Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: mel4853 on September 04, 2009, 07:31:37 PM
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I'm using a Mechatronics 3 axis controller. I'm trying to get my e-stop to work but nothing is working. E-stop has 2 NC contacts which one set shuts down the spindle and the other is to tell Mach3 to stop. The spindle shuts down but Mach3 still runs. Any help would be appreciated.
Mike
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Have you configured your E-stop button in the 'ports & pins' page? Is it enabled? Correct pin selected?
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Yes, port 1, pin 15 but if I don't put a check in the active low column I can't reset. Either way the e-stop does nothing.
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I looked at the manual for this controller and sadly there is not 1 note about how to connect an E-Stop button. This is a major oversight IMO. Regardless, I have usually seen PIN 10 Used for E-stop. Not sure why but it seems to be a standard. Can you try swapping things around and put your button on 10 and configure as such?
HTH,
Sid
P.S. Active Low is OK/Normal
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I already tried pin 10, same results. Also have e-mail to Mechatronics but thought I would try here also to see if anyone else has ran into this before.
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If you go to the diagnostics page in Mach- can you see the on screen LED light up when you trigger your E-Stop Button?? If Not then you are not getting 5V back to the BOB
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No light. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. I have a wire from pin 25 to one terminal on e-stop, then other wire from other terminal on e-stop back to pin 15.
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OK- there's your problem. It looks like the limit switches are using a terminal marked COM (Common)-please confirm!. Looks to me like you need to
Go from Common---> E-stop
E-Stop ----> Pin 10 or Pin 15.
See attached drawing!
Then you should get a light on the Diagnostics page and all should be good
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Yes limits use com. I will give that a try and let you know if it works.
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Ok it now works but once e-stop is pushed and I hit the reset button I can go on without pulling e-stop button back out.
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Hmmm- Is the Diag page LED light still lit while the button is pressed? what's the story with your button? Is it a momentary or is it maintained? What pin are you using? Is anything else misconfigured to use that same pin? A little more info please!
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Diag page never lights led. The button is maintained. I'm using pin #10 now. It says external e-stop requested in the status line. I'm only using pin #17 to turn on my spindle. Every other pin that is not being used is disabled. WOW can't be that hard to setup.
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Hey Now! Let's not get down & discouraged!
I think your problem is that you are using Pin 17 for your Router. Usually Pin 17 is reserved for the charge pump signal. Try putting your router on Pin 16.
IMO- this is not entirely a Mach 3 config problem. The Mechatronics controller manual is not very clear/thorough in explaining how to wire up your system, so you are left to guess. Not really your/Mach's fault. Mach is designed to be used with a myriad of controllers/BOBs and is flexible enough (configuration wise) do deal with most of them (including yours).
Bottom line..."Easy-Cnc.com" ISN'T very easy
HTH,
Sid
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Not discouraged at all . . . just frustrated. . . I will change from pin 17 to pin 16. I know it's not a mach 3 problem cause I have used mach3 for about 2 years with no problems. Now the e-stop with a new machine. With the help from the forum we'll GET-ER-DONE. :) Yes Easy-cnc does suck . . . . no help at all e-mailed, no response. I thank you here because it's the only help I've gotten so far.
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Moved router from 17 to 16 same results.
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Can you please post your XML file
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There you go. Had to rename it.
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Just noticed now while playing with it, if I hit the e-stop then click the reset button wait a couple seconds and pull e-stop back out, it will trip external e-stop again.
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I looked at tthe XML and it looks OK. Ot this point, basecd on your last post, I'm thinking there is something 'Funkaroo' with your E-Stop Button. Do you have an OhmMeter? Can you check the Button (with the power off) to give us a better idea of what's going on there?
We are looking for continuity between 2 terminals on your button UNTILL it is pressed (maintained) then it should be open.
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The e-stop rings out fine.
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Well, I gotta say this is becoming a 'stumper'...
1. Estop button triggers a reset but does not light up the LED on the Diagnostic Screen=Not Normal. This is really troubling because you should always be able to see an ON SCREEN LED when a switch is triggered. Do you have any other buttons/switched you can connect to your BOB to see if you can get a LED to light up on this screen?
2. Estop Button does not maintain the Estop signal to the BOB/computer and allows you to reset eventhough it is engaged=Not Normal
3. Estop button seems to be functioning normally
4. Seems Like Mach is configured and functioning OK with every other than E-stop
It points to Hardware/wiring
A. Bad BOB Hardware
B. Bad PP Cable from Computer to BOB do you have another cable you can try?
Sorry but...I'm startin to run out of ideas- I'll keep thinking though
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Will report back after trying all ideas.
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Is your E-Stop a normally open switch?
Hood
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Normally closed.
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Would have expected to see an active High with a NC but maybe your BOB is different from the the ones I have used.
Hood
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Hood my good man! Thanks for jumping in!
Why would you expect to see Active High on an E-Stop which is NC? Maybe I am confused? In my mind NC means signal is constantly passing through the switch right? Thus Signal (High) is constantly being fed to the BOB which should be in a NON Active state UNTILL the ESTOP is pressed, breaks the signal loop, goes LOW which in turn would trigger the Reset. To me this means Estop is active when there is NO PRESENCE of signal (Active Low) Or am I missing something here?
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This gets me more confused than anything else I know but basically if you have Mach set up without an E-Stop connected (similar idea to a NO switch) then you will need to change the E-Stop setting to Active Low. If you have a NC E-Stop switch connected then you set it Active High or at least that is the case for my Lathe, Mill, Coil Winder, Desktop( with nothing connected to PP).
Hood
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OK, I unhooked e-stop with wires just hanging in the air. Put wirenut on them and then unhooked them. This was done with active low checked, same results as before. E-stops all but can reset without putting them back together. So I did it with active high and justs blinks external e-stop requested and can't reset no matter what. So button is out of equation. Now checked voltage from parrallel port and it is only 3.97. Read on here somewhere if opto isolated it is looking for 0-3.3V. Could voltage be to low and not making it go high? I'm using a desktop to clarify. Also printer cable is brand new.
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Disregard last post, it's fixed. That will teach me that a input isn't always at 0V to start. Input 10,11,12 hang at 3.97V. While input 13,15 hang at .56V. So how I see it you need to give 10,11,12 a low and 13,15 a high. This is on my puter don't know what others need. But anyway thanks a million for all the help, really really appreciated. ;D
Mike