Machsupport Forum
Third party software and hardware support forums. => SmoothStepper USB => Topic started by: poppabear on July 10, 2009, 02:09:19 AM
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I have 3 different computers with Mach3, and this bug happens on all three. I have the SS installed and working, on each, I then set up the Serial modbus, with a simple Brian.
then Mach3 Crashes. This doesnot happen when using the PP.
So if you happen to have somekind of Modbus device, like: Peter Holmans Mod IO, or CNC4PC's Modbus cards, or a PLC can you set up your serial (TCP modbus in the latest Mach3 is currently broken). modbus and make a simple Brain that will transfer a input from the modbus to a ULED on the Screen, and perhaps set up a button on the screen that will turn on another ULED that will go out to your external device to turn on an LED or something like that.
Here is what I am seeing: With the Smooth Stepper working, the Modbus working and the Brain enabled and working Mach3 will crash....... Under the exact same conditions but using the Parallel ports Mach will not crash. I dont understand why adding the SS to a slightly more complex system should make it crash.
I am running the latest SS plugin, and Latest Mach3 .027
The conflict seams to be in running the Smooth Stepper and the Modbus since you have to use Brians to do things with the serial plugin modbus it could therectially be Brains and SS have an issue.............. BUT, to test that, I wrote a quicky plugin that did the Modbus serial IO discussed above and still the crash, BUT, NOT, on a PP system......
Perhaps if others are seeing this, or can recreate it, we can give Greg some info that may help him track it down.
scott
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My lathe has a PLC (serial Modbus) and SS and has no problems.
Hood
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are you running "Brians" along with it?
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Yes, have two running via your Mad plugin and another 2 or 3 as well.
Hood
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Hummm,
The bug appears here, when everything is running: SS, Modbus, Brians, and then you "Edit" and reload your Brian, or sometimes, enable or disable a brian, and then view the enabled one, it then crashes.
After that once you reboot mach (post crash), it then runs ok, (unless the Ground bug in the SS appears), but with repowering the SS that unlocks the USB glitch. It then works ok, untill.......... you try to edit the Brians and then the Mach Crashes, again......
I dont know what else to do really, The only work around I have found here is to Unhook the SS, and turn off the Plugin. Then close and restart mach3, do all the Brians changes, and Serial Modbus changes that need to be done. Then close mach3, and reopen, then enable the plugin then close and open again (with the SS pluged in). It then comes up ok, and runs ok.....
I dont know for sure what it is, but my suspecion is that there is something in the way the active Brian Editor, or Brian controller interacts with the active SS. I dont understand why.
But I can recreate it on any 3 of my comps one running XP, one running Vista 32, and last Vista 64
scott
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Ah ok now that is a different thing, you are editing or enabling the Brains not just running them, that has jogged my memory :)
I believe this is a Mach problem which may or may not be solved as I still use 021 version on my lathe. What I have done in the past to enable or edit a brain was rename the exe and put a slightly older one in, start Mach and enable or edit the Brain, shut down and then replace the exe with the renamed one and all is fine.
Brian was aware of this a while back and thought it may have been fixed but as I have never moved on from 021 on the lathe (no point as nothing has been done to turn ;) ) I dont really know. Version 3.042.020 should be OK, dont have my machine hooked to the network today (took the PCI card home to test something there) so afraid I am unable to test 027.
Hood
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So, it appears you also have to do "Stupid Pet Tricks", to get the contraption to work....... I now dont feel so crazy seeing that your seeing it also. If you dont mind, since you have a "Call a Friend" line to Brian, could you ask him to look into it???
and if you get a chance, run the 027 on your R&D comp and see if your seeing it thier as well.
