Messages

1

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 under win10

« on: December 10, 2017, 09:36:55 AM »

I have been able to bring up my new system with Windows 10 on Intel NUC i7 Computer.  I'm going to document this migration in case others may find something in there of use.

OLD SYSTEM: Made in 2012, from Chinese hardware and US based electronics by a friend of mine. 
    Gecko 540, Huanyang HY02D223B (2.2 kw) coupled to 1.5 kw spindle, Matty Zee VFD plugin for VFD control, Dell XP Pentium 4 using parallel port and serial to RS-485 for VFD control, iMACH3 Pendant
    Dell Pentium and ELO touch display.

NEW SYSTEM:  Re uses the Gecko and Huanyang, and all motors and mechanics and iMACH3 Pendant.  New computer is Intel NUC i7, with 250 GB of SSD, 8 GB of RAM, and is running Windows PRO (bought on
   thumb drive).  An ASUS VT207N touch display was added to replace the old ELO display. 
       Additional parts:
       1. Warp9 Ethernet Smooth Stepper (ESS) integrated into a box by CNC4PC, along with their C69 PWM board (not used; I didn't order this).  Use Port 1 (Ports 2 and 3 have additional
          capability not needed).
       2. USB to RS-485 converter JBtek converter ($6.99 on Amazon)
       3. A USB hub, with 4 additional outlets.  I plug all the user I/O into this hub: Mouse/Keyboard USB, Pendant, Touch Screen, and any USB for file transfer.

Both systems are wired 240V.  All the wall transformers, etc, work 100-240VAC.

I documented all of my steps, which is in the attached TEXT file.  The Warp9 site is very useful in terms of it's detail  I basically had the whole set up ready for MACH3 by the time the ESS arrived.  Most parts were gotten on Amazon, and they arrive
quickly.

I used the old system to make a wooden shelf, that had features to hold the NUC computer, USB Hub, and the ESS on the old system.  The machine had a set of rails to slide the Dell computer in.  This
wooden shelf could slide in on the same rails, and then the power, USB to RS-485 and parallel cable to Gecko simply plug in.

WHAT WENT WRONG - actually not much.  Here were the sticking points.
    1. I had trouble getting the Matty Zee plugin to load with MACH3 on the NUC Windows 10 at first.  Simply because I neglected to load .NET FRamework 3.5 onto the computer first.  Loading .NET Framework 3.5 was sticky only because I had disabled
       windows update service.  I found a way (see my earlier post) to do this with Windows Update shut down.  Easiest way is to load .NET 3.5 before you shut down Windows Update.  Minor problem in hind sight.  I've been told that Windows Update
       perhaps can't be shutdown with the Home Edition - - I chose Windows 10 Pro, so I can't comment accurately on that.
    2. The ESS in a box is pretty cool, but you have to take covers off to see the LED status when first getting it to talk to MACH3.  Take covers off, get communications going, and screw them back on.
    3. This was the most difficult, though not bad.  When I got everything installed, I could not get ESTOP to reset and motors were not powered.  I had set up the ESS to deliver a charge pump signal to the Gecko 540.  However, apparently the 540 was
        not getting a signal.  SO, in reading the Warp9 documentation, I decided to switch off the charge pump option on the 540 (a small switch for this). PRESTO ! all is good.
    4. It seems to be running really good, but I don't have many "miles" on it yet.  I used defaults for some of the dynamic settings, so some tuning might be possible, but not sure how much better it would get.

See the attached file for my step by step path.  In some cases there is a bit of detail.  In others, it is more of a summary of that step.

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 issues with new computer

« on: December 07, 2017, 09:28:20 AM »

For Lexan and cast acrylic the optimal settings are very non-intuitive.  Has to do with putting the heat into the chip and not the tool, so it won't mark the part.

I had to "fix" a larger more expensive part once.  The 3M stuff you get for cleaning up car headlights can do amazing things for fixing and polishing scratches on lexan and cast acrylic.

