Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: challd on October 01, 2017, 10:23:05 AM
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I have been using MACH3 with my router that I built a few years ago with great success. Earlier this year I started on a plasma table and it is now all finished and I am setting it up. My controller is a Gecko G540 (same as the router), running MACH3 on a Dell desktop machine with Windows XP using the standard parallel port.
The problem I am having is that the motors are not responding to the pins that I have programmed. With all the correct motor pins chosen, I would expect the right-left arrow keys to operate the X axis, the up and down arrow keys to operate the Y axis, and the page up page down keys to operate the Z axis. However, the right left arrow keys cause the Z axis to move and the page up page down keys cause Y1 axis to move with the up down arrow keys cause the Y2 (A) axis to move. If I slave the A axis to Y1, the Y1 and Z axis move together. Here is what is really strange to me: this only happens in the Plasma profile. If I load the STDMillRouter profile, I can set everything up exactly the same and the motors respond perfectly.
I have checked all the basic stuff, motor wiring, printer cable, etc. I must be missing something in the programming but I haven't found it yet.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Dale
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Hi,
in the first instance just check that you have the motor output setup correctly go to the MDI page <tab> and operate the jog
keys on the fly out jog keyboard. Do the arrow buttons work as you expect?
If they do then the keyboard assignments in your plasma profile are wrong. Config/System Hotkeys is where you set the key assignments.
Craig
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Hi Craig, thanks for the reply.
Okay, so I checked the operation on the flyout and it is exactly the same as on the keyboard, meaning that the problem is there also on the flyout. So I went through the hot keys setup and there is no change. I did notice that the DROs are showing correct meaning that when I press the up arrow the Y-axis DRO responds correctly but the motors don't. Same for the Z and X axis', DROs respond correctly but the motors don't.
Thanks again for the reply, any other ideas?
Dale
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Hi,
then your motor pinouts must have changed.
Craig
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Hi,
remember than active high-active low of the dir signal change the direction.
May I suggest you disconnect all three motors and start again one at a time. Does your BoB have LEDs on the outputs?
Vey handy for setting up if they do. Issue G0 X100 and watch the LEDs, one will be continuously off or on, the dir pin and
the other will be somewhere in between being the step pin.
Once you've got X sorted then move onto Y.
Craig
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Well, I got it working by moving around the motor output wires. Y2 motor is on the X output, Y1 motor is on the Y1 output, X motor is on the Z output, and Z motor is on the X output. The motors are now working correctly and the DROs match up and all the jog key are correct. This has to be something in the MACH3 software Plasma profile because as I mentioned earlier, the Mill profile has no issues with the motors connected correctly. It is like the Plasma profile changes the motor outputs in the G540 somehow. Damnifino but I'm going with it. Need to get this thing fired up today.
Thanks,
Dale
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Or so I thought. Now, the motors won't tune and I cannot reverse them where needed. WTF!
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The BoB (Gecko G540) does not have LEDs.
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As I said before, I have a router that uses the exact same setup, Gecko G540 and steppers and has always used the Mill profile. So, out of curiosity, I started up the router and loaded a plasma profile then set up the correct ports and pins. The router uses a different Dell computer than the plasma and also has Windows XP. EXACT SAME PROBLEM! How can this be?? I MUST be missing something in the software setup. I have been through everything at least two dozen times today.
Any help is appreciated
Dale
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Hi,
just shifting wires around is not likely to work, it just induces frustration....sound familiar?
Do ONE axis at a time. By the time you've got one absolutely sorted the rest will be easy but if you try to do
all of them at once you'll fail.
Craig
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Okay, point taken. So I disconnected all the motor wires except Z axis and disabled all axis in "Ports and Pins" except Z. Z should be pins 6 and 7. DRO shows movement, Z axis doesn't move using the page up page down keys. I cycled through all the possible pin combos, 2 and 3, then 4 and 5, then 6 and 7 and finally 8 and 9. No matter what, Z axis doesn't move but DRO shows movement. If I enable the X axis, no matter what pins I have in the X axis field, the Z axis moves but only if I use the X axis arrow keys.
Thanks,
Dale
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Hi,
I see why you are confused. I can't think of anything that would cause what you describe.
Do you have a multimeter or an oscilloscope and are you prepared to probe the DB25 plug?
Craig
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Yea, I have all that. Gonna get started on deeper testing tomorrow night and try to figure out WTF is happening. Thanks for your input today.
I'll post the solution when I find it. What is crazy is that everything sets up perfectly in the mill profile, motors run beautifully.
I'll find it.
Thanks.
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Hi,
one thought is that maybe the voltage of the PC is less or at least differ from the previous one.
I believ Gecko pride themselves on the devices being able to accept 3.3V or 5V TTL, but maybe
you have an earlier model G540.
Craig
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Does anyone using a Gecko G540 have a good working Mach3 plasma profile xmg file that you could email me? Seems like this problem is related to that since all the motors work perfectly with a mill profile. I'll post an email address if anyone can help. Thanks
Dale