Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: noboost4you on December 01, 2011, 01:30:48 PM
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I've had our CAMaster MC2840 CNC machine since November 2009 and have used our own computer as the controller. However, every so often from the very beginning to yesterday, while the machine is cutting and Mach3 is controlling, the computer would suddenly freeze up. The CNC would stop in it's tracks and I'd be dead in the water until I did a cold boot. Sometimes the computer would unfreeze itself and the operation would restart without skipping a beat, but usually I don't have the patience to wait for it to "thaw" and do a hard cold boot.
I wonder if the PC I'm running isn't up to par with what is required?
Here are our specs:
Intel Pentium 4 CPU 2.66GHz
1 GB of RAM
Windows XP, Version 2002, Service Pack 3
It's basic computer with Cut2D and Mach3 installed. It is also connected to the internet and has Internet Explorer running in the background for mail and radio.
9 days out of 10 we run without a hiccup. But it seems like the past few days has had a hiccup or two each day.
Any idea what may be causing these intermittent problems?
Thanks,
Bryan
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The problem is you are running a machine tool with a multitasking computer. It takes a great deal of resources for Mach3 to drive the machine much less check your email and run on the internet doing who knows what.
The freezing up is when your computer is going out and doing OTHER task . WHEN it does this it cannot running the machine properly.
IF you want the machine to be dependable dedicate a computer SOLEY for that purpose like it should be.
Just a thought, (;-) TP
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That's just a hard pill to swallow because I've been checking email and streaming music every day for years when running the machine. It doesn't happen all the time nor can I ever estimate when it will freeze. I've gone weeks of running the machine with IE streaming music behind Mach3 and never a single hiccup. It's completely out of the blue. However, when the machine is running, I dare not touch the mouse to surf the net or change radio stations. I've seen the machine hiccup when that happens.
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EXactly my point you will NEVER be able to predict WHEN mulitasking will interupt the machine process.
I call it the Game Boy Syndrome (GBS) , (;-) TP
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Well, I guess I have GBS, also. Most likely there IS a drug for it, or at the very least, a lawyer willing to sue because of it. :)
I also had the same problem with the computer freezing up. I also stream music and all that other fancy jive your not supposed to do. Just like you, I NEVER do anything while Mach is cutting. I did uninstall everything not related to mach, trying to resolve the situation, however, it persisted anyway. I did manage to figure out the problem ONLY happened after I plugged in a USB stick. It might not happen for 5 minutes, or it might not happen at all, but one thing was for sure, it would NEVER freeze up if I didn't insert a USB stick. If I do have to transfer some files via USB, I reboot after I use it, and it runs purdy as a fluffy kitten. Now I can listen to my tunes, and use Mach, with a lower amount of anxiety over doing so. Dunno if this helps you any, but it was worth a try. I'm not disagreeing with what BR549 said though, it's not really a good idea to use your computer for anything other than Mach.
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NOW for the flip side I use a Usb stick all the time it stays in the machine AND i transfer back and forth with it. ALL the cut files stay on the stick.
NOT a single glitch in years from the use of the stick.
I guess it all just depends, (;-) TP
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NOW for the flip side I use a Usb stick all the time it stays in the machine AND i transfer back and forth with it. ALL the cut files stay on the stick.
NOT a single glitch in years from the use of the stick.
I guess it all just depends, (;-) TP
Same here. USB stick hasn't moved from the back of the computer in years. Acts as my backup.
I'm going to run in stealth mode and completely optimize Windows for Mach and run nothing but the controller during cutting. Last night was the first trial and the machine ran like a hot knife through butter for the hour and half I needed it. We'll see if this continues.
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I also find it odd that the entire computer just locks up and freezes. I would understand if Mach was so demanding of the resources that the machine would stutter step and produce crappy cuts, but freezing the ENTIRE computer, really? I've never had a program that would lock up the computer due to lack of resources. It may run slower, but never call it quits.
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You normally do NOT have the MACH3 driver running in other cases of computers. THat MACH3 driver is a mix of wizardry and trickery JUST to be able to do what it does with Mach3.
Have you ever noticed that NOONE else can run CNC from the lpt port in WINDOZ. (;-)
BIG DIFFERRENCE , (;-) TP
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You normally do NOT have the MACH3 driver running in other cases of computers. THat MACH3 driver is a mix of wizardry and trickery JUST to be able to do what it does with Mach3.
Have you ever noticed that NOONE else can run CNC from the lpt port in WINDOZ. (;-)
BIG DIFFERRENCE , (;-) TP
I know; may be time to upgrade to WinCNC.
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I know; may be time to upgrade to WinCNC.
Or you could just buy a radio !
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I know; may be time to upgrade to WinCNC.
