Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => Mach4 General Discussion => Topic started by: ricmck on May 08, 2018, 11:10:56 AM

Title: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: ricmck on May 08, 2018, 11:10:56 AM
I installed mach4 and loaded Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin  I get an error Failed to load shared library 'M4SM.mpw'(error 0:the operation completed successfully.) I am running

 XP Version 2002
Service pack 3
AMD Athon 64 processor
3800+
2.4 GHz,2GB Ram
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: joeaverage on May 08, 2018, 02:33:44 PM
Hi,
to use Mach4 requires a Mach4 compatible motion controller and plugin. Granite Devices do not make such a thing.

To use Granite Devices Drives would require you buy an external motion controller like a SmoothStepper or a UC100 which have Mach compatible plugins and they will issue
pulses to the drives. Both of these two boards have both Mach3 and Mach4 plugins so you could choose either.

Craig
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: joeaverage on May 08, 2018, 06:19:24 PM
Hi,
Mach, either 3 or 4, is primarily a Gcode interpreter and a trajectory planner. Gocde is processed,
Mach decides the required toolpath trajectory and produces numeric data on P(osition) ,V(elocity)
over T(ime) or PVT.

The PVT data is received by a motion controller and its firmware plugin, the motion controller then produces
Step/Direction pulses for the motor drives. The motion controller was traditionally some very clever code running
at kernel level on the PCs CPU and called a Parallel Port Driver. More recently external controllers have become the
norm, they have either an FPGA, a DSP or microcontroller on board. The manufacturer of the controller is
responsible for producing the firmware plugin.

Granite Devices have not produced such a plugin.

Craig
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: Steve Stallings on May 08, 2018, 07:29:44 PM
Duh.... check this out.....

https://granitedevices.com/wiki/Mach4_SimpleMotion_drive_plugin
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: joeaverage on May 08, 2018, 08:42:25 PM
Hi,
kool, I looked all though their site and missed that. My aplogies to OP.

Craig
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: joeaverage on May 10, 2018, 03:28:07 AM
Hi,
having made a dick of myself...I might as well carry on!

If you look in the plugins folder in the main Mach4Hobby directory you should see:
'M4SM.m4pw' not 'M4SM.mpw'. Also there should be a signature file of the same name but different extension:
'M4SM.sig

Are both those files there?

Craig
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: ricmck on May 10, 2018, 03:53:56 AM
Thank you For your replies.

I bought Mach4 hobby and installed Smoothstepper (ethernet) and have communication to my PC
I installed Warp9Mach4.m4pw & Warp9Mach4.sig  Files in Mach4 plugin folder
When I went to configure Plugins smooth stepper wasn't listed.  

Now I get a new error:    Failed to load shared library M4SM.m4pw (error 0: the operation completed successfully.)

 Any ideas would be appreciated.

Rick  
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: joeaverage on May 10, 2018, 04:01:29 AM
Hi,
try opening Configure/Control/Plugins.....is the ESS plugin listed, check it to enable and close.
On the next open select the ESS as the motion control plugin.

Craig
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: ricmck on May 10, 2018, 08:46:23 PM
Hi
I have attached a screen shot of my plugins.


This is my first time on a support forum so I hope the attachment works

Rick
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: Steve Stallings on May 10, 2018, 09:08:18 PM
Try going to:

Configure > Mach and select the PlugIns tab. This is NOT the same as Config > Plugins

You will see a list of the plugins that Mach finds, as well as a column that allows you to
Enable or Disable each plugin it found.

Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: ricmck on May 10, 2018, 10:20:26 PM
Thank you  I got it.
Smooth Stepper was on the list and I enabled it.
You saved me hours even though it was under my nose.

Rick
Title: Re: Can I use Granite Devices SimpleMotion drive plugin in trial version of Mach4
Post by: joeaverage on May 10, 2018, 10:28:31 PM
Hi,
your welcome of course.....sorry to have to tell you but....you will still end up spending those hours, its just
it will be on something else!

Craig