Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: rlrhett on May 29, 2009, 07:01:03 PM
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I'm a noob, so I hope the solution will prove to be simple ... ;D
I have done all the trouble shooting I can think of and still have no motion. The motors power up, I can't turn them by hand, but nothing happens when I try to move the motors in the tuning mode or with the on screen jogging.
My set up:
XP SP3 Laptop with a MosChip based card
Mach 3 2.0.047
CNC4PC BOB
Gecko 251
36V powersupply
Keling 285oz/in bipolar motors
Mach 3 Settings
Going to the Hardware Manager, The LPT(3) resources gives me two sets of values:
FEE8-FEEF
FEE0-FEE7
I have used both FEE8 and FEE0 in the Mach settings, but no love. Otherwise the port settings screen has only Port 1 enable checked, nothing else is checked, and I have left the speed at the default 25K.
Motor Out
X, Y, Z are enabled using pins 2/3, 4/5, and 6/7 Port 1. Active low settings are turned off.
Tuning
On my X and Y axis, they are set to drive a 0.752" diameter pulley reduced 3:1. The 251 cards are 10X micro stepping cards. The math is a little complicated, but I end up with 2539.7 steps per inch. So far I have used that value as well as just using the default 2000 steps per inch.
On my Z axis I have 1/4-20 thread screw. 2000 microsteps per revolution x 20 revolutions per inch gives me 40,000 steps per inch.
I get NO MOTION AT ALL. I don't know what else to check. The diagnostic page looks normal, EXCEPT that I have a RED at Enable 1. I don't know what "Enable 1" is, and I notice that in the set up videos Art's screen shows no red for any of the outputs.
I don't know what else to test.
Any help is appreciated.
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Is your "RESET" flashing, if so go to config>ports&pins>input signals and enable the EStop ( click in box and you will get a green check ) assign it to port, maybe 1, along with a pin you are not using and click Emulated.
If that dosen't do the trick please post our XML file.
Your Xml file can be found in the C:\MACH3 directory, ie; Mach3Mill and copy it and rename it something like
rirhett and post it.
RICH
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I wish it had been as simple as that. Unfortunately, I see no flashing and the system seems to think every thing is a go.
Here is my .xml file. I hope it tells you something.
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What kind of parallel port do you have?
Check directly at the port with a voltmeter between the Dir pin nd Gnd of the port and jog one way then the other and see if it changes 5V to 0v and vice versa .
Hood
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I have a PCMCIA to Parallel adapter card that gives me the port. I too suspect this part. Originally it seemed to use the normal resources, but I had to re-install the driver because it would hang the system when I re-booted. Now it lists the resources used in two ranges, even though they are contiguous. FEE0 - FEE7 and FEE8 to FEEF. That is suspicious to me.
I would love to override the ranges to see if that fixes the problem, but I don't know how.
As for testing pin 3 (a dir pin for the X axis), I don't get 5v ever. From the cable I get slight fluctuation around 1.8V, through the C-10 BOB I get a more constant 1.8V. That doesn't seem to match what you were expecting either.
Finally, I detect no change in the voltage when I try to jog the X axis (or any other for that matter).
Sugestions?
Thanks!
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SO which address are you using in config??? Have you tried both one at a time> Try unistalling the driver and reloading again then check the address. If it gives 2 then try each one. If you get it working LOCK the address so windows can not flipflop it on you on startup.
Do you have a printer you could hook up?
Just a thought, (;-) TP
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I have tried both addresses with no luck. I could have sworn that the first time I installed the driver it assigned 0378-037F, but now I have this different resource. It shouldn't matter, unless there is some acceptable range for Mach and it doesn't know how to do this range.
Also, how would I "lock" the settings? Is there any way to manually assign the resource?
Unfortunately, I don't have a printer old enough to still have a parallel port. My printers are USB or wireless. Using parallel ports for this is getting harder and harder!
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Well I am going to guess the problem is with the parallel port. I have no real voltage at the adapter end of the PP (the female plug). I do measure some voltage, but only about .05v, not 5v. And before anyone asks, I compared it to my 5v adapter so its not that I am reading the muti-meter wrong. Am I correct that I should be reading 5V at at least some if not all of these pins?
Having gotten this far on my build, I did not expect to be stopped by a lack of a functioning parallel port. Has anyone had any experience troubleshooting these PCMCIA cards?
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I think I read that USB to parallel port doesn't work. That is why someone built the smooth stepper.
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I've heard that too, but PCMCIA is not USB. There have been several people who have posted they have had success with these cards.
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rirhett,
Don't know a whole lot about PP cards.
The purchased card should be Windows Certified Compliant. ( not just some verbage that say's it works with .....). Make sure that you have an agreemant with the purchaser to return the card if it doen't work or otherwise pass on it. Some cards are single or dual voltage ie; 3.5v or 5v out from the port. Need to solve your pp problem. Sorry I can't be of more help.
RICH