Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: toddalin on December 31, 2012, 10:53:38 PM
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Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and new at this. I recently purchased a ShopMaster/Shoptask Eldorado Tri-power with factory CNC and DRO. I've loaded up the AirSoft demo package and went through the setup. I used X-Step Pin #2, X-Dir Pin #3, Y-Step Pin #4, Y-Dir Pin #5, Z-Step Pin #6, and Z-Dir Pin#7. All are on Step Port and Dir Port 1 and the software said the port was "excellent." I've also been through the speed/half speed jog setting and estop. To the best of my knowledge these are all correct
The software works fine onscreen and everything runs as it should, onscreen. The problem is that the stepper motors don't run. If I toggle the X-stepper left, I hear the stepper whine a bit (barely preceptible), but there is no movement. If I then try to toggle the X-stepper right, there is no movement and no whine. But if I toggle the Y-stepper up or the Z-stepper, I can now toggle the X-stepper to the right and there is a faint whine, but no movement.
The same occurs with the other two steppers/axis. If I toggle Y-up, I get a bit of whine that I don't get when I toggle Y- down, unless I toggle X or Z in between. Same goes for the Z-axis.
The velocity and acelleration controls do have an effect as they change the tone of the whine. Can anybody shed any light on this?
Thanks
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Did the controller come with the machine and was everything pre wired?
Do you have a manual from ShopMaster for the controller?
RICH
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I am the second owner. The first owner never used the machine (purchased in 2008) and the CNC unit was factory installed. I didn't get a manual and the PO said he never got a manual with it either.
(http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/Parts/TriPower_024.jpg)
(http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/Parts/TriPower_005.jpg)
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We need to know something about the drives, motors, any break out boards, etc. Without a manual this thread may go on forever. Contact the manufacturer and see what you can get from them.
I can see that there are steppers but thay are not connected to anything......
RICH
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They are just not connected in that picture for cleaning and painting.
I took the side cover off to try to see the circuit board to identiy it, but all I could see were very big transformers and caps for the motors (old school) that obscured the view of the board without taking the whole upper structure apart.
The steppers are MCG, IH34110, 2 phase, 1.8 step, 4.3 amps, 0.5 ohm, 19 watts.
Thanks
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It sounds like an amp setting on the drive, could be wrong. I see the connections on the back cover and one would think that nobody fooled with the internals...but you don't know. Power via top plug, looks like connection for PC, individual axis plugs,
don't know what the others are for. Get a manual for it.
RICH
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Limit switches
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Get info on the drive / drives that are used. If you want post your xml file and somebody will take a look.
RICH
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Thanks,
I guess I was hoping that someone had a ShopMaster/ShopTask Eldorado Tri-Power with factory CNC and knew the Pin and Step #s. The PO said he didn't receive a manual on the CNC option with the machine as new and I've seen others say the same on other sites.
I've e-mailed JT at Shopmaster but received no response so far. But it is holiday season.
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OK, today I ripped off the CNC cabinet to see what's inside. This should help. I'm assuming that the third picture will tell the tail of where the pins go.
(http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/Parts/TriPower_035.jpg)
(http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/Parts/TriPower_034.jpg)
(http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages/lsolpics/Team_Member_Pics/toddalin/Parts/TriPower_033.jpg)
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Ok you have a very basic breakout board there, it looks like it has numbers on it and those will likely be the pin numbers you put in Mach. The Gecko drives have Step/Dir markings on them so you can trace the wires from them and you will know which pin is Step and which pin is Dir for each axis.
Hood
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I traced out the RS-232 and the path is as most say, and I have tried several times (i.e., x step 2, x dir 3, y step 4, y dir 5, z step 6, z dir 7). Pin 15 has a grey wire that goes to the 2-pin molex plug on the cabinet and the other pin of the 2 pin molex plug goes to the RS232 ground. No where do I see a ground between the gecko drives and the RS-232 port. The port marked "Common" on the Gecko drives are conneted in parallel and exit through the 2 pin (but only 1 pin present) molex plug labled "5 volts." The 4 pin molex plug goes to the RS-232 ports 10, 12, and 13 and nowhere else. The other molex plugs are empty.
Is there anything I should be looking at to trouble shoot the system from here (e.g., motor wiring or Gecko setting)?
Thanks
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Ok the Geckos require a 5v common so you need to connect that to a 5v supply, possibly take a USB cable and chop the end off and connect the red wire to that molex labeled 5v.
The other molex with the one grey is likely meant to be for an E-Stop switch.
Hood
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Thanks. That explains a lot.
At one point JT said that there should be a molex cable for the 5 volts. It sure would have been nice to have the manual. I don't suppose that there is any pin along the RS-232 to tap the 5 volts from?
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You could take a molex from your computers power supply to it, Red wire on the 4 pin molex that connects to IDE Hard drives is the 5v.
Hood
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Now your cooking with gas.
Looks like two transformers to proivde total amperage and voltage. Go to the Gecko site and download info on the drives.
Check the size resistors across the two current set terminals ( actualy it's on the case). Too high a current setting and you will burn out your steppers ( they will get hot quickly), to low and they will not run. Trace each wire to make sure they are correctly run from the drive to the stepper for how the stepper is wired. Never disconnect the drive when the motors are energized ( you'll blow the drive). Keep the caps on the drives. You should see the light glow red if the drive is working. Check the fuses
to see what amp rating they are as compared to the amp setting on the drive.
RICH
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It looks like nobody fooled with the contoller but you do need a 5v common so you need to connect that to a 5v supply as Hood said.
BTW, I installed switch's which takes out the 5 volts to the all or any of the drives and thus it will imeadiately stop each or all of the motors.
Now post your xml file.
RICH
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OK, when I turn on my computer, I get 5.02 volts on several pins of the DB25 cable including Pins 11, 12, and 13, none of which are being used to operate the machine. Can't I simply cut the wire off the molex plug that goes to the Gecko common and wire it to Pin 11 so that everytime the computer powers up, it sees the 5 volts?
It seems like the easiest solution and there would be ne need for a separate cable.
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I dont think you will have enough current there.
Hood
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Can it hurt anything to try?
Thanks
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From Gecko:
TERMINAL 10 Common
Connect this terminal to the controller +5VDC power supply
These inputs are optically isolated from the rest of the drive. Terminal 10 is the common anode connection for the opto-isolators and must be connected to the +5 VDC supply of your indexer or pulse generator.
These inputs are meant to be driven by standard TTL logic or other driver capable of sinking 16mA of current. The minimum logic “0” time is .5uS while the minimum logic “1” time is 4uS. Microstepping occurs on the falling edge of the step input.
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I did some research and found that best case, the port can support 14 ma and with each Gecko taking 16 ma, I guess that I will be taking it from the drive cable. I'll just run a dedicated wire out of the computer.
Thanks very much with this and I hope to get it up and running soon.
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I put the CNC cabinet back together, put the 5 volts to the system from a hard drive tap and the software fired the CNC motors right up with all three axis running backwards! I changed the dir pin to low active and the direction arrows were corrected. The table has never been used and has sat since 2008. The motors were grumbing a bit so I turned them off used the power feed a couple times. This freed up the X-axis nice and smooth. When I was doing the Y-axis, for some reason the table is phyically jammed toward the end of its travel (over 1/2" to go though) so I'll now need to look into that. >:(
It also it shredded a belt for one of the speeds on the lathe. The back of the belt rides against an idler and the alignment is such that the belt easily comes off the idler and wedges up by the axle. The fix would be to push the pully on to the motor shaft another 1/4", but this is a press fit and easier said than done with the machine now in place.