Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: I've Done My Homework, but Can't get Relay to Fire Plasma Torch

« on: February 18, 2017, 11:45:26 AM »

Thanks for explaining that to me, the factory settings I assume leave them all alone then?? well i have messed with them but i put them back to factory settings as the manual says.
I know i have seen some high dollar THC out there and figured i'd get the proma because so many people were talking about it. Proma guys in the email were very confusing but i have had help from a guy here in the USA who has helped me a lot in getting it going.

Thanks for explaining it more clearly.

Chris

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: I've Done My Homework, but Can't get Relay to Fire Plasma Torch

« on: February 18, 2017, 11:23:30 AM »

i had a ohhhhh ok moment lastnight and got it working but don't quite understand about main voltage setting on proma box can you explain?? i was told the higher or lower the voltage is set on mach is what determines the height of the tip of the torch as it cuts above the steel.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: I've Done My Homework, but Can't get Relay to Fire Plasma Torch

« on: February 17, 2017, 05:30:55 PM »

I'm experiencing the exact same problem right now as you describe. I know of someone else who has gotten it to work, I think it's all in the mach program itself but what to check and uncheck I don't know.

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: question about THC and the bob i am using??

« on: January 03, 2017, 09:06:31 PM »

I looked in the electrical box to take notes of everything that is in there.
There is 1-5 Axis CNC Breakout Board Interface For Stepper Motor Driver ST-V2
            
            1-Ethernet smooth stepper
 
            1-12V Mean well power supply unit
 
            1-5v Mean Well power supply nut we jus added to run the ESS and eliminate the usb 5V from the usb plug on the laptop because it was giving us issues
 
            1-48v Mean well Power supply
  
            4-5042 stepper motor drivers that came from CNCrouterparts.com

            4-Nema 23 3/8" shaft motors

            2-Coolig fans that keep it all cool in the box.

             1- Proma THC 150

We ran a lot of test today we are kinda doubting if the Proma THC 150 is working right and if the Break out board is the right one to run the Proma. See this break out board runs just fine if you are cutting with plasma or routing but we can't get it to work with the Proma 150 THC. When we run the ESE test on Proma we should have the Z axis move up and down just like I see in all the youtube videos. We get nothing now on the proma we will see the lights light up for torch up and arc on we DO NOT see torch down light. We decided to run a meter into the proma thc as it is turned on in ESE test mode and we get a split second reading on torch up and arc on but nothing on Torch down. This moment we are thinking we have a problem with the new proma 150 THC and the Breakout board may not work with this unit either. If it is the breakout board which one to try lol there are so many out there. We are running Mach3 and it has to work with it. For whatever reason my friend Chris disconnected the limit switches so there not working I believe in my heart we do need to have them in the future along with if we are in the middle of a cut and it messes up we need to be able to easily go back and restart where we left off while my other friend said Chris would have to go far enough back through G-code to get it to refire in the same spot which was a pain in the butt. I have gone back through my setting at least a 100 times in Mach 3 making sure i have the settings right and I believe they are right. I'm no wiz by any means but at this point I think it is Break out board and possibly Proma that is the problem.
I believe I will write Proma and ask them now because we feel we have tested all that we can test on this thing to get it going. I have asked help from someone else online but would like to hear halls opinions on what we should do?

Thanks
Chris

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: question about THC and the bob i am using??

« on: January 02, 2017, 01:27:55 PM »

I have a separate 5v power supply because the usb off the laptop was just over loading the laptop we think, so there is no more issues running the ess it is getting a constant 5v while before running off the usb from the laptop it was at 4.8v and was giving all kinds of problems. i really don't know why my friend wired it like this the 5v power supply only cost like 9 dollars off ebay lol So sad he's gone but we are forced to learned this thing inside and out.

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: question about THC and the bob i am using??

« on: January 02, 2017, 10:39:04 AM »

yes to all those I think i may have figured out why the proma isn't working, gotta go try today

7

General Mach Discussion / question about THC and the bob i am using??

« on: January 01, 2017, 11:10:22 AM »

Hi, my name is Chris been reading a bit here but time to ask the experts here......I have two friends who built a cnc plasma table 5x10 I believe, the friend who did all the computer end and wiring of this table passed away in April in a Automobile accident the other friend did all the machine and welding of this table. I have been trying to help him out ever since to learn how to work this table, unbelievable what you can learn when you are forced to. We have finally been able to cut some names and other small stuff but when we tried adding a Proma 150 THC well we can't seem to get it to work. All these parst were ordered from cncrouter parts.com to run the system there using Mach 3 that is on a laptop that is going to a Ethernet smooth stepper, then to a 5 Axis CNC Breakout Board Interface For Stepper Motor Driver ST-V2 Link to the board and what it looks like http://www.omc-stepperonline.com/5-axis-cnc-breakout-board-interface-for-stepper-motor-driver-stv2-p-197.html motor drivers I'm not really sure of the part numbers I do know there is a total of 4 motors 4 drivers. I spent 6 hours yesterday till 11pm trying to figure out what we have done wrong to hook up the proma thc 150. I had it cut a straight line and picked the plate up on a angle to see if the thc would work, it will read voltage on the device but torch head doesn't not move up or down as it cuts.
I guess what my concern is now will this BOB work with this Proma 150 THC ??

http://www.omc-stepperonline.com/download/pdf/5_Axis_CNC_Breakout_Board_Interface_Users_Manual.pdf Link to the manual of this BOB.

I have arc, up, and down on the x,y,and z limit pins but again no clue if this is really right.

I've come to this forum because well I'm a bit desperate now. I feel we have almost exhausted every thing we can think of to make this thing work. We will probably go into the esab plasma cutter today to look over some stuff to see if that is all right on that end. i can get a good picture of how all this is wired but don't know how to post the picture from my phone unless I use Facebook link maybe. My friend who is older he has a good friend who is 89 and the guy is still a genius when it comes to electrical stuff like this, he was there during the time of our other young friend that wired this stuff up so he's been a huge help with helping us two idiots learn this lol

Thanks
Chris

8

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 or it could be sheetcam tng

« on: August 07, 2016, 01:55:02 AM »

Thanks I'll try that.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 or it could be sheetcam tng

« on: August 06, 2016, 02:18:25 PM »

Another retarded newbie mistake lol so what I would press to load before to load g code was sheetcam symbol and it would load G-code and now it won't work but if I press the tap file instead it loads the G code correctly into Mach3 and runs. So any Newbie out there having issues press the tap file instead.  I can feel about 400 gray hairs growing on top  of my head lol

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 or it could be sheetcam tng

« on: August 06, 2016, 02:06:46 PM »

Monday I was able to get it all to work and draw out on the table with a sharpie, my problem was simply disabling the plunge safety warning, now I have a problem I can't load any of the G code it shows at the bottom left it shows.... Bad character used, Block = cutoff    I have saved all these G codes that I created on my thumb drive from last week and they worked perfect, now they won't load.

Oh and I am not using THC later would like to add that to this system. Ho do you guys post a picture here?? a picture is a thousand words for sure would help down the road.