Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Optimizing Isolation Routing and Motor Tuning questions

« on: May 25, 2018, 07:08:01 PM »

Background: My 20" x 40" DIY CNC table has a 14" x 30" machinable area and has been in hobbyist service for 7 years, always using Mach3 v3.043.066.

My PC is 64-bit. 3Ghz, 3GB RAM, Windows 7 Pro (had been XP years back), Mach3 Kernel speed has always been 25Khz, parallel port driven BOB.  B.O.B. is CNC4PC C1R10.
For XY axis: Keling KL-4030 Drivers, Keling KL23H286-20-8B 425 in/oz stepper motors, powered by KL 350-36, 36 volt, 9.6A Switching power supply.  XY gantries are timing belt driven, Z gantry is ACME Lead Screw driven. All axis use V-groove bearings on aluminum linear rails.  I recently modified the .75" x .75" aluminum rails by adding anodized V-Rails to them while maintaining their basic dimensions.  Recent "pull" tests of the X and Y gantries with timing belts removed showed the X-gantry required between 3-1/2 to 4 lbs of pull to move through full travel.  The Y-gantry required 2 to 2-1/2 lbs of pull to move through full travel.  The pull required prior to the V-rail upgrades are unknown but believed to have been a few pounds more for each axis.  The XY timing pulleys are 1" diameters, so the stepper motors have more than sufficient drive torque for their loads.  Stepper driver's heat sinks are only ever slightly warm.  With the V-rail additions, the XYZ axes travels are smooth with very low mechanical slop.

Calculated XY resolution is .0008".  As such, I am trying to determine why diagonal bit travels have visible stair-stepping and why some circular pads one straight circuit traces have their upper and lower sides slight offset from each other.  From what I've read in researching this forum, this could be due to motor tuning, velocity vs acceleration vs CV Control settings.  CV Control settings have always be defaults, with only two items checked: CV Dist Tolerance=180units, G100 AdaptiveNubsCV.
I'll post a reply with the XY Motor Tuning screenshot but this post includes back lit photos of recent isolation routed PCB showing areas of interest for feedback.

The isolation routing was done using a .005" dia. tip, 60 degree engraving bit, 20,000 RPM, Feed Rate 15 IPM, D.O.C. of .006", through 1 mil copper clad board 1/16" thick.

X-CircleTracking-1 photo shows upper and lower half of solder pads are slightly offset in the X-axis and this does also occur when trace and pad are aligned on the Y-axis.  Is this an acceleration issue?
X-CircleTracking-2 photo shows vertical and horizontal traces routed are nice, smooth and straight (expected behavior) with diagonal portions of these traces show stair-stepping.  Some stair-stepping is expected but on the order of .001", or so I think.  Is this also an acceleration issue?

P1000687-c photo, A board I did about 6 years ago, does not show the same degree of stair-stepping.

I'm wondering whether since reducing the XY axis friction with the V-rail modification is the a factor in the root-cause of what is now happening.

Thanks for your feedback and let me know if I can provide further information.

2

General Mach Discussion / Caution: Win7 Security Update KB4054518

« on: May 14, 2018, 02:01:42 PM »

I normally run my Win7 Pro CNC machine with no Internet connection but I made an very temporary exception recently and found this bit of trouble>

A few days ago I installed the Autoleveller software which needed to download an update to .NET and C++ Redistributable. So on May 8th, 2018 I connected an Ethernet cable to the Win7 PC and downloaded and installed these. No problem, Mach3 and the Autoleveller app worked just fine. Then I forgot and left the Win7 connected to the Internet for several hours while not using it. As I was getting ready to shut down the Win7 PC there was an MS message on the screen telling me updates were ready to install.  I thought, oh no, it detected MS updates were available.  I paused, then I clicked OK, the updates installed without issue and I shut down the PC and disconnected the Ethernet cable.

