Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Fastest1 on December 04, 2015, 01:21:08 PM
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I have been using Mach3 for a few years. Turn and or mill at different times. Mostly without a Smoothstepper but I have used them a little.
Lately due to an issue with my parallel port. I decided to set up my above system with the ESS. I am having an issue or 2 and the Warp9 forum thinks it is either a misunderstanding on my part or a Mach problem. Both could be a possibility.
I have Turn installed, profile operating correctly as in direction of travel for each axis etc. The limit switches which I also use as limits are connected, activated and working as they should.
The issue is what happens upon touching the limit switch itself and the setting or number that ends up in the DRO.
In Turn I have to reference each axis independently (more on that later). So first I home the Z axis using "set Home Z". The axis travels the furthest from the chuck, hits the limit switch, backs off the prescribed amount placed in the ESS homing limits dialog box prior (-.1). Then the DRO indicates -.1 (this is in machine coordinates). This is what I want and this is the extent of travel less .1.
Then I use the same procedure for X. However X homes away from the center line of the spindle and upon hitting the limit/home switch backs off the prescribed amount -.05 in this case. It also indicates this on the DRO (again in Machine coordinates). What I would like is for the DRO to indicate the number of the opposite end of travel. 0 should be the center IMO. So all numbers should be positive and the number upon touching the limit and backing off should be as an example 5" less the back off -.05, 4.95.
Now this is where the problem is. On Mill I swear I can change the DRO by the number I place in the "home offset" of Mach's homing/limit set up box so the number indicated after touching the limit is what ever I have put there. In Turn I get no such response. I get the back off amount setting within the ESS Homing box. If I place a number in the "home offset" box in Mach it will back off the switch that amount.? Even though the back off setting in the ESS is -.05.
So I notice the "auto zero" always has a green check on the Mach homing and limits page. It will change and accept the change until I press the reset button. I can hit save settings, reopen the box and the green check is gone. Then I press the reset and that value changes back. That is why I suspect the ESS, something has priority either Mach or the ESS?
If I put a number in the G28 home location box, it will go to that number.
Btw if I hit home all or home Z or whichever axis, rapid acceleration occurs slamming into the limit switch and then faulting out.
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Does anyone use Turn and an ESS?
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I have the ESS on my big lathe.
I use one of the early plugins, not sure which.
No problem here with homing but then there is no option in the plugin to set Back Off.
Homing works fine for me and I can set a Home Off value no problem so I think your issue involves using the Back Off setting as that will almost certainly be an ESS issue, Mach itself does not support Back Off..
Hood
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I must be using a newer plugin, mine does have an area for the back off (in an ESS dialog box) and that part works fine.
The only problem I am having with the ESS is what the DRO says on the X axis when it is the furthest from spindle center. IMO that should be whatever the largest X+ value you could cut. Instead it auto zeroes. I cant change or stop it. The green auto zero check will not change state.
However all of that being said, I would rather run a mini itx on an LPT if I knew I could.
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If there is an option try turning off the Back Off and see if it acts correctly.
I used to use a Home Off value but now just use my X home Switch as the master tool and have that as Machine Zero and all tools are offset from it.
Hood
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That is how I used the home offset too.
The home off or back off feature just has the amount you want to move off or 0.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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The Home Off in Mach is totally different from Back Off in ESS.
Home Off in Mach means Home Offset. In other words it is what the Machine Coords DRO will be set to when you home but there will be no actual additional motion.
As an example you may home the X axis to the right, if your table was 1000mm long you would set a Home Off value of 1000. That would then be what the machine coords get set to when you home and Mach would know that X0 in machine coords was at the opposite end of the X axis.
The Back Off in the ESS would be an actual move by the axis after it has homed so that it clears away from the home switch. This really is only usually needed if you have poor quality switches that bounce a bit at their activation/release point. Better quality switches will open and re-close at different points and with a positive snap action which eliminates bounce. Some Optos may also require this.
Now what may be happening is when you choose Back Off in ESS it will look at the Home Off value and actually back off that distance. The CSMIO initially did things that way but after a few requests they made an extra option inthe plugin. You could either use the Back Off option or you could use the legacy (Mach 3 ) option, ie no physical movement but Machine Coords getting set to the value in Home Off (like it was meant for)
I do not have the ESS plugin with Back Off options in it but I would think there will be (or should be ) an option to disable it and revert to the original Home Off method, it may be as simple as setting 0 for Back Off in the ESS plugin.
Hood
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Hood, Finally someone who acknowledges that from within Mach the 'Home Offset" value is whatever I put in the value box! in Machine coordinates.
In regards to the ESS, if I used the ESS back off, it will back off the switch the amount given in the set up box and indicate that value in the DRO. If I insert the value in the Mach home offset section it will move that distance, not just indicate that number as Mach did. I think it might be something to do with the auto zero that I cant change its state. It wont accept or keep the change if the reset button is pushed.
If I am understanding you correctly the ESS plugin is most likely the culprit. A lot of my issue was just trying to find out which piece was dominant and responsible for the action.
Maybe an older or different plugin?
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The way I use things now I just have X0 in machine coords as my home switch position, all tool offsets are from there.
Previously I did set a home off value for X so that when the X was homed the machine coords would show the diameter it was at but found later it didnt really make much difference so went to the method I use now.
As for the problems you are having, I think it most likely the plugin is for some reason reading the numbers in Home Off and acting on them.
Is there a way to disable the Back Off in the plugin? presuming of course that you do not need that Back Off setting?
Hood
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No, not that I have found. I can of course give it a 0 value.
I have never used the switch as master tool 0. The more I think about it, that might work.
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The more I think about it, that might work.
I don't really understand the Home Off and Back Off issue that you guys are discussing but can tell you that I use my home mech. switch/opto sensor combo as the master tool 0 located at X0. All 14 of my "real" tools are set up referenced from that point and its been working very well. I use a microswitch to close the circuit to the opto home sensor which is referenced on the edge of a slotted disc on t'other end of the X-axis double shaft stepper motor. Poor man's servo index pulse like my hero Hood uses.;) I use the PP and dunno if it works the same with an ESS?
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DB, Home off and back off are 2 different terms
"Home off", or offset within Mach is intended for you to set a specific value. Upon reaching the switch, the DRO shows that value. It can be either end of the travel. My switch for example in machine coordinates should be the most X+ and X0 should be the center of the spindle. Using Mach3 and a PP I can achieve that. If I wanted it the opposite, I could do that too. Whichever way you can fathom it, you could set it up that way.
"Back off" which is a setting within the ESS configuration is the physical amount you want the machine to travel in the opposite direction after the state of a limit switch is triggered. This would get the machine off of a limit or home switch instead of mandating a limit override request.
For some reason using the combination of ESS and Mach seems to have a conflict or produce some weird actions.
If I put 0 in the home off of Mach but .1 in the back off off the ESS. The machine will upon triggering the limit/home switch will back off the value inserted (.1 in this case) it will show this value in the DRO. If using Mach alone it would show whatever was in the home off value (0) machine coordinate.
Lets say I would like the DRO to be 6" since the X axis is at its largest + value. If I put 6 in the home offset box instead of that value being shown in the DRO, the machine moves off of the switch 6". Regardless of the value in the ESS back off configuration.