Messages

1

Mach3 under Vista / Re: New setup for USB board by BSMCEO4U-PP Bitsensor

« on: April 22, 2020, 11:30:23 PM »

Hello kthoma85,
Yes, my setup is running well (at last) as far as driving the motors, etc. is concerned, the problem I have had for some time has been the 'try before you buy' limitations of the Mach3 software.
You will probably find that the Bitsensor board is okay anyway but there are other boards for sale which are reasonably cheap and even more refined.

I understand that Mach3 is no longer being 'developed' (read: making it work for ordinary users) so I can offer you a couple of suggestions to see if they are of help.

Firstly, you need to be sure you have a  license loaded into the Mach3 folder on your computer's drive. Without this, you cannot run more than about 50 lines of g.code.

Secondly, Follow the suggestions posted by Tweaky and Claudio. The settings they have posted have worked for me but you need to also look at settings for 'direction, homing, axis calibration' and so on to get your machine into working order. There are some good YouTubes for this.
I assume you are using a Chinese 6040 X,Y,Z and A (rotary) 4 axis setup.

If you don't make any progress doing all this I can transcribe all my settings in the Mach3 configuration tab but, as always with these things, it's better to plod through the tedious learning process so that you can better understand 'cause and effect'.
Can I also suggest that you have a look at the YouTube clips put out by Roger Webb and others, including the Artsoft tutorials, which go some way to clearing away the mists of this really poorly-contrived software.
It's a paradox when you are invited to download and try a program which doesn't run and which has a really counter-intuitive GUI.

I hope this is helpful  ,

Scintilla.

2

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Simplest way to convert .stl to .tap from Tinkercad model

« on: February 29, 2020, 08:46:06 PM »

Thanks again, Tweakie,
So would I be correct in thinking that I should just run the .stl file through Meshcam and cut and paste the resulting file into the GCode window of Mach3?
The only file extensions shown in the resulting output of Spin 3D appear to be .3dp, 3ds, .3mf, .ply and .obj. It doesn't show an obvious plain GCode file extension such as just plain old .gcode.
Is it possible to just rename a *.stl file as *.tap or *.3dp. etc., and expect it to load into the Mach3 GCode window and run?
I have reloaded the latest version of Mach3 and now it seems to have widened the frame and doesn't leave space for the MPG panel on the right hand side. I can sort this out at another time, I just want to be up and running.
I will try to run these versions to see if I can get a version to set up my model in the Tool window.

Did I mention that I'm slow with this? 

3

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Simplest way to convert .stl to .tap from Tinkercad model

« on: February 26, 2020, 08:22:12 PM »

Hello Tweakie,
Thank you for you rapid response and helpful attachment.
I like your comment regarding pressing on in spite of endless setbacks. It gives me some encouragement 
Mind you, we Australians regard Winston's (mis-) handling of Gallipoli as no great eventual triumph, just a disaster dressed as a victory. But back to the topic...

I have tried your suggestion regarding 'Save Files of Type' by running my Tinkercad .stl file through Meshmagic and then their Spin 3D mesh converter.
I pasted the file, in various file type suffixes, into the Load GCode window and all I find in the display window (appropriately a really gloomy black place) and all I have ever been able to find, is a group of lines with no resemblance to the model.
I don't see any lines if GCode in the window, either.
When I run the Road Runner .tap file I can (just) see the dark blue lines on the black background and the tool path trace in green when I run it. It seems to work only for .tap files.

I just don't get it. Why would a CAM program be so hostile to loading a simple mesh model. I 3D print stuff all the time and my Anycubic machine with Repetier + Slic3r, etc. and it works seamlessly and reliably. It's even intuitive!
I will try remove and reload the Mach3 program and start again from the proverbial 'square 1' , just in case there's a dud file lurking somewhere.

I have trawled through Wikipedia, etc., to try to discover the attributes of .tap files but the silence is deafening. This is amazing, considering the number of Mach3 users who (presumably) know all about it and don't need to sort out this file compatibility problem. Am I the only person with this gap in my knowledge?

All comments gratefully received, as always.

Scintilla.

4

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Simplest way to convert .stl to .tap from Tinkercad model

« on: February 25, 2020, 10:19:22 PM »

Hello long-suffering gcode newbies everywhere 
Please forgive the ignorance level of my question.
I have really tried to get my old brain around a way to convert my simple Tinkercad models into the correct format for Mach3.
When I export the file as .stl, .svg or whatever, it just seems to be impossible to graft a working file format into the G Code window of Mach3.
For this reason I have not been able to establish a working system using the tutorials available to me.

Firstly, I have absolutely no idea what .tap means, nor do I know anyone who does. This seems to be the only file tag to appear in the 'Load G Code' window.
Secondly, I have tried umpteen so-called conversion programs, trying to make .stl, etc., into .tap files, but with no success.
Thirdly, my Mach 3, 4 axis CNC Mill running on Windows 7 32 bit runs the Road Runner test cut as it should, except that it is very much smaller scale than expected.

So, you can see the level of ignorance I'm trying to overcome. If any kind person can point me towards the best file converter and/or tutorial I would be extremely grateful (and really amazed) because I have been trying to fix this for far too long.

