Messages

1

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: G54-G59 Work offsets

« on: March 02, 2015, 03:46:51 PM »

Try it and you will  not see the % at the end either ... unless you hit the return key afterwards.
Russ

Russ, Excellent info  And I will try it. if not only to remind me. thanks!!!

2

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: G54-G59 Work offsets

« on: March 02, 2015, 03:38:26 PM »

Thanks all. got it. already made many parts.
Odd though, sometimes at the end of my code. where the M99 is.
its not recognized by Mach3. the reason I say this.  In a txt editor I can clearly see the M99..... Bu after loading in Mach3. I can scroll down to where the M99 should be.
and its not their. some crazy bug? this is not always the case. I have to fiddle with the file. sometimes adding a break or a return. then it works.

3

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: G54-G59 Work offsets

« on: February 15, 2015, 08:05:15 PM »

Question given your example. What if I want to call 2 different subprograms per fixture. several times.(per G52)
I hope I asked my question correctly.
Sam

4

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: G54-G59 Work offsets

« on: February 13, 2015, 11:29:53 PM »

Great post I cant tell you how many times I have come back to this very post!!! Thanks guys.

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motor stalling issue. (best I can describe)

« on: December 29, 2013, 03:05:05 AM »

All,
I am happy to report... I have resolved my So called motor stall on first event.
If you read the entire thread. though their are very few entries I hope I documented all I have tried and not tried.
One thing of interest and funny thing its probably the first thing I could have looked at.
is the version Im running. According to the help about screen I was on 3.043.00
I though??? heck, Ill try a beta if ones available. After looking I seen the current version is at 3.043.062
and I decide to read the change log. WHOA! lots O' changes...  (thanks for the fixes Art ) I re-installed the updated version and low and behold.
no stalling at first run. Heck even the Zero Z script runs ... Though I tweaked it to suit my needs. Im glad to post what I changed.
 
Other things I changed to test for the problem pre-updating the software.

1: I changed the parallel cables to the shortest ones I could find.
2: I created a profile with everything turned off except say one axis. absolute minimum setup.
3: My next step was going to bypass the BOB... (thanks to RICH's suggestion)

So, As of now.
1: Im back to my first PC! Geez that was pain full X 6!!! (5 spares in the bank-O'-matic tho.)
2: I'm locked on 60000Hz... Ill have to continue on with my tests. But as of now that particular issue is "SLAM DUNKED!"
3: Gecko 203V's set at 250, 50, 2us, 0 and Active High. just like the documentation says to set it at.

Thanks to you all. Im most grateful for your suggestions and time you gave me
-S

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motor stalling issue. (best I can describe)

« on: December 29, 2013, 01:02:10 AM »

I had a similar issue once that drove me crazy.    Machine had worked perfectly for months and suddenly with no changes it started randomly stalling.   After going though everything (as I am sure you have) I checked my bios settings,  somehow during a reboot the parallel port got switched to standard mode.   I switched it back to enhanced mode and it's been fine ever since.

Something to check.

Thanks for the follow up.
Wow, I wish I were that lucky... My problem is just that, a problem... Ill keep beating it till one of us "it or me" gives in. I have btw tried changing my Port from one mode to the other and in my case? no change. :/ Glad to hear your back up and running though!
-S

7

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motor stalling issue. (best I can describe)

« on: December 29, 2013, 12:25:01 AM »

@Rich: I was not aware I could bypass the BoB...
I suppose I can google or do a search. and go from their.

Yes, I agree 6 pc's? and all with the same symptoms? not likely. But hey, I have had worse luck!
BTW thanks for all the  ideas thus far. I have another machine. that suffers no problems. 1 out of 2 aint bad eh?
-Sam

8

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motor stalling issue. (best I can describe)

« on: December 28, 2013, 09:58:32 PM »

So try with PDMX bypassed, that leaves the drive PC and one motor unconnected to the axis, that eliminates the mechanical issues and also
a possible power supply issue.

Rich, Im not sure what you mean by bypassing the PDMX. If I do that how will I drive the motor?
Im on track with your earlier suggestions.
What I've done so far.

1: I disconnected all other motors and tried one all by it self. (Same results)
2: I built tried 2 other PC's this would make my 6th pc. Same results.
3: I need to swap parallel ports I have 2 of them One on board one an add on card. and try. (pending)
4: I can reliably reproduce this. Lets try with the Z axis.
Let me say this pre hand I can JOG the Z axis all day long and it hums like a well oiled sewing machine.
However I noticed. from the MDI I can say Zero the Z axis. and then issue a from Z0.0 G0 Z1.0 and it will proceed Upwards 1"
same if I tell it G0 Z-1.0 or even G1 Z1.0 or G1 Z-1.0. all moves are perfection....I have tried this dozens of times.

Now say from the offsets page. I try and Zero the Z axis. Im using Hoss's Blue screen. lets assume the Z is reading +3.0 the Z travels downward.
touches the touch plate. and zeros the DRO. then back off a slight bit and still zero'd the DRO. next move is the upward to the pre set/ desired height default is 1" (above the work) ... Right as the motor starts to move upward. and I do mean the instant. the DRO changes from 0.00 to some negative number lets say -.3256 at virtually the same time the motor makes its weird noise. then proceeds upwards to what ever the DRO reversed to plus the 1" so in my example final height? 1.3256...? go figure.... The DRO flashes so quickly I never noticed it. also while Im distracted from the motor noise.

All this sounds like a different problem. But in truth I could care less if the motor huffed and puffed and cried a pool of tears. so long as it does its job. perhaps the noise is negligible and my problem is not with the motors after all? I see/hear the motors whine. all while the expected travel distance isnt what I expect. perhaps the changing DRO is the culprit.?

Ideas?

I have 2 XML files for the same machine 1 is at 25000Hz and the other at 60000Hz both have the same anomolies.
but run fine otherwise.

whats appropriate?
Should I upload the files and create a link or post the file contents here.

MechMate25000Hz file
http://www.trickinteriors.com/MechMate-Mach3/MechMate25000Hz.xml
 
MechMate60000Hz file
http://www.trickinteriors.com/MechMate-Mach3/MechMate60000Hz.xml

9

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motor stalling issue. (best I can describe)

« on: December 28, 2013, 12:13:09 PM »

Rich,
Skipping or what ever you want to call it. It only happens at the sign of a first movement. from then on no skips what so ever.

This can happen on any of the axis's at any place. I have not ascertained a certain location. As I do not feel its a mechanical problem
in any way, In fact I can just remove the steppers thus eliminating any mechanical issues. (which Im 99.9 % confident its not)

Repeat the skipping never never happens after the first movement at any location... "never" / "never has"

I should have added that when I do a pulse test. I get "every time" "Pulsing too fast" at the beginning of every test.. no matter what speed I choose.
then it clears up. and will run smoothly even at 100MHz. but just like the motors. only at the beginning. of each test segment.

Im starting to think its the PC. this is the third pc I read in another post/thread of someone having similar issues. And, the problem entirely went away after the third PC was introduced. perhaps Im just in need of the 4th pc!?...  

Curious all. What do you think of the SmoothStepper possibility? seems to me it would solve any parallel port issue. Im just afraid Ill trade off my current dillema for another unknown problem.
-S

10

General Mach Discussion / Re: motor tuning - pulse setting relation to kernel speed

« on: December 28, 2013, 12:03:38 PM »

Hmm funny thing SkyMo claimed to have Gecko 203V's...
they require Active High and 2us. So are you saying your response was the solution?