Messages

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Chasing lost steps, now moves verrrrryyyy slooooowlyyyyyy try4

« on: February 19, 2014, 12:51:50 PM »

Just a follow-up and to let you know there is a happy ending. I installed an Ethernet Smooth Stepper and everything is wonderful now. Thanks to Hood and Ger21 for your time and attention. I couldn't (wouldn't?) have done it without you.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Chasing lost steps, now moves verrrrryyyy slooooowlyyyyyy try4

« on: January 15, 2014, 01:05:45 PM »

Hi Gerry, thanks for the response. I changed to Standard PC using Step 9 of the XP Optimization Guide abd got back to where I was when I first posted to the forum.

The attached screenshot shows the driver test after. Once the trace goes off the scale, you don't see it again before the test stops.

I'm thinking I should give up on this computer unless you have somethiing else up your sleeve.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Chasing lost steps, now moves verrrrryyyy slooooowlyyyyyy try4

« on: January 14, 2014, 06:56:28 PM »

Had to RTFM to uninstall/reinstall the driver. Tried that a couple of times to no avail. Finally gave up and pulled the parallel port card, did a Windows re-install and downloaded a fresh copy of Mach3. At least I'm back to where I started.

After all that, I ran the driver test. See attached. This is what I had before. It looks like a picket fence. Is that an ok level of pulse variation? On the good side, the pulse frequency looks much better on the diagnostic page, 23-24kHz.

What do you think, Hood?

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Chasing lost steps, now moves verrrrryyyy slooooowlyyyyyy try4

« on: January 13, 2014, 11:51:28 AM »

I really appreciate the input, Hood.

I strongly suspect that the new parallel port board might be at fault, so I'll try that today, too. Being back where I started will be better than what I have now. I'll report back.

Thanks again,
Brad

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Chasing lost steps, now moves verrrrryyyy slooooowlyyyyyy try4

« on: January 12, 2014, 08:07:26 PM »

I forgot to mention earlier, but I have the "Abnormal Condition" light lit, and it says "One or more axis enabled or disabled."

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Chasing lost steps, now moves verrrrryyyy slooooowlyyyyyy try4

« on: January 12, 2014, 07:54:41 PM »

Pulse freq stays pretty steady at 96. mostly 95-97, but goes to 1 periodically.

Time in Int was average 8.4 in e-stop, 9.7 with e-stop off, occasionally in the low 10's, but I saw some 13's and a 16.

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General Mach Discussion / Chasing lost steps, now moves verrrrryyyy slooooowlyyyyyy try4

« on: January 12, 2014, 03:36:27 PM »

Reading through the forum in an effort to fix a problem with lost steps in my X and Y axes and probably my Z axis as well, I came upon the Windows XP Professional System Optimization Guide which I chose to follow. Now the machine moves at a snail's pace. Really a snail's pace. It's that slow. Rapid traverse is minutes per inch, not IPM. Even so, my slave X axis misses a lot of steps and racks the gantry.

When I run Driver Test, I now get a nice straight line at about 40 microseconds between pulses to about the 200 mark, the the plot goes straight up off the scale for the duration of the test. The test message says my system is excellent, which is just not so. Prior to that, I was getting pulse variations at regular intervals.

Before I started changing things, I had a fairly reliable drift to +Y in the Y axis, and a problem in the X axis that would take the gantry out of square.

My machine is a CRP4896 gantry router w/ NEMA 34 motors and CRP drive electronics. The A axis is slaved to the X axis. The computer is a Dell Optiplex 755 1.6 GHz running XP Pro. Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, and wired Ethernet to a wireless repeater. I recently added the Rosewill PCI parallel board, which was working normally though still losing steps prior to my following the Optimization Guide.

So now my system is all honked up, and I would very much appreciate some help.

I have attached my XML file for your convenience.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Router cuts angles wrong

« on: June 18, 2013, 10:04:24 AM »

I knew that.   I just don't know how to make that little hickey above the "a."

Don't much care, either. You can keep your little secret and it won't bother me. How often do I need that? Next thing, you'll be telling me what the hickey is called. Actually, I tried to pencil it in, in my first post. It just didn't come through, I guess.

lol
Brad

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Router cuts angles wrong

« on: June 17, 2013, 01:37:33 PM »

Well, this might forever remain a mystery. I started over, drew the part in DCad, exported to DXF, imported to CamBam, generated toolpaths, and viola (some folks think that word is "walla")!!!  Perfection!

Obviously operator error. Somewhere.

Thanks, Everyone.
Brad

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Router cuts angles wrong

« on: June 17, 2013, 12:24:28 PM »

3.503 is 3.3503?

Close enough for the girls I go out with. Typo.

Thanks, RICH

Brad