Yesterday, I flew down to Atlanta, GA. Had an OEM there who had a router that had 12 hold down clamps(with open close sensor), and a Foot plate on his dual spindle. He had a M13 for all the extra IO load (about 20 inputs and 16 outputs on the modbus). He was running a Smooth Stepper and didnt know how to get all the modbus and brains set up). To make a long story short while setting up Mobbus serial & Brians the same crash happened there as well. Each time I had to Reboot the entire computer, (to unlock mach3 even running the driver test didnt unlock/close it). Once the Comp came up, I had to kill power to the SS and reapply to unlock the USB port (Yes, varified a good ground). Then do the Pet tricks above to make the brians to bring in the IO and Pendant on the modbus to mach3. Very frustrating, the customer was talking about going back to the PP, since it dropped or crashed so much. But in the end I got it working, once I figured out the work around above.
scott
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Scott,
This ijust a 'shot in the dark' for what it's worth. I have noticed a pluthera of communication problems when I hooked up my SS to a computer that has USB ver 1.0 on it. All kinds of weirdness that was really hard to T-shoot. Finally I decided to disable any onboard USB Hubs and installed a Ver 2.0 USB/PCI card.
All problems disappeared. SS wants USB ver 2.0 anything else is a crapshoot.
HTH,
Sid
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hmmmmm,
interesting point, I will definatly look into that one!!!
Thank you for the heads up........
scott
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It is a Mach problem, the lockdown is fine, anything newer is not. Brian was aware of this when I first tested Ver 3.042.021 hopefully it will be fixed in Rev 4 (if not then the moaning starts ;) ) but until then use the lockdown version or if you need to use a later version for any reason then have the .exe for ver 3.042.020 handy so you can place it in the folder to do any editing or enabling, it only takes a few seconds and as said is only needed if you have a reason to need one of the development versions otherwise use the lockdown.
Hood
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Found another Cause of the SS drop out!!! (and thats a good thing!!). I noticed that when I plugged in another USB to Serial adapter cable that the SS would drop out... I had this other cable plugged in to do VFD drive parameters...
At any rate, I moved the SS to it own port (BTW it was on a 2.0 port, but I put it on its own port that it didn't share). At any rate, I plugged in the USB to serial cable to program the VFD and the SS dropped out immediatly (yes, I checked to make sure they where not using the same com port, etc.).
When I removed the USB, then the SS would be stable!!! So far it has run for about 2 hours without dropping out......... So now my suspecion is that the FTDI drive code is jacked up in the way the USB is done....... But perhaps Greg can chime in here.....
So now, I turn off Mach3, plugin my other programming cable, do what I got to do, and then uplug and restart mach3, and the sun shines again.....
put a vid link up under my 5 axis cab build to see the minimal basic operating control.
scott
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That's a known issue with the FTDI driver and not specific to the SS. If you have two different devices with an FTDI chip and they have different driver versions trying to use them both at the same time will cause problems. Most of the USB-Serial adapters will automatically install and not give you the chance select the driver. I think you can find the adapter in device manager and point it to the driver version the SS uses. It is something you have to watch out for...
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Any one run across a USB to Serial converter cable that is NOT FTDI driven? Perhaps I can avoid the issue all to gether.
Currently I run the Radio shack and the Gold X, both cause the drop and I think both are running FTDI driver software.
scott
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I just searched for USB serial adapter and found this one which says it uses a different chip: http://www.usbgear.com/CHEAP-SERIAL.html
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I am actually looking for someone who has tested one, and knows it doesnt cause the drop.......
Scott
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I have one that I think I used with the SS for a while, dont use it now as its not needed (different trackball) so I will see if I can find it and test it out to make sure. Problem is I dont have a clue where it is, probably at the workshop so might take me a year or two to find it ;D
Hood
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Scott
after 2 days of searching I have finally found the USB-serial adapter but its 1:45am and I am at home so will be tomorrow before I can hook it up to the mill or lathe and make sure it works. Not even sure what chip is on it as the drivers are at the workshop and the info on the site I bought it from is non existant.
Will let you know how it goes.
Hood
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Found the drivers on my other hard drive, it is a Prolific Technology adapter.
Hood
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Been running the lathe with USB to Serial connected and not had a problem with the SS losing connection.
Hood
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Hey Hood,
Can you see what "Brand/model" of Prolific? I am using a Prolific "GoldX 1200" and it crashes it..... the driver is the FTDI driver though.
scott
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Scott no brand or anything on the one I have.
Heres a link to the place I got it from
http://www.techfocus.co.uk/s/TFA05D.htm
And heres a link to the driver
http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/downloads.asp?ID=31
You will see on the driver page links top recommended sellers so probably the ones there should have the same chip as mine.
Hood