Messages

1

FAQs / Re: How can I connect servo to mach3 as spindle

« on: August 28, 2011, 04:15:02 PM »

...I have intention to make a cnc lathe using Panasonic minas-A5 and MSME042 ac servo motor as spindle...

Mach cannot do 'continuous motion' of a position-controlled axis.

Hopefully your servo should have two modes of operation, speed control and position control, and a way to switch between them.

Just use a custom M code to switch between the two modes and control each in the normal manner. You will also have to consider indexing/orienting the motor if you switch between the modes more than once on a part.

A servo that I know for a fact has this ability is the Mitsubishi MR J2 series. It might be instructive to download a manual for this and compare with your one.

2

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: program mirror G code

« on: August 28, 2011, 04:07:13 PM »

...we had to make port and starboard parts... and then the axis to be mirrored. Is this avaiable in Mach3?

See this thread

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,19394.0.html

To mirror something, you scale it by a negative scale factor. You could also use an external program such as CnC syntax editor

http://www.cnc-syntax-editor.com/

3

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Macro Library control

« on: August 15, 2011, 02:31:42 PM »

Also read this thread

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,18836.0.html

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: How can I continue g-code tomorrow ?

« on: August 06, 2011, 01:07:24 AM »

I want to stop (pause) mach3 while running and shutdown eveyything and tomorrow I want to continue where I stopped the system.

Do you know in advance where you want to stop or do you just stop "somewhere" when you run out of time or when the wife calls you home?

If you know in advance, put in an optional stop (M01). If you ever want t run the program through from start to finish, tell Mach to ignore optional stops.

In a way, G-code is like driving a car - it is not wise to just jam on the brakes in the middle lane of the motorway and jump out leaving the car where it stands. You have to indicate, slow down, pull over to the hard shoulder and park up nicely. Further, you stand a much higher chance of restarting in a graceful fashion if you follow the latter procedure.

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mitsubishi MR-J2S-40A and Servos!!!

« on: July 15, 2011, 09:47:15 AM »

I was meaning the drives I/O such as enables etc

FWIW (i.e. apropos nothing), the Mitsu. drives can be self-contained, so enables etc. just need a switch (or relay). Their internal supply is 15v but I believe you can externally supply 24v as you said.

As an aside, any experience or thoughts on the Cubloc pseudo-PLCs? They speak MODBUS, and can be programmed in ladder or a VB dialect very similar to CB in Mach.

Do you have any online pointers or have you posted on your single to differential boards?

Thanks.

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mitsubishi MR-J2S-40A and Servos!!!

« on: July 14, 2011, 11:49:37 AM »

As Macona says, the Mitsu servos work fine on 5v level step and direction signals for position control. Obviously, if you wish to use one in 'speed' mode, you need a 0-10v signal, so any board that works with a VFD will work (eg. Digispeed).

What it might pay you to do is make breakout boards for the cables that plug into the servo using the 20 pin 3M connectors. There are 20 wires in each of these and there are two connectors per servo axis. The majority of these 20 wires will not need to go to the PC/Mach BOB.

Similarly, it might pay to set up suitable RS422 boards etc so you can use the MR-J config software in a painless manner (using RS232 means you can only look at one axis at a time and have to physically change cables to look at a different one).

If you need any detailed help setting them up, please ask.

7

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: Mach3 and Toshiba VFD spindle control question and some Help needed.

« on: July 05, 2011, 07:55:54 AM »

3: Voltage signal input (0 - 5 V)

...so from what i understand the VFD accepts frequency pulses...
1. Is this the Step and Dir ? and if so can Mach 3 be interfaced directly using its Step and Dir capability?
2. Can the VFD be adjusted so that PWM from mach3 drives it, i mean only frequencies without reading directional and additional signals , this by adjusting the frequency response at the VFD

From the pictures you have posted, I don't think option 2 will work with Mach. At the top of the second page you posted, you need the following lines from Mach to enable this: DIRECTION; UP; DOWN; SET (ie four lines). Mach can't do this. The VFD is not step-and-dir in the way Mach understands it.

What is interesting is option 3, 0-5v voltage signal. If you put a voltmeter across the PWM signal, at 20% speed, the meter should read 1v; at 50% speed, it should read 2.5v etc. Basically, you are using the PWM signal as an analogue output. Depending on the sensitivity of the VFD, you might need a low pass filter on it (just a resistor and capacitor). Have a Google for PWM to analogue or look over on the Arduino forum for further details.

8

FAQs / Re: direct input commands in mach 3 mill

« on: July 05, 2011, 07:40:55 AM »

...When the G code is running the X axis I need to be able to 'direct input ' commands to the Y and Z axis without stopping the program running....

It doesn't work like this. You can't have a continuously-running axis and then do motion on other axes.

Without being terribly rude, you need to read up on the concept of coordinated linear motion and understand and accept what it means.

What you want to do is certainly possible in a way, but not using 'standard' Mach. One route to go down might be to set up X as a step-and-direction SPINDLE. You could then control X- with G03/G04, with the S-word in reality being the F-word and do what you like with Y- and Z- in the meantime.

9

General Mach Discussion / Re: Spindle control setup

« on: July 05, 2011, 07:27:36 AM »

Is there a setting to turn the spindle on without a pulsed output? ... I just want a constant high active signal to pull the spindle relay in with an M03. When I check diagnostics now, I can see the output pulsing...

You are confusing spindle switching (on or off) with spindle speed control. You shouldn't use the speed control to do simple switching.

Config, Ports and Pins, Spindle Set up. Relay control. Untick 'disable spindle relays'. This now means that Output #2 is high for clockwise spindle, Output #1 is high for anti-clockwise spindle. Both are low for spindle off.

You then have to map Output #2 & #1 to a physical parallel port pin in Output Signals tab.

10

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 and 5 axis cnc

« on: July 05, 2011, 07:18:50 AM »

... I saw MotorOutputs tab there is 6 axis setting available... but in Mach interface I see only 4 axis indicator...

Mach will control up to six axes.

What you see on the screen is purely a function of what the screen designer wants you to see. Each button, DRO, LED can be displayed or not as necessary.

If you want a six-axis screenset, you have to design/write one.

Have a look at the customisation manual for a list of items that are possible (UserButton, OEMDRO, OEMLED).