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General Mach Discussion / x axis loosing current position
« on: July 02, 2009, 08:28:41 PM »
I have a 3 axis home built machine using Camtronics Stepper Motors with the MACH 3 (version 3.041) software in the controller. I use this machine to drive a 3 HP router to shape wood parts - the cutter table size is 4 feet by 8 feet.
I have over the years occasionally had a problem with the X axis loosing steps, that I have corrected by just reinstalling a "golden XML file" that I keep stored on the hard drive. Last night while making a relatively square part - the machine was moving in the negative x direction in a 40 inches move when it lost about 10 inches in current position register. The result of this error is the cutter head changed direction about 10 inches before it should have and ruined the part. When I saw this performance I reloaded the XML file - but the problem persists.
It appears that if I let the machine run - it would follow the same path (X Axis being 10 inches from original datum). I am convinced that it is not a hardware problem with the machine - the motors did not growl or sound like it was under undo load. I believe that something in computer is being corrupted or that the processor is being interrupted and is loosing count this way. When originally setting up the machine I used the instruction "Mach 3 Optimization" - shuts off screen saver, no auto updates ...that kind of stuff. The machine has worked flawlessly for a year - and now is corrupted. A year ago - when I saw this problem - I decided to reformat the hard drive and having done so have had no problem since - that was a lot of work - if there is a simple fix I would like to avoid having to rebuild a hard drive.
One final note : the method I transfer G code files from my design computer to the shop computers is through a thumb drive. Virus's is an issue (that was the root cause problem a year ago) but I scanned the thumb drive - no virus found and I run a virus / malware protection problem regularly pn my design computer - since it is connected to the internet with all the filters and firewalls ... so I don't think I have a virus, but I am doing some checking into that now.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Krug
I have over the years occasionally had a problem with the X axis loosing steps, that I have corrected by just reinstalling a "golden XML file" that I keep stored on the hard drive. Last night while making a relatively square part - the machine was moving in the negative x direction in a 40 inches move when it lost about 10 inches in current position register. The result of this error is the cutter head changed direction about 10 inches before it should have and ruined the part. When I saw this performance I reloaded the XML file - but the problem persists.
It appears that if I let the machine run - it would follow the same path (X Axis being 10 inches from original datum). I am convinced that it is not a hardware problem with the machine - the motors did not growl or sound like it was under undo load. I believe that something in computer is being corrupted or that the processor is being interrupted and is loosing count this way. When originally setting up the machine I used the instruction "Mach 3 Optimization" - shuts off screen saver, no auto updates ...that kind of stuff. The machine has worked flawlessly for a year - and now is corrupted. A year ago - when I saw this problem - I decided to reformat the hard drive and having done so have had no problem since - that was a lot of work - if there is a simple fix I would like to avoid having to rebuild a hard drive.
One final note : the method I transfer G code files from my design computer to the shop computers is through a thumb drive. Virus's is an issue (that was the root cause problem a year ago) but I scanned the thumb drive - no virus found and I run a virus / malware protection problem regularly pn my design computer - since it is connected to the internet with all the filters and firewalls ... so I don't think I have a virus, but I am doing some checking into that now.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Krug