I don't do much aluminum on CNC at this time.

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 issues with new computer

« on: December 07, 2017, 08:08:53 AM »

Alex,
If you do decide to re-wire, I'd offer the following thoughts:

1) Use real CNC wire.  It is a flat cable intended for bending, with multi-conductors lying in a plane (e.g. parallel to each other).  Each conductor is made up of very fine wire strands for flexibility.  The jacket is clear and flexible (a urethane ??).
2) Wire connections are NOT soldered.  The wire will fatigue and break at solder joints.  I know from building an airplane, that all aircraft use crimped connections and not soldered for this reason.  I believe the special CNC wire has associated crimp connectors.
3) CNC wire is NOT shielded.  It needs to be flexible.  If you have those folding chain link style wire channels, make sure that they have as little extra stuff in them as possible.  The fuller they are, the shorter the wire life. 
4) If you have a shielding problem, get to the source of it.  My system only has a ferrite on the RS-485 from computer to VFD to eliminate noise spikes.  The electronics is in metal cabinet below the CNC working bed.

It's been a few years since I re-wired.

BTW - I've cut a lot of cast acrylic on my machine and have made some beautiful parts.  Part of the magic of a good cut is the speeds and feeds.  I can look up some data on that if you'd like.

Curt

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 issues with new computer

« on: December 07, 2017, 07:34:25 AM »

I agree with Tweakie - this does not seem like small numbers of lost steps.

On my own machine, now 5 years into it's life, in year 2 after heavy use the wires to the motors started to work harden from the movement and develop intermittent breaks.  Was rare and infrequent at first.

I rewired all the moving wire chases.  I used commmercial / industrial wire meant to use on CNCs to replace the ordinary wire that the builder (a friend of mine) used.  I've had no issues since.  I should say that flexible wire was very expensive, but probably worth it.

Curt

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 issues with new computer

« on: December 06, 2017, 09:04:27 AM »

This is a difficult problem without knowledge of brand and documentation.

However, take a look at some FAQ around setting up one brand of ESS board.  As you read through this, you can see how the plugin configuration can have a big effect on the operation of this rather dynamic system, such as particular frequencies and settings that enable it to run smoothly on one hand, and to avoid loosing information on the other.

https://warp9td.com/index.php/faq/faq-mach3#PinsTwoThroughNine

While this particular information may not apply directly to your hardware, it will give you an idea.  You may go to the plugins menu and configuation menu and see what is there for your hardware, as a first step.   

If you can deduce the brand or mfg, you can then look online for documentation.

Hope this helps.

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 issues with new computer

« on: December 05, 2017, 08:05:34 PM »

For the newer computers, I'd recommend the following, since Windows computers are intended for dedicated real time services:

1 Remove (uninstall) One Drive.

2 Change MACH3 short cut start up to run in ABoveNormal priority

DETAILS:
    cmd.exe /c start "MACH3" /AboveNormal  "C:\Mach3\Mach3.exe" /p CNC_Router

Where CNC_Router should be replaced with your actual profile name.   

3 Disable unused network protocols on the ethernet port, leaving only TCP/IPv4, if using ESS.

4 PC and Screen set to NEVER go into sleep mode.

5 Turn off "Shared Experiences" and "Share across devices".

6 Disable Cortana using the Local Group Policy editor.

7 Turn off Windows Update service.  This will require PERIODIC PC MAINTENANCE for updates.

This can apparently cause some difficulty in installing .NET Framework 3.5, etc, so may need to turn on for service, and then turn off again.

To turn Windows Update back on for an update, or turn off again:
     A. Open "Administrative Tools" in Control Panel
     B. Double Click "Services."  Admin permission required here.
     C. Click Name column to reverse the entries.
     D. Find Windows Update Service and right click, and select Properties.
     E. On the General tab, next to start up, insure Automatic is select to start it (Disable, otherwise).
     F. If starting Windows Update, click "Start" if it's not already running.

