Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 25, 2006, 04:52:53 PM »

It's been an interesting day!!!!

Reloaded program on old computer and now the enable function works, problem though, can't get enough voltage to enable the driver. Need 5 volts and only getting 2.6 so packed up everything and moved down to my main computer.

After setting back up, the 5 volt led didn't come back on the interface board (voltage feeds back from x driver board.) While investigating found the x driver board plug on the interface board had come off the pcb tearing off two of the pads. Must have been from all the hooking and unhooking. At this point was closest to throwing the whole project in the garbage and buying a mill but then told myself wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't CNC controlled. So got out the schematic, wired in some jumpers, checked all circuits for continuity and tried again on main computer.

Enable was switching properly but still only getting 2.6 volts, not enough to latch enable. Don't know what happened but then all the sudden started getting 4.4 volts and enabled worked.

Then much to my shock the steppers spin. Not all gravy yet, appears to stop at certain spots in toolpath. Not sure if it's the stepper or what but big day today!!!

Couldn't have got this far without all your help, THANKS!!!!

aggie

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 25, 2006, 01:53:01 PM »

Good thought, but was coming directly from computer port.

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 25, 2006, 11:37:55 AM »

Sid,

Understand communication difficulties, should try it from my end: talking about wiring when you don't know the subject and more important when the software didn't fully install??? In my case I have 2 computers, one an older one which I dedicated to MACH3, no internet connection, etc so there would be no way I could get a virus.

After all my problems, install MACH3 on my main computer (newer one) and the enable function works great on this one. Now have to figure out how to get a full install back on the older one. The file size and number of folders were the same for both machines but the old computer only had 705 files where as the new one has 717? Hope this is the problem and not the age of the computer but at least now I know how enable works, etc.

Also found out something weird, once I got the screen showing enable, etc I wasn't getting the voltage to change on pin 14 (enable pin.) I had chosen pin 22 for my ground (halfway on the ground pins 18...25.) But when I chose pin 25 for the ground the voltage changed as enabled changed???

Will get back with everyone on outcome.

aggie

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 24, 2006, 11:38:23 AM »

Sid,

Appreciate your prompt reply.

Yes, I can jog the dro's on the screen. Have never got the stepper motor to move, lock up or anything using MACH3. Feel they are OK as when I physically enable the THSTEP25 driver board by grounding the enable terminal they do lock up.

Not being scarcastic just specfic, I load the g-code by going to File, then Load g-code. I then run the g-code by going to the "Program Run Screen" and clicking "Cycle Start Button.."

Your description on the red led may solve part of my question. I have been asking over and over agian how to make the red led go out which I equated with having the motors enabled. If I understand your description, when the red led is on the motors are enabled. I would have thought they would turn green or turn off, to me red means a problem?

Question on my understaning of active low. In the driver set up instructions it says "you may now bring Enable Low, applying power to the stepper motors," and when I hard wire the enable to ground the stepper locks up. I interpreted this as active low, should it be active high? I am using THS Engineering THIS25 driver boards.

Understand your description of pin allocation now. In my case the drivers don't descide, the interface board does. All the driver board want is either a low or high. The interface board then sends it to a pin.

Am going to move everything from my old computer to my internet one (2.4 cpu) and take readings directly from the computer connection (in case I have a cord problem."

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 24, 2006, 10:03:25 AM »

Sid and Brian,

Appreciate your sticking with me on this. Feel like I am at one of the communication classes the company used to send us to back in the 80's.

Start back over, when I go to the diagnostic screen I have a red light under "enable 1" on the outputs. In my world a red light means a problem which must be corrected, not sure if that is true in MACH3 because I also have 3 red lights under Ref A, B, & C and have been told don't pay any attention to them. Should the "enable 1" red light go off when the drivers are enabled?? This is what I have been trying to do, unsuccessfully! It stay on all the time, g-code running, etc. Of course the steppers aren't spinning.

Sid, reset button is not blinking, had to get it green before the g-code would run.

Brian, used the term "parallel Port Reference for the DB26F Allocation" since that was what Phil titled the page, thought it was a common term. It is a chart that shows the purpose of each pin on the parallel port DB26F plug. Why I question it is he shows pin 2 as X Dir, pin 3 as X Step, pin 4 as Y Dir, pin 5 as Y Step, pin 6 as Z Dir, pin 7 as Z step, pin 12 as X,Y,Z Home, pin 13 and 15 as X,Y,Z + limits, and pin 18-25 as ground. But in the MACH# documentation 5.4  on page 5.3 shows X Y Z Dir pins as 3,5,7 and X Y Z Step pins as 2,4,6?

aggie

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 23, 2006, 11:39:31 PM »

Brian,

Still can't get drivers enabled. Not sure of the terminology, when you say "every time you have the machine enabled the output will turn on" my question continues to be how do you "enable the output" Does this mean start the g-code running or what??? I have configured the enable on the ports & pins output signal screen. Used enable1, enable is checked, port #1, pin # 14, and active low checked.

Another point I need to have clarified; does MACH have a Parallel Port Reference for the DB26F pin allocation. Couldn't find one in the documentation. Using one from PMinMO but would rather use one from MACH3!!!!

aggie

7

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 23, 2006, 09:08:09 PM »

Brian.

Great call on the port number, I was using tunnel vision, set the pin numbers but didn't think about going to end of row and setting port.


Now if you can get me some help on the enable question (see 11:56:36 am post) as I'm sure that needs an answer before any steppers turn??

aggie

8

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 23, 2006, 02:23:52 PM »

Brian,

Ignor the file I just sent you. Dawned on me after I sent it that it was from my "internet" computer, want to send you the one from my dedicated computer. Will have to transfer to disc and resend.

9

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 23, 2006, 02:11:35 PM »

Brain, Need a little help, what is a XLM?

10

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!

« on: July 23, 2006, 02:09:53 PM »

Hood,

When I jog back and forth the votage stays constant at 4.248 volts , strange to me is that it doesn't deviate even a thousandth of a volt??

aggie