Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: Problem with computer running mach3

« on: June 01, 2011, 09:33:25 PM »

Maybe I don't have this all figured out.....

Motors sound like they are running properly. So does the computer and the setup in general.

I'm now re-tuning the motors as described in section 5.5.4 in the mach3 setup guide. When running this code:

F1000 (i.e. faster than possible but Mach3 will limit speed)
G20 G90 (Inch and Absolute)
M98 P1234 L50 (run subroutine 50 times)
M30 (stop)
O1234
G1 X4
G1 X0 (do a feed rate move and move back)
M99 (return)

The machine will jog back and forth but the table never fully moves to x0 or x3. More like.... .5 and 2.5. I see this physically on the machine and also on the mach3 DRO.
After the program finishes, the machine is back exactly where it had started.. So it doesn't seem to be missing steps. I have also tried simply jogging back and forth at full speed trying to get it to miss steps, but it ends up right where it thinks it is.

I'm not sure what I'm missing.... Why wouldn't the machine be going all the way to x3 or x0

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: Problem with computer running mach3

« on: June 01, 2011, 08:45:36 PM »

I set the kernel from 25kHz to 45 kHz and now everything runs as it should. I hadn't ever played with this setting on the previous machine.

Thanks for the help... me!

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: Problem with computer running mach3

« on: June 01, 2011, 12:45:14 AM »

I've got XP on there now. Both machines run quite a bit better. The touchscreen now allows a window to be dragged where in win7 it would hiccup. Stepper motors are sounding more regular as well. They still don't sound as steady as they did with the old machine but I will wait to see how they make chips.

4

General Mach Discussion / Problem with computer running mach3

« on: May 31, 2011, 09:48:44 PM »

Hey Guys,

I'm having a problem with my setup, hope you guys can help. The problem is that the stepper motors don't step smoothly when I jog an axis (or any other time for that matter). I believe the issue is with the computer trying to keep up. I had the mill up and running for a year or two now and then the computer died. I bought a replacement computer and am having issues. I worry that the new computer I bought will not work. It is a flat panel, Intel Atom N455 1.66G PC. It came preinstalled with windows 7. I went through, installing mach3 using the vista instructions. I think I will install XP on the machine and see where that gets me.

What all do you guys think?

Ahh, yes, and when I installed mach3 the first time, several years ago, there was some documentation that optimized the computer to run and not be interrupted. Is there such documentation for win7?

Thanks,
Adam

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: homing/limit setup

« on: December 26, 2009, 01:40:12 PM »

Back to problems... The Z and Y home just fine. When the machines tryings to zero the X axis it jogs in either direction momentairly and then stops, as if a limit switch was hit.

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Machine Zero

« on: December 24, 2009, 10:52:26 PM »

I uncheck the "Machine Coord's" so the red backlight is off to go to WORK coordinates.

If that is a true statement then I have done what you say to no avail.

Am I going to work coordinates correctly?

7

General Mach Discussion / Machine Zero

« on: December 24, 2009, 09:26:55 PM »

I have a problem setting up a program from time to time. I import gcode into mach3 from mastercam. The gcode's origin becomes the machine zero origin and not the G54 origin as intended, whatever I do, I can't change it. Fiddling with the "Program #" in mastercam has fixed the problem before but it is fairly sporadic. .  I tried zeroing all the work offsets, G55+ to a new zero but it didn't help. . . I think there is something I am missing. Thanks!

8

General Mach Discussion / Re: homing/limit setup

« on: December 24, 2009, 05:16:59 PM »

Yeah. The limit switches work - everything works it seems, but i'm not sure why. They should be active high.

9

General Mach Discussion / Re: homing/limit setup

« on: December 24, 2009, 04:58:22 PM »

That is what I meant.

Originally it was setup with the home set active low and the limit switches active high. I had the problem you described.

I set the limit switches active low and it seems to work, but this doesn't really make sense to me. The limit switches are wired so that the circuit is closed unless tripped.

How should I have it setup?

10

General Mach Discussion / Re: homing/limit setup

« on: December 24, 2009, 04:22:11 PM »

if I enable the limit switches then they get triggered. .