Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: woodworker84 on November 02, 2017, 07:23:31 PM
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ok i did this once 6 yrs ago and cant remember what i need to do to get a machine working with mach
chinese 3040 machine
mach installed, a good version i had last time that i know isnt buggy
where do i start?
thanks a ton in advance for any help
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Hi,
best place to start is:
http://www.machsupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Mach3Mill_Install_Config.pdf (http://www.machsupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Mach3Mill_Install_Config.pdf)
read and re-read.
Craig
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Ok thanks for that
Running the driver test finally allowed me to clear the emergency Mach had when first opened
But I cannot jog yet at all
Any idea where to start with that?
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Hi,
just to be sure, when you hit the Estop button Mach is disabled? With the Estop button released you can <Reset> and Mach Enables? This proves that
you have basic communication between the parallel port and Mach.
On Config/Ports and Pins make sure Port1 is enabled and on the Motor Outputs page enter on the X axis Enabled, pin 2, pin3, port1,port1 per the screenshot attached.
Hook your driver to the Step/DIR pins.
On the MDI page hit <tab> and the jog flyout will appear and you should be able to jog the X axis. If The Jog Control LED is light then the arrow button should work
too.
Craig
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Hi,
think, and I should have mentioned, that you'll need to restart Mach, in fact you may have to restart your PC for the Parallel Port Driver to read the new axis
assignment.
Craig
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Now the emergency stop alarm won't clear again lol
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(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17516)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17515)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17517)
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Hi,
go back to the beginning have you got a working Estop button? That is a physical switch which causes Mach to disable?
Craig
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Yes and yes it's released
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Hi,
kool, with it released can you reset Mach?
Craig
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Reset Mach but the alarm remains
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Ok I just uninstalled it
And re installed it
Run the driver test
And can clear the emergency alarm now again in Mach
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Hi,
please explain by what you mean 'alarm remains'. If an Estop is signalled by your Estop switch you CANNOT reset Mach. The Estop condition
must be removed before you can reset. I'm wondering if you are seeing the original warning and despite being reset the warning remains on screen
despite the fact the emergency condition is now cleared?
Craig
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No alarm now
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Diagnostic page shows nothing in pulse frequency
Nothing in time in int
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Hi,
kool, the Estop is really about the only input that must work perfectly. In addition to being a safety requirement it demonstrates communication from the
BoB and parallel port back to Mach.
Just to satisfy yourself please Etsop and then reset Mach several times.
I see from your previous screenshot that you have the X axis hooked to pins 2 and 6 port 1. Is This correct? Are the wires from the X axis driver in the terminals
2 and 6? Are the driver inputs opto coupled? Is there a common, either 0V or 5V on each Step and Dir ports?
Craig
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Hi,
oops...that's not so good. Can you run the DriverTest.exe again and get a screen shot? If the parallel port is not running you might as well give up and go to the pub!
Craig
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I don't know know anything about what your saying there
Mine is just a plug x into x z into z set-up lol
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17518)
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Driver test
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17519)
Before I reinstalled it, I was screwing around with the kernels and got the reading in the pulse frequency, but not now
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Hi,
try the DriverTest.exe first and then it might be time to take the top off the controller box and have a look, I know it smells of chop suey, I can smell it
from here!
Craig
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Hi,
that's correct, when you change the kernel frequency you have to restart Mach, in fact I think you must restart your PC. The Parallel Port Driver which
really is the heart and soul of Mach operates at a very low level, it has to compete with Windows Kernel for resources. As a consequence it has to reboot before
it can read fresh settings.
Unless there is a specific need to change the kernel speed leave it at 25kHz. If you are running Demo then you are limited to 25kHz anyway.
Craig
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Ok thanks for your help, I know it's like pulling teeth
So I guess now I open the control box and have a look
What am I looking for ?
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Hi,
really want to see how the stepper drivers are hooked to the BoB. Its entirely likely that the drivers are all on the same board in which cast you can't change
the wiring. Can you post a pic of the inside?
Craig
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Changing the kernels to 45k shows up on diagnostics pulses frequency as the same
But now the emergency alarm wont clear
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Hi,
faster the kernel speed is the worse it will perform. The rule is keep the kernel speed as low as you can consistent with the required max pulse speed.
At the moment given that you cant get any pulses I'd settle for just a couple....an hour! Leave the kernel at 25kHz.
Craig
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(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17520)
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Hi,
the ICs, looks like three of them, lined up along one side of the board very near the wall of the box are your stepper driver ICs. Unfortunately that means
you cant shift wires around to experiment with them. It also means that if any one of them blows up then if you cant repair it yourself you have to
throw the whole thing away. Should that come to pass don't buy more Chinese rubbish....seriously its not worth even the little money they want for them.
In absence of an oscilloscope and the skill/experience to use one the best your going to be able to do is try with the best setup you can come up with
and try it. If it doesn't work hassle the supplier to get another or bite the bullet and buy something decent.
If you don't mind me asking what did you pay for this setup? The reason I ask is that while I'm very very scathing of Chinese electronics often the rest of the gear
is OK and even if you threw the electronic bits away you still have pretty good value in the mechanicals, motors and stuff left over.
