Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: widpyro on August 26, 2018, 08:15:14 AM

Title: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: widpyro on August 26, 2018, 08:15:14 AM

I have 8nstalled Mach3 on a Toshiba laptop running Windpws7. Install went smoothly but I can’t change coordinates. Using the tab function, I cannot advance the numbers in X Y or Z.  The midi control does seem to work, but at a ver6 slow speed. Suggestions?
Thank you,
Jim Widmann

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: joeaverage on August 27, 2018, 06:03:45 AM

Hi Jim
do you have any motors enabled in Config/Ports and Pins/ Motor Outputs?.

If you don't have a motor enabled the DRO will not change. Don't worry you can enable a motor but not hook it up,
Mach doesn't know that, and it can't tell, its not a feedback system.

When you first turn Mach on the federate is set very low. Try MDIing:
F100     and then try a few MDI instructions.

Craig

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: widpyro on August 27, 2018, 06:50:00 AM

Thanks Craig,
I do have the motors enabled. Still no movement on the DRO. Also I set the feed rate to f100 and the DRO still moved very slowly: about .03 per second.

Any other ideas on this?
Thanks,
Jim

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: joeaverage on August 27, 2018, 06:57:14 AM

Hi,
are you using a parallel port or an external controller?

Craig

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: widpyro on August 27, 2018, 07:55:32 AM

I’m using the parallel port. I have two computers that work ok using the parallel port, and two that I use smooth stepper on. But in either case the dro moves.

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: joeaverage on August 27, 2018, 03:09:00 PM

Hi,
laptops are notorious for not running parallel ports well. Although I would still expect the DRO's to work.

Could it be the laptop is just plain faulty. Do you have any other software you could run on it as a comparison?

Craig

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: widpyro on August 27, 2018, 07:20:51 PM

Craig,
Yeah, I know laptops are kind of a hit or miss proposition when using the parallel port. But I have had luck with two of them, and my current project sort of requires a portable computer.
Yes, I was able to run a similar motion control software. It’s very weird that the DRO doesn’t move. I have re-installed it twice and that didn’t work.
Should I just forget it?

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: joeaverage on August 27, 2018, 07:24:48 PM

Hi,
I've run out of ideas......I didn't have that many to start with :D

Mach3 does run on laptops but maybe just not your one?

Craig

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: ger21 on August 27, 2018, 08:02:36 PM

Run Drivertest exe, and post the results.
Disregard any mention of System Excellent.

What you are looking for is a steady pulse rate that's close to the kernel speed. If the Kernel Speed is 25Khz, you should see a pulse rate close to 25000.

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: widpyro on August 27, 2018, 10:07:03 PM

Ok I ran drivertest and here are the results:

On the graph the time between pulses seems to be about 55
CPU MHZ 1496
Shortest time. 57.659
Long3st time   3345.98

Version:  6.1
PCI 1 second low.  3579545
PCI 1 second HI.   1496000000
Average.     152.83
Longest.        105133.0

“Pulsing too fast”

I’m gonna guess I should set the kernel speed to someth8ng like 60.

Thank you!
Jim

Title: Re: Coordinates don’t change
Post by: joeaverage on August 28, 2018, 07:40:06 AM

Hi,
those numbers mean that the PC cannot pulse regularly.

You can set the kernel speed to whatever you like but it won't change the underlying problem, that PC is doing a rubbish job of
running Mach's parallel port. Try a different PC OR use a SmoothStepper.

Craig