Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: Using mach 3 to control a laser and need to disable it whentraveling

« on: July 11, 2020, 12:14:13 PM »

Thanks TPS, that did the trick. I've been using it for a week now with no issues. 

you can do this with a few lines in macropump macro. make sure it is enabled in General config, and you remove Output3
in spindle tab.

Code: [Select]

'turn output ON
If GetDro(2) < -0.01 Then
ActivateSignal(OUTPUT3)
End If

'turn output OFF
If GetDro(2) >= 0.0 Then
DeactivateSignal(OUTPUT3)
End If


2

General Mach Discussion / Using mach 3 to control a laser and need to disable it whentraveling

« on: June 27, 2020, 10:00:13 AM »

Hi all,

I've been using mach 3 for the last year to run my laser and the only issue I have is that the laser runs continuously while traveling. I use it to create stencils for my work and it occasionally wrecks some of the more detailed parts. I use the m7/coolant option to toggle the laser and am wondering if it is possible to configure mach 3 to disable/enable the coolant when Z is at a specific value. I've seen a few things on using the VB script editor but I'm not sure if that is the correct option.

My settings on ports & pins are output #3, port 3, pin 1 and the coolant is set for #3 on the spindle tab. I would like to toggle it so that coolant is on when Z is at or below -0.01 and off when it is at or above 0.00.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: Limiter switch not being detected

« on: October 24, 2019, 12:25:19 PM »

Found the issue. The drawn wiring instructions were labeled incorrectly and the 12V power needed to run to com+/-. Additionally I discovered that the limit switches were labeled incorrectly by the previous owner. The X++ switch I was testing because it was closet to the control board was actually the Y++ switch on the other side of the table.

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: Limiter switch not being detected

« on: October 23, 2019, 10:50:30 AM »

and in config Inputs you have selected port 3 pin1?

Yes, port 3 and pin 1 are selected. I don't get any response on diagnostics when I try to test it. Additionally I did some more tests using just the e-stop button. I noticed that the 12V power on the wiring diagram plugged into com+/- instead of avi+/- like it shows on the hand drawn diagram. When I plugged the power into com+/- I found that power was flowing through all the input and output ports and there was no change when the estop was pressed.

Once again I have almost no experience with this so I am not sure if this is normal or not or how power is supposed to flow through the board. I found that smoothstepper boards are made just a few blocks away from my shop so I will try and pick one up today. Joe might be right and there could be an issue with the board itself.

5

General Mach Discussion / Limiter switch not being detected

« on: October 22, 2019, 02:21:12 PM »

Hey all,

Last weekend my usb controller board finally failed for good and needed to be replaced. One of the pins on the usb port snapped and I am unable to resolder it back on. Thankfully I had a replacement board ready to go as I knew it was failing but kept putting it off because I was using a mark 1 board and the cnc-usb software. Both are no longer supported so I couldn't just swap things out.

I followed the setup instructions https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/electronicsAndMotors-electronic-component-breakout-Mach3-USB-Board to wire up the new board and the motors are working fine. I also have the SPM setup in mach3  and it is working correctly as well.

However I am unable to get the board to detect any signal from the limit switch no matter what I do and I have almost no experience with wiring anything beyond what I have done so far. Image 1 shows the original board and the wiring setup on it. The red box is the wires on NO and green box is all the common wires running to just one port.

I wired the NO connections in the exact same way as the common wire and plugged it in to input 1. I also have a 12V power cord running to the board as well and I tested it to confirm that it is outputting 12V correctly. When that did not work I pulled everything apart and plugged in X-- into input 1 and avi- and it was still not recognized. I pulled up the diagnostics tool and it is not registering anything on input 1 or pin 1. Finally I held a multimeter to input 1 and avi- and get a small reading when I toggle the switch so I think the signal is going through.

All the limiters were working normally before switching to the new board so I know the existing wiring is set properly. I read tweakies guide on wiring the cnc and have been searching for answers but can't figure out what I did wrong.

Any help would be appreciated because I'm out of ideas and starting to get antsy as work in my shop is backing up.

Thanks
Paul

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!

« on: October 22, 2019, 11:56:39 AM »

Hi all,

Paul here and I'm relatively new to owning my own cnc though I have used them with my local makerspace. I mostly use this to cut yard art for my shop and have an ever growing list of projects and things to make with this. Currently I'm using a greenbull cnc from the folks at buildyourcnc.com and am quickly realizing just how little I know when it comes to maintaining these. Definitely looking forward to learning more though and increasing my skillset in the coming months.

I do some general woodworking as well and have a 40W laser cutter that I am eager to get up and running now too. You can see some of my work at titanoakdecor.com and I'm always looking to collarborate with others.

Looking forward to meeting more of y'all.

Paul