Craig
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this is for a friend, he picked it up for 200, and by the looks of the machine it was never used, came with a bunch of collets too
sometimes these things just need a few days to breath life back into them,
i notice the machine shifts a tad when i restart the pc now
i had one like i said yrs ago, after sitting for some time it too didnt want to just turn on and run like before, but with some nudgging it came back to life after some time
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Hi,
OK, the chances are that the stepper are locking up as power is applied. If you attempt to turn them by hand with the power off they should turn pretty easy
often with a slight 'cogging' feeling, called detent. When you power them up they should lock up and hold their position, you can twist them hard enough to get
them to budge, its called its Hold torque.
You will have to stick with what the manufacturer intended as you cant rewire the inputs to the drivers.
Try jogging any and all of the axes with both the arrow keys and the <tab> flyout.
Can you post your xml file. In the Mach3 folder there will be a file of the type Mach3Mill.xml Copy it and rename the copy woodworker.xml and attach it to your next
post using <Additional Options> and browse to the file to attach.
Craig
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ya i dont even know how to find that , i thought youd be able to post on out of mach
is there a newer version youd suggest im on
r3.042.040
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Hi,
the latest version is .066 although many consider it buggy and prefer .062. Note that all development on Mach3 ceased a couple of years ago so what it is
is what it will remain. Would recommend either of these versions.
The new kid on the block is Mach4, I've been using it for about a year and its good. It doesn't have all the quirky little features and work-arounds like Mach3
but it doesn't have any, or at least many bugs either.
Look in the Mach3 folder of you hard drive and find a profile something like Mach3Mill.xml. I would like to see a copy of it if I may, it reveals so much about your machine
setup, we could spend all day posting backwards and forwards and not share nearly as much info as an xml file.
Craig
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ok heres the xml
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Hi,
got your xml and it all looks OK.
I would change the kernel frequency to 25kHz. You'll need to restart your PC for it to be effective.
I suspect that your control box needs a signal from Mach to enable it. Do you have any documentation for the controller? If it does require a signal without some
indication as to what that signal is and what pin its on is going to be hard to find, just a guess really.
Craig
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Hi,
maybe post a pic of the controller, maybe someone will recognise it.
Craig
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(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17523)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17522)
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where can i find older versions of mach to try out, i found the manual and it shows which version to use
d1.90.038
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ok what i did is i installed 066 version
a bit better now, installed, run drive check
theres a pulse frequency on diagnostics, same as kernel speed
and when i jog the numbers move in mach but not the machine
i input the numbers from the manual, but nothing, since the manual inupt is in mm i wonder if those motor number are supposed to be in mm or inches, or if it matters
also when i push the estop button on the controller, it does not alarm in mach
so were making some progress
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17524)
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Hi,
if you have info relating to this machine from the manufacturer and it in mm then use mm!
Config/Selct Native Units check mm, close and then restart. Do not fiddle with it again.
It is possible to use inch Gcode but DO NOT USE NATIVE UNITS to do it, that's what G20/G21 are all about.
Post that info. Somewhere in there will be the info required to enable the machine.
You should tell your friend that these electronics are junk...he got the machine dirt cheap now maybe he should buy
some electronics that work and the manufacturer will back up rather than trying to use the forum.
Craig
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nothing still after changing to mm,
i dont know what to think
the estop button on the control doesnt even shut off the spindle
he only got it because it was dirt cheap, also hes not cnc savy, ill be doing all his programs, if i can get this thing to move
feel like im close. like theres one small thing thats holding it up
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Hi,
post the manufacturers info.
Craig
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Hi,
if you'd bought a Gecko 540 this machine would have been singing days ago.
Craig
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there is no specific manufacturers brand
its just a generic chinese machine
i dont know one thing about putting a machine together, so even if i bougt the geko id be here asking for help on stuff thats more over my head than this lol
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17525)
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Hi,
yeah but it would take an hour to sort out a Gecko, the documentation is good and the people who make it
answer emails and they know their s*********t.
You are going to have to post every page of that manual. It may not be good but thats all there is.
Craig
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Hi,
by comparison a Gecko is a cake-walk!
Craig
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I wouldnt even know which one to buy or how to install, have never done that
ill photo and post all the install pages of the manual tonight
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(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17531)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17532)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17533)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17534)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17535)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17536)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17537)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17538)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17539)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17540)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17541)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17542)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17543)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17544)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17545)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17546)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17547)
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/picture.php?albumid=2309&pictureid=17548)
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i got a bit excited when i fired upthe pc and control box, as the pc booted the machine moved to the middle of the table
but after opening mach nothing still wouldnt move in jog
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Hi Woodworker84,
I have sent you a PM.
Tweakie.
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help someone, any idea why the machine wont jog?
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Hi,
is keyboard jogging enabled? How about jogging using the flyout screen?
Craig
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the numbers move when i use the keyboard arrows
flyout screen ? the tab button? that doesnt move it either, but the numbers again move
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Hi,
if the numbers move then Mach should be issuing pulses and therefore the motors move.
Do you have some means, an oscilloscope ideally, to test the outputs of your control board?
I know I've mentioned it before but have you considered getting a board that actually works?
Craig
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I've never heard of a scope like that so no
And again, a board that works, a good one
I have no idea what would be a good one, nor the first idea on how to install it, or if it is even compatible with this control box
Machine building I know nothing about
I just know how to make parts