Thanks in advance for any assistance. I really want to learn this process 

Scintilla.

5

Mach3 under Vista / Re: New setup for USB board by BSMCEO4U-PP Bitsensor

« on: October 16, 2019, 09:51:29 PM »

Hello Wvancura,
What a great help to receive these settings for my machine! 
I will reset my Ports and Pins as shown and report the results ASAP.
I can see that this information will be a real boon to all the many frustrated Mach3-ers who have faced this information vacuum.

Many thanks for taking the trouble to put us on the right track, at last 
Scintilla.

6

Mach3 under Vista / Re: New setup for USB board by BSMCEO4U-PP Bitsensor

« on: September 21, 2019, 09:30:40 PM »

Hello Claudio,
Many thanks for your helpful reply. Sorry I have taken so long to answer.
I have reinstalled the Bitsensor board and it works pretty well now. The Stepper Motors work well and the Motor Tuning is easy to set up.
Thanks for the attached wiring diagram. I'm also using the RnR.dll driver as recommended.

There are still some puzzles for me to try to work out.
1. When I wire up my Limit Switches , all Normally Open, to the In 2 terminal and then close the switch(es) to DCM, there is no response.
2. The same is true when I connect EStop from IN 1 to DCM.  No Emergency Stop happens.
3. The same is true for connecting the Home switches from IN 3 to DCM. I use the Limit Switches as Home Switches so I have placed a jumper link from IN 2 to IN 3.
4. The same goes for the Probe connection to IN 4.
5. I have the White Start/Stop wire connected to OUT 2. That seems to be working okay.
I have 24V connected to power the Analog 24V Terminal and 0V to ACM.
I assume the Grounds for Analogue and Digital are connected, so that ACM is at the same (Ground) potential as DCM.

When I look at the Diagnostics tab there seems to be nothing going on at all.

My understanding of PCB layout is that it is unusual to have Analogue and Digital Grounds connected.

My feeling is that I have not assigned the correct Port and Pins numbers somewhere in the Config Tabs. I can change motor directions and so on by checking and unchecking as required. This means the USB is working properly.

I have seen many variations of the Ports and Pins settings on dozens of You Tube videos but I have never seen a complete set of Screen Shots of a fully functional 6040/Bitsensor/USB CNC Mill. I can't afford to change over to another PCB and Stepper Driver combination just now so I would love to have my current machine working properly.
Any further thoughts would be really welcome.

There's nothing wrong with your English! 

Thanks again,
Scintilla.

7

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 and TB6600 under Win7 cant run motors

« on: August 03, 2019, 01:19:11 AM »

Yep, that all makes sense.
I'll only need fairly modest deceleration for my motors and I think the 32 microstep settings will be fine enough for the detail required.
Some of the drivers I have used on smaller projects use 256 microsteps and are very smooth, but only good for 1.5A or so.
I will need to be patient...

Thanks again for your helpful advice,

Scintilla.

8

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 and TB6600 under Win7 cant run motors

« on: August 02, 2019, 10:40:23 PM »

Thanks for the pointers and the reference to Peter Homann. He has some pretty stuff on his web page!

My machine is a very basic 6040 and, at the moment, I'm using a crappy (non parallel port) USB Bitsensor board for the'getting it up and running' work and trying to learn the Mach3 operation.
My tiny budget dictates slow progression so the next step is to fit TB6600 drivers to start prototyping some fairly intricate objects for a long term project for a colleague working with confocal microscopes and tissue culture physiology. Pretty fancy cancer research.

When I'm competent with the CNC software and happy with the progress of the design I will justified in upgrading the electronics completely. It would be nice to jump these intermediate steps but I need to be realistic and aware of financial limits. This research is, for the moment, unfunded. This is a freebie for now but funding should be available later this year or early next year.
We shall see...

Cheers again,
Scintilla.

9

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 and TB6600 under Win7 cant run motors

« on: August 02, 2019, 09:30:35 PM »

Hi again JoeAverage,
Many thanks for your kind and speedy reply.
The setting up of Mach 3 is my starting point for learning to run code and I hope to move to Mach 4 when I'm less vague about the operation protocols.
I will work through my settings accordingly and see if I can optimise the operation of my machine.

It's pretty obvious that you are really experienced in CNC machines so we (old) newbies are doubly grateful for your assistance. I learn new stuff every day by trawling through hundreds of posts and YouTubes in order to bring myself up to speed, but it sure is a slow process for a 74 year old brain. One way of fighting off the dreaded Altzheimer's disease, so I'm told...

Cheers,
Scintilla. ( in deepest Australia )

10

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 and TB6600 under Win7 cant run motors

« on: August 02, 2019, 02:20:23 AM »

Hi, JoeAverage,
Could you please post a list of the various port and pin settings you have found to work?
I'm using the same setup as you and I've just ordered some TX 6600 drivers so a list of settings would be really appreciated. I have spent countless hours debugging my machine's settings and I'm nearly at the end of my patience trying different combinations.
Just some screen shots of the various menus would do the trick 
Thanks in advance,
Scintilla.