Several days later, I started the Win7 CNC PC, logged in, went to start Mach3 and about the time the Artsoft logo would appear, the PC rebooted. I went through this start-up scenario 3 times with the same results. I then disconnected the PC's parallel port cable to my C1R10 BOB with no difference. Then I Google'd this Win7/Mach3 behavior and saw a post on CNCZone.  https://www.cnczone.com/forums/mach-software-artsoft-software-/356934-beware-windows-7-update-kb4088875-2.html

I went back to the Win7 PC and looked at the installed updates to see the recent updates. There were 8 updates installed dated today, May 11th, one was a "Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB4054518)" the other 7 were just "Update for Microsoft Windows..." I uninstalled the "security" update, rebooted, confirmed it was removed and then Mach3 started and worked properly. I left the other 7 updates installed.

There was discussion that this recent security update had adverse interaction with Mach3's parallel port driver.  But all I found were MS KB posts from Oct/Nov 2017 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4054518/windows-7-update-kb4054518 and this for information https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4048957/windows-7-update-kb4048957.

There is probably no ill effects by this KB if using a USB smooth stepper.

I don't think my Win7 PC was connected to the Internet for most of 2017 since prior Windows updates had 2016 dates.  Just beware.

3

General Mach Discussion / Mach3 (3.043.066) licensed version - Motor Tuning decimal resolution

« on: June 29, 2015, 11:30:56 AM »

I've had and used a licensed copy successfully for 5 years but a few years ago had to move Mach3 to another PC with XP so I could upgrade my x86 quad PC to Win7.  It's worked fine on which ever platform I installed it and only had it active on one PC (although I must admit I have done much CNC'ing in the past two years I have done a few projects).

Recently I saw a YouTube of a fella showing how to use the Settings tab to perform Axis Calibration to fine-tune the steps-per for an axis.  HIS Mach3's Steps-per values accepted and retained values out to 5 decimal places.

My Mach3 has ALWAYS allowed me to enter 5 decimal places for Steps-per in Motor Tuning but always rounds down to two decimal places.  e.g. 1142.86 instead of 1142.85764.  I know this is a small error for steps-per-inch but why the rounding to 2 places?  I've always assumed Mach3 did so a standard practice but now I see exceptions in other users values.  And I understand how Mach3 rounds up or down 1 step (or microstep) to a whole number.

So why does this guy's Step-per show 1545.83459 or 5 decimal places on his motor tuning values?  I posted this on the CamBam Forum and a responder confirmed he also had the same version as me and got 5 decimal places in his Motor Tuning.

My former and current Mach3 PC are Core2 Dual or Quad 2+Ghz, 3GB RAM machines running a Mach3 Kernel speed of 25000 Hz.

Any ideas?

4

General Mach Discussion / Last Revision of Auto Too Zero for XY & Z

« on: March 22, 2014, 06:46:15 PM »

My apologies for not keeping up with updates on earlier posts on this topic.  A recent message made me aware that I had not provided my latest version of this button macro for Auto Tool Zero.

This new version adds prompting to input the tool diameter at the beginning, and auto-calculates the tool offset.


This code was last updated on 12/6/2011...time passes 


Sub Main()

Dim ConfirmReady As String
Dim DoXY As String
Dim DoZ As String
Dim TouchPlate As Double
Dim XaxisDRO As Integer
Dim YaxisDRO As Integer
Dim ZaxisDRO As Integer
Dim ToolDia As Double
XaxisDRO=800
YaxisDRO=801
ZaxisDRO=802

Message ( " Prepare to enter tool diameter. " )
ConfirmReady = AskTextQuestion("Confirm Touch plate leads are connected and ready. (y/n)")
If ConfirmReady = "y" Then GoTo 1 Else GoTo 5


1:
DoXY = AskTextQuestion("Zero X and Y also? (y/n)")
If DoXY = "y" Then GoTo 2 Else GoTo 3