7

General Mach Discussion / Re: Can't Get Spindle To Turn On

« on: November 30, 2017, 07:10:22 PM »

Perhaps sharing some information on motor type and driver would help others figure out how to help you.  For example, does it use a VFD to drive the spindle ?

8

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 under win10

« on: November 30, 2017, 09:03:47 AM »

This is a follow-up to my previous post on upgrading to an Intel NUC computer from a working system running 32 bit on older Dell.

I had issues loading the Matty Zee plugin, as I could not get .NET Framework 3.5 to load on Windows 10.  I found a solution to that and thought I'd share the HOW TO, as many folks are having this issue in the Microsoft Support Forums.  While there are in principle many ways to load .NET Framework 3.5, they seem to be problematic on the current Windows 10 for several folks.

.NET Framework 3.5 can be useful for this plugin and other older software (perhaps CamBam as well, for example).

Here's what worked for me, to install .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 10.
1) Plug in USB Windows 10 installation media.  Go to x64 folder and copy folder "sources" to C: drive. 
2) Open a command prompt window with administrator priveleges (right click on Windows icon in lower
left hand corner) - Command Promp (Admin)
3) Type the following command:

dism /online /add-package /packagepath:C:\sources\sxs\microsoft-windows-netfx3-ondemand-package.cab

The copying from D: (USB drive) to C: drive may not be necessary, but I'm documenting what was known to work.

NOW ==> I can load the Matty Zee HuanyangVFD.dll in MACH3

For me, this means I can bring up the new system with most things the same, except for the Ethernet Smooth Stepper.  I have the plugin RS-485 device now working on both computer.  SO, I should be able to unplug the old Dell system and plug the  new one in for testing.  If I have to make parts, and the new system is having issues, I can replug the old computer.

When I'm done with this conversion, I'll post the details of all the steps I had to take to get the conversion done.

9

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 under win10

« on: November 27, 2017, 07:56:05 PM »

I have a Dell Windows XP system that I've used for several years.  I am working on porting the system to Windows 10.  I've put together an Intel i7 NUC computer with 8 GB of RAM and 250 GB of SSD.  With 4 USB out, and no parallel port, of course, I have an ethernet smooth stepper (ESS) on order.  In the meantime, I'm working on controlling the Huanyang VFD for the spindle.  I've got a $7 USB to RS-485 from Amazon, and it communicates well with the VFD over twisted pair.  I downloaded a 32 bit driver for the old system and a 64 bit driver for the new system (NUC).  Both communicate with the VFD.

I have downloaded both the Matty Zee VFD plugin (HuanyangVFD.dll) and the Le Royaume plugin (vfdplugin.dll).  The only one I've been able to load into MACH3 on Windows 10 is the Le Royaume plugin.  The Matty Zee plugin will not load (usual message of defective plugin, following by message, "ignoring plugin.").  I have installed various C++ redistributables on the NUC.  I've had a lot of trouble installing .NET framework 3.5, but I'm not sure if the Matty Zee plugin needs this, or not.  Microsoft has made it difficult to install .NET 3.5, as various auxiliary files are missing, requiring one to use a special tool to build a special CD or file to load from.

I tested both plugins on the old (x86 Dell) system.  I've used the Matty Zee plugin for several years - no issues.  The Le Royaume can be made to run on the old system, but it generates ESTOPs intermittently.  You can run the same part over and over again, with same settings, and sometimes it ESTOPs and other times it does not.

QUESTIONS:
A.  HAS ANYONE GOTTEN MATTY ZEE PLUGIN TO RUN WITH MACH3 (3.043.062) ON WINDOWS 10 ?  IF SO, WHAT FILES (dependencies) ARE THERE (.net, c++ redistributable, ..) ??
B.  DOES ANYONE HAVE A SOLUTION TO THE WILD ESTOPS ON THE Le Royaume PLUG IN ?