motors lock when you power up that is fine.

Couple of questions:

Have you supplied 5vDC to the opto input?
is the power led on and the fault led off?
have you set the dip switches in the rear for the nuber of micro steps and current limit suited to your motors?
Your motor windings should be about 3ohms and open crt between them.


To make the drive work you only need:
opto.... 5vdc
pulse.... clock/step signal
dir... direction signal.

BTw these aere chopper drives and the comment that the ps voltage devided by the winding ressistance is the current draw is incorrect. the current limit is set by the dip switches and should vbe set to what is shown on the motor. ie 2 amps.


cheers
Mark
Title: Re: Need help - slo-syn drives & steppers
Post by: appalachiatools on May 25, 2009, 07:18:27 PM
Thanks for the info Mark. I finally got up and running a couple of weeks ago. A separate 5v feed to my parallel port interface card was what was needed. She works fine now. Just been trying out different cam software and decided to go with Vectric products. Seems to be very easy to use and I like the results for what I'll be using it for. Thanks again.
--Rick