2:
ToolDia = AskTextQuestion("What is the tool diameter?")
Message( "Auto Zeroing X...")
SetOEMDRO(XaxisDRO, 0.0000)
Sleep 1000
If IsSuchSignal (22) Then
   code "G31 X-2 F10"
   While IsMoving()
   Sleep 100
   Wend
   SetOEMDRO(XaxisDRO, ToolDia/2)
        Sleep 1000
   code "G1 X.5"
End If

Message( "Auto Zeroing Y..." )
SetOEMDRO(YaxisDRO, 0.0000)
Sleep 1000
If IsSuchSignal (22) Then
   code "G31 Y-1 F10"
   While IsMoving()
   Sleep 100
   Wend
   SetOEMDRO(YaxisDRO, ToolDia/2)
   Sleep 1000
   code "G1 Y.5"
End If

3:
DoZ = AskTextQuestion("Position the touch plate to zero Z.  y  to continue or n to skip.  (y/n)")
If DoZ = "y" Then GoTo 4 Else GoTo 6

4:
TouchPlate = AskTextQuestion("Enter Touch Plate thickness: e.g. 0 or .182")
Message( "Auto Zeroing Z..." )
SetOEMDRO(ZaxisDRO, 0.0000)
Sleep 1000
If IsSuchSignal (22) Then
   code "G31 Z-2 F5"
   While IsMoving()
   Sleep 100
   Wend
   SetOEMDRO(ZaxisDRO, TouchPlate)
   Sleep 1000
   code "G1 Z1"
End If
GoTo 6

5:
Message ("Tool zeroing aborted.  Try again when ready.")
GoTo 7

6:
Message "Tool zeroing complete.  Check the results on the DROs."

7:
End Sub             


Holler if you have any questions.

5

VB and the development of wizards / Modifing Operator Editable Button Macros

« on: July 11, 2010, 04:28:53 PM »

I'm using a licensed version of Mach3, Version R3.042.038.

I've searched the forum and Mach Customize wiki until I'm blue in the face, so now I must ask.  I am familiar with MS VBA and have a modest amount of successful experience with it. 
I've read the following as well: Mach3 V3.x Programmer Reference Draft v0.11a.pdf, VB-Script-Commands.pdf, VB Constants Signal Numbers,VB Standard DROs and do not find my answers within.

When writing new VB for say, the Auto Tool Zero button, there seems to be Mach3 specific VB commands in the form of subroutines that can be entered without the formal Cypress VB "Sub Main()", "End Sub" beginning and end syntax.
As an example:

Message( "Auto Zeroing Z..." )
If IsSuchSignal (54) Then
code "G31 Z-3 F20"
While IsMoving()
Wend
Call SetDRO( 2, .059 )
code "G1 Z1"
End If

Can these VB statements be used inside of the normal Cypress VB subroutine structure as well, with defined variables etc. for an Operator Editable OEM button?

Are there any guidelines, published within the forum or wiki for doing so?

Does Cypress VB or Mach3 VB support the use of Labels as would be used with a "Goto BadEnd" statement, where "BadEnd:" is the syntax used on a script line for the goto entry point?

Many thanks in advance,

6

General Mach Discussion / Auto Tool Zero for XY&Z?

« on: June 23, 2010, 10:09:54 PM »

I'm using the Probe Input currently for auto zero'ing Z but I'm wondering can it also be used to then sequentially zero X&Y by modifying the VB script?  Or is the G31 code only for moving Z down?  Is G31 X1 F20 or G31 Y1 F20 legal?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

7

General Mach Discussion / Plugin Control Menu Bug-Mach3?

« on: June 14, 2010, 12:14:43 AM »

Hi, just joined forum and recent Mach3 user and learning every day.

Anyone know why when I click the Plug in Control menu then select Video Window it causes Mach3 to lock up solidly, so much so that Windows XP w/SP3 cannot completely shutdown?
I'm not sure what the "Video Window" is unless it is referring to the Table Display in the upper right corner of the screen.  I find very little information about this menu item.

Any insights would be appreciated.