Machsupport Forum

Third party software and hardware support forums. => dspMC/IP Motion Controller => Topic started by: pofo on May 29, 2011, 11:36:12 PM

Title: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on May 29, 2011, 11:36:12 PM

I have an Acu-rite system that I am retrofitting with DSPMC and Mach3. An Acu-rite system does not have encoders on the motors. They use the glass scales as the motion feedback. I have connected the glass scales to the DSPMC encoder inputs.

Problem - how do I also feed the glass scale outputs to the Mach3 DR0? Can the DSPMC do this for me?
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: TOTALLYRC on May 30, 2011, 07:58:42 AM
HiFO,
The encoder inputs (X,Y,Z) to the DSPMC are read out directly to the corresponding Mach3 DROs.

Mike
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on May 30, 2011, 10:03:29 AM
Thanks Mike. Is there anything I need to configure in the plug-in to make that work or does it do that automatically by the fact that the DSPMC plug-in is present?

The reason I ask is that as you know, Mach3 has both encoder inputs and DRO inputs. So somehow, it needs to know to use the encoder input for the DRO.
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: TOTALLYRC on May 30, 2011, 10:33:53 AM
Hi Pofo,
The way the plugin is written is that the encoder feedback for the motors is displayed to the X,Y,Z DROs.
It also allows manual movement of the machine with the DROs keeping track of the position.
If you were using the glass scales in conjunction with motor encoders that that would be different.
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on May 30, 2011, 04:18:53 PM

Ok, very good. Thanks for the answers Mike.
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on June 12, 2011, 01:05:56 PM

I'm still confused. In section 7 of the current manual (Mach3 SW Integration), sections 7.2 and 7.3 show the mapping of DSPMC pins to Mach 3 I/O. Nowhere is listed the J6 quadrature encoder inputs.

In the screenshot shown on page 34 of the manual, it shows the Mach3 Ports and Pins configuration, with the Input Signals tab selected. At the top of the list is the X++ and X-- inputs. I'm assuming I need to assign those to the J6 encoder pins. But since there is no mapping of the DSPMC J6 connector, I don't know what to put into the table for the encoders.

Do I need to configure these inputs or will the plug-in take care of J6 for me?

I have the same question for teh Encoder/MPGs tab. It lists the 4 encoders, and it wants port and pin numbers to be assigned, but I don't know what to put in there.
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: TOTALLYRC on June 12, 2011, 03:54:16 PM
IIRC The J6 encoder inputs are hardcoded to the dro's via the DSPMC plugin. You would assign which encoder goes to which axis via the config plugins page for the dspmc.

THe X++ and X-- are the limit switch inputs.

Mike
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on June 12, 2011, 04:01:56 PM

So I don't do anything on the Encoder/MPG tab.  Ok, thanks again Mike.
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on June 12, 2011, 04:47:34 PM

One more question - I do or don't enable the Encoder1,2,3 on the Encoder/MPG tab? I assume I enable them as needed, but ignore the pin assignments.
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on June 12, 2011, 09:24:02 PM

Ok, encoder is now being displayed on the Mach3 screen, but it is off  by about a factor of 12. Where do I set the encoder count/inch? I don't find it anywhere.
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: TOTALLYRC on June 13, 2011, 05:20:34 PM
Hi Pofo,

If you are using the glass scales as the only feedback from the axis you set the steps per inch on the motor tuning page. You also do not make any changes to the mpg encoder pages.

Mike
Title: Re: Glass Scale Input
Post by: pofo on June 13, 2011, 07:23:59 PM

Yes, the glass scales. I should have said that instead of encoder. Thanks for walking me through this.