Or you could just buy a radio !
For the amount of money to purchase WinCNC, I could equip the shop with surround sound! :)
I tolerated it long enough. In today's day and age, I need the multitasking capabilities. I may also upgrade to that new fangled CD player all the kids are talking about these days.
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" I tolerated it long enough. In today's day and age, I need the multitasking capabilities. "
YEP GBS for sure (;-)
Good thing you have not bought a modern $100,000 machine center lately as they don't do EMAIL or Have radios built in (;-).
(;-) TP
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" I tolerated it long enough. In today's day and age, I need the multitasking capabilities. "
YEP GBS for sure (;-)
Good thing you have not bought a modern $100,000 machine center lately as they don't do EMAIL or Have radios built in (;-).
(;-) TP
Nah, just a 27 year old doing quarter million dollars in sales part-time from home. Life's rough, I know.
I need that extra time for my tunes and toys!
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just a basic question on maintenance. But have you cleaned the dust out of the computer?
8 out of 10 times a computer freeze in itself is due to thermal issues. Have you checked to make sure all fans are running? Heat sinks are not clogged?
I was working with a client that had mach3 internet, skype ect all running. he kept telling me that mach would randomly lock up. (smooth stepper based).
he lived in a 3rd world country so "SEEING" the machine was a no go. After DAYS of skype chatting, I finally got ALL the information....... it would seem that when his computer screensaver came on, mach3 would freeze when he wiggled the mouse.
I try very hard to stress to people, the computer is NOT a desktop computer. It is a cnc control.
Windows updates, screen savers, power management, internet, antivirus all make changes to the windows environment. That is the LAST THING YOU WANT!
Now Im not going to lie, I have some computers with tons of programs installed on them. They are my DIAGNOSTIC computers. I would never run a production environment with them. More along the lines of getting everything to work to build an XML file or test a file.
Good luck with yours!
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just a basic question on maintenance. But have you cleaned the dust out of the computer?
Yes, quite often. This is also the 2nd computer I've used in the shop, but unfortunately continues to freeze.
8 out of 10 times a computer freeze in itself is due to thermal issues. Have you checked to make sure all fans are running? Heat sinks are not clogged?
Yes, when cleaning out the dust from above.
I was working with a client that had mach3 internet, skype ect all running. he kept telling me that mach would randomly lock up. (smooth stepper based).
he lived in a 3rd world country so "SEEING" the machine was a no go. After DAYS of skype chatting, I finally got ALL the information....... it would seem that when his computer screensaver came on, mach3 would freeze when he wiggled the mouse.
I try very hard to stress to people, the computer is NOT a desktop computer. It is a cnc control.
Windows updates, screen savers, power management, internet, antivirus all make changes to the windows environment. That is the LAST THING YOU WANT!
Now Im not going to lie, I have some computers with tons of programs installed on them. They are my DIAGNOSTIC computers. I would never run a production environment with them. More along the lines of getting everything to work to build an XML file or test a file.
Good luck with yours!
I'm not looking to play Warcraft on the computer when running the machine. One would think streaming music in the background is a mindless task that Mach3 could handle as it does 95% of the time. It's that other 5% that bites ya! :)
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One would think streaming music in the background is a mindless task that Mach3 could handle as it does 95% of the time. It's that other 5% that bites ya! :)
Try programming an application to output a steady stream of pulses, while handling another such as decoding a MP3 file - firing that into a sound card and maybe other tasks. Its a bit like trying to sing a song and have a conversation with someone at the same time....it's no easy task..
One thing for sure is its amazing that Mach is working as well as it does for 95% of the time.
Mach3 PC on my mill only controlls the mill - I don't even use the ethernet port and it's not glitched in 2-3 years.
Industrial machine controls do one thing - control the machine for a good reason.
Save yourself a whole load of problems - broken tools, scrap parts and torn out hair - get another PC for the music and internet ;-)
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Same problem here. Right now I'm thinking of buying a new PC.
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Did I read this right? Are you on the internet with an XP machine? I was under the impression that XP was no longer supported by Microsoft, so any new security issues found would never be rectified. So none of my XP machines are on the internet. They are all dedicated and have nothing on them except Mach. They are all networked with a cable and all programming is done on a central computer and pushed out to each unit.
Why not a 32 bit Windows 7 machine from Tiger Direct? They are only a few hundred bucks!
Why not stream music from your phone into your earbuds?
At any rate, do whatever it takes to make your machine safe and profitable. Ruining material because your machine locks up because the computer can't handle all the tasks is bad news. With all that ruined material you could have bought yourself a second dedicated computer!
And don't forget about picking up the spare monitors and keyboards at yard sales! I have picked up monitors for $1!