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Messages - homersimpson

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1
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 03, 2012, 11:31:49 PM »
I opened the system info program per your suggestion, to get the pci port address but I get the following error: Can't access the Windows Management Instrumentation software.  Windows management instrumentation files may be moved or missing.

I then swapped the port addresses in Mach and was able to make everything work with the original good set of hardware (onboard parallel port,G540,XYZA axis steppers) with the address in the 2nd port.  I then tested the inputs on the G540 by grounding them 1 at a time and looking at the LED indicators on the diagnostics tab of Mach.  I could make BOTH G540s show a signal in this manner.  I reversed the port addresses back to the original locations and repeated the input signal test with the same results.  So I knew I was getting communication through the PCI parallel port.  Still no charge pump signal on pin 16 though.  Finally I got the B axis working on the 2nd parallel port by disabling the charge pump manually.  I then could actuate it in mach manually.  I swear I tried this before but it it didn't work.  I added my C26 buffer board inline with this port and had to put the jumper on the pins to indicate that pins 2-9 are inputs (wouldn't work when they were set as outputs).  So, I still don't have a charge pump signal but I can make everything work by manually disabling this.  Any thoughts on why everything else would work and not this?

2
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 03, 2012, 11:27:08 AM »
I will check that--thanks. 

Perhaps I should provide some detail on how I did the swap before we conclude that the problem is not with Mach setting.  I first swapped the cables, leaving everything else the same.  This showed that the bad port's cable works with the good port.  I also swapped G540s over between the ports, leaving all else in the original config, including the cables.  This showed that the good port is able to make the 2nd G540 work.

These two swaps narrowed down the problem to either the pci port, which could mean a physical problem with the card, the port, or a software problem in windows or in mach.

I'm trying to remember what happened when I swapped port addresses in mach (I've tried so many things over the past few days!) but I think when I did that, I couldn't get the 2nd port in mach (set to the onboard port's address) to work, but I'll need to confirm that.  Thanks!

3
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 03, 2012, 10:28:34 AM »
yes.  I have swapped it around such that the onboard port makes the chargepump and B axis work on the second G540.

4
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 02, 2012, 09:24:49 PM »
I manually actuated the b axis with the charge pump off but got no reaction.

The device manager calls out the motherboard port as Ecp printer port and the new one as pci ecp parallel port.  There are no other references to the mode setting. 

I measured the pin signal on the good port at 6.8khz and 1.6v when it was switch on in mach.  It was 0khz and 3.3v when switched off.  On the bad port i get 0hz always.  Im using cnc4pc's buffer board with a usb power source.  I measure 1.3v without this power source and 2.5v with it.  I used an external 5v supply and measured 3.2v at pin 16. 

Any ideas if this is a mach setting or hardware problem?

5
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 02, 2012, 12:55:41 PM »
The one from CNC4PC is a moshchip 9865 and another one I bought is 9805.

6
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 02, 2012, 12:09:24 PM »
When I disable the charge pump switch on the G540, the LED turns green and a holding torque is applied to the motor I have connected to it.  I haven't figured out though how to manually control it to see if it is receiving a signal.

I have read alot on this site and cnczone about the EPP mode.  The only jumper on the board I bought from cnc4pc is for setting the first several pins as inputs or outputs.  I haven't found a way to determine, let alone set, what mode the board is operating in.  There are no options for this in the device manager and it doesn't show up in my BIOS being a PCI add-on.
Thanks.

7
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 01, 2012, 05:17:08 PM »
one more try

8
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: April 01, 2012, 03:00:34 PM »
xml file attached.  thanks for looking at it.

9
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: March 31, 2012, 09:43:56 PM »
This is from Gecko's site:

"PROBLEM: G540 UNRESPONSIVE (RED LED LIT CONSTANTLY)

SOLUTION: This is the most common fault and can be caused by several problems. First, double check that a jumper wire or normally closed switch is present between PIN 10 and PIN 12 on the 12 POSITION TERMINAL BLOCK. Next, turn the CHARGE PUMP SWITCH to the OFF position; if the green LED comes on then there is a problem with your CNC program not putting out a charge pump signal on PIN 16. If those do not work, check the motor for holding torque; if you do not have holding torque move on to the next section."


My LED is constantly red as well.  When I manually flip the charge pump switch it turns green and I do get holding torque on my motor.  So either my port is not putting out the 10khz signal or mach is not reading it.  I've swapped cables so know it isn't a bad cable.  I've swapped G540s so know it isn't that.  I've tried it on 2 different PCs, one with XP and one with Win7, and 2 different PCI parallel ports.  I can't definitely say any of this hardware isn't bad, without measuring the individual pinouts directly with an oscilloscope I guess.  But it seems unlikely that none of these hardware combinations would work--that they'd all be bad, so it seems more likely I have some wrong setting in Mach3.

10
General Mach Discussion / Re: 2nd parallel port
« on: March 31, 2012, 07:22:48 PM »
Have you entered the correct address in Mach for your port?
Hood

As far as I know.  When I install the card and drivers, I get 2 new serial ports and a parallel port in my device manager.  The pport has the following under the resources tab:

I/O Range   DF30 - DF37
I/O Range   DF38 - DF3F
Memory Range  FEAFD000 - FEAFDFFF
Memory Range  FEAFE000 - FEAFEFFF

I put DF30 in the Port Address field for Port#2.

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