Messages

801

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Can someone else varify a SS bug? while using the modbus?

« on: July 23, 2009, 09:48:47 AM »

I just searched for USB serial adapter and found this one which says it uses a different chip: http://www.usbgear.com/CHEAP-SERIAL.html

802

Galil / Re: Strange #AUTO Galil program behavior

« on: July 23, 2009, 09:27:25 AM »

I simplified the program to what is shown below and did a trace to send to Galil. I even removed the WT and tried it again, it just seems to ignore the JP. I'll let you guys know what the verdict was.

Program:

#AUTO
MG "At Auto"
#START
MG "In Loop"
WT 1000
JP #START
EN


Trace Dump:

:0 #AUTO
1 MG "At Auto"
At Auto
2 #START
3 MG "In Loop"
In Loop
4 WT 1000

803

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Homing "x" axis not working correctly

« on: July 22, 2009, 03:53:21 PM »

But each switch is still wired to where it was on the C16 board, right? You moved the switches but left the wiring the same so you had to logiacally swap them in Mach.

804

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Homing "x" axis not working correctly

« on: July 22, 2009, 03:18:19 PM »

I could still be the switch. I would have physically moved the switches and rewired them so that switch 'X' was now in switch 'Z' position and wired to where switch 'Z' was on the BOB. That would tell you if it was the switch or the BOB. Right now you just know that it is either the switch or BOB.

805

General Mach Discussion / Re: Workflow with Mach

« on: July 22, 2009, 01:00:39 PM »

That is just goofy. I suppose they did that to add some distinction between products. What a PITA to have to manually run several programs or manually edit them just to add a T1, T2 etc.

One way to do it would be to save each file with the tool number specified: part1_T1.nc, part2_T2.nc. That would make it easier to manually edit them.

Here is another alternative: http://www.cambam.co.uk/, download the free version and see how that works for you. From reading the Cut2D specs it look like they have similar features. The 'plus' version is the same price as Cut2D and has some enhanced 3D stuff. I have access to several big$ CAM programs through my employer but CamBam was the best 'hobbyist' priced product I could find (that did not do silly things like limit tool changes, or only do 2D or only do 3D.) to offer on my own website: www.soigeneris.com.

806

General Mach Discussion / Re: Workflow with Mach

« on: July 22, 2009, 12:01:27 PM »

Won't Cut2D generate code with Tool changes? That would be a whole lot easier than having one file for each tool

807

Galil / Re: Strange #AUTO Galil program behavior

« on: July 22, 2009, 10:21:47 AM »

No error light

TC returns 0 (no errors)

MG _XQ return -1 showing that the program is not running.

Kenny, that is a good idea to execute it in thread 2. Right now I'm just using SmartTerm to try and diagnose the Galil card so any mach interactions are out of the picture, but that could have caused the initial problem.

FWIW here is the whole program:

#AUTO
REM This program automatically starts with power on
REM and continiously monitors the status of the servo
REM motors. If any motor is turned off then all motors
REM will be turned off and the brakes applied. If all
REM servo motors are on the brakes will be released.
REM It also reads the extended inputs and pops them into
REM the unused auxillary encoder registers so we can
REM read the inputs easily through the DR in Mach III.
XQ #START,2
EN
#START
IF (_MOA=1)|(_MOB=1)|(_MOC=1)
MG "Motors OFF"
SB 80
SB 74
MO
ELSE
MG "Motors ON"
CB 80
CB 74
ENDIF
DE (256*_TI3)+_TI2,(256*_TI5)+_TI4,(256*_TI7)+_TI6,(256*_TI9)+_TI8
WT 1000
JP #START
EN
#ININT
MG "Servos OFF, Brakes ON"
REM Turn the brakes ON, stop all axis
SB 74
SB 80
ST XYZ
RI

808

Galil / Strange #AUTO Galil program behavior

« on: July 21, 2009, 05:11:52 PM »

Since I am using a 1842 which does not include the state of the extended I/O inputs in its DR (Data Record) I use a Galil program running in #AUTO to read the inputs, stash the value in the unused auxiliary registers and then wait 10ms and do it all over. This has worked great. Today while doing some testing Mach started up like I had reset the motion controller and ask me to choose which one to use. I recovered from this by grabbing a back-up of the Mach profile XML and then noticed that the Galil card did not seem to be executing #AUTO properly. I uploaded the program from the card and it was correct, I downloaded and burned a copy from the HD and had the same problem. If I do 'XQ #AUTO' it only runs once. Here are the pertinent parts of the Galil program.

#AUTO
REM This program automatically starts with power on
..... more REM
#START
DE (256*_TI3)+_TI2, (256*_TI5)+_TI4, (256*_TI7)+_TI6, (256*_TI9)+_TI8
WT 10
JP #START
EN

For the life of me I cant figure out why it seems to miss the JP. I even added some message outputs in like MG "In Loop" but only see it once as no looping is taking place. Has anyone else seen this. I would prefer to not try and do a Master Reset if I can avoid it.

809

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 Crashing PC

« on: July 21, 2009, 02:41:45 PM »

Try uninstalling Mach 3 and uninstalling the parallel port driver. Then reinstall.

810

General Mach Discussion / Re: PC Lockup with Mach3

« on: July 20, 2009, 11:08:52 AM »

That BOB is opto-isolated BUT it powers both sides of the isolation with the same on-board transformer. That means that not only are you bringing the noisy 110VAC line onto the control board but your inductively coupling the two circuits that are supposed to be isolated

Can you tell if there is a certain device turning on/off that causes the lock up? How about turning off the spindle and any coolant pumps and running it in the air. Does it still lock up? What happens if you turn the machine off and just run Mach?