Topics

1

Mach4 General Discussion / Mach4 Home switches

« on: January 13, 2018, 12:06:16 AM »

I have been running Mach3 for about 7 years W/ Screenset2010 on my DIY EVO CNC without many problems. Now for some unknown reason, while running a gcode file, about every two minutes I keep getting an error code (error 3336) pop-up that shuts the program down. ArtSoft technicians doesn't know what to do about it. So now I'm trying to install Mach4 V2 W/ Ess SmoothStepper to see if it will correct these problem. I'm having trouble setting the home switches. I have proximity switches on my X,Y & Z axis and the lights will change on the home screen so I know that they work. Somewhere along the way I'm missing some settings. When I try to 'Ref All' 'Z axis' will go up and trip the switch but nothing happens and Z will not back off of the switch. I have to push 'Stop' to keep from crashing 'Z'. Can anyone give me a lead where I might look to find a good description on setting up the home switches. You can't believe how fresh out of ideas I am. I've been at this trying to fix my EVO CNC for almost two weeks. The tech at ArtSoft gave me some things to try, like turn off my spindle VFD, new drivers for my video card. Wow this has been frustrating!!!!!
Also how do I setup my keyboard to to run the steppers with the arrow keys?
Gene  

2

General Mach Discussion / Laptop DB25 parallel port ?

« on: February 05, 2017, 02:39:38 PM »

Is there a way to get a laptop that does not have a parallel port only USB ports, to run Mach3 using the parallel port on my C10 BOB?
OK this may be a dumb question but I'm getting desperate to get some installation to work.........................

3

General Mach Discussion / New parallel port card question

« on: February 03, 2017, 02:57:40 AM »

I installed a new parallel port card but Mach3 is not seeing it. I'm not sure if I know how to input the I/O address. The I/O address of the ECP Printer Port (LPT1) shows C400-C470. If I input 0xC400 Mach3 doesn't like it. And 0x400 won't work. Is there another way of enter C400-C470? I'm not sure I understand what "enter in Hex 0-9 A-F only"  means. 

4

General Mach Discussion / Problems with Z not cutting the right depth

« on: January 24, 2017, 09:18:17 PM »

I'm using Mach3 ***.056 and have been for some time. I'm building a Joe's EVO CNC and now I've found a new problem. I thought I had been through most of the glitches. I'm trying to make a plaque that I've made about 50 times before on my old Blacktoe CNC router.
For some unknown reason the Z axis is not cutting to the right depth when the g-code calls for a depth change. The code says to cut to 0.045 below zero but the tool (a 90 deg v-bit) barley scratches the surface of the wood. The Z DRO shows the depth change but for some reason the stepper is not moving to the right depth. I have re-calibrated the stepper so many time I've lost count. I use the auto calibrate and move Z down 4" to set the steps. When I recheck the movement of Z it is almost perfect. But this is not reflected when I try to run g-code.
Question: could this be noise in my system?   Or is there a setting I'm missing?  
I'm using a Chinese spindle and VFD which has been the source if most of my problems because of the RF noise. I have shielded wire on the spindle but I don't think the shield is grounded very well. So tomorrow I will do a better job of grounding the shield.

5

General Mach Discussion / Problems with my probe???

« on: January 21, 2017, 06:51:09 PM »

I'm building a Joe's CNC EVO and have the machine up and running. With the three axis calibrated and running very smooth. But there is a glitch in the probe. I can see the probe light come on and run the probing script like it should, if I hold the probe plate in my hand. If I put the plate down on the work piece, Z goes down and touches the probe plate, the green light comes on and the script stops, the probe light will stay on and the Z will not retract. Then I have to unplug the probe plate in order to get control of the cnc again. I have checked all of the connections on the C-10 BOB. Here is something I've noticed when the probe light is on, pin 1 on the BOB comes on to a relay for the 12v to the spindle cooling pump. Also sometimes the Z stepper will move one or two steps.
For a little history, this is my second DIY CNC but I never had problems like this with my probing script. The screenset I'm using is 2010 Screenset.
I have a 104 capacitor on the pins going to the probe.

6

General Mach Discussion / Will not zero machine coordinates

« on: January 02, 2017, 07:25:28 PM »

My Mach3 has started a new problem. It will not let me "Ref All Home" to zero in the machine coordinates. Is there a setting I should check. I had it working but I'm setting up a new Joe's EVO and the ref all home stopped working.

7

General Mach Discussion / Z Axis key board input

« on: December 29, 2016, 09:39:57 PM »

I'm building a Joe's EVO and ran into something I've never seen before. I have been using Mach3 for about 5 years on a diy wooden 'Black Toe' CNC Router that has been running without a problem using Mach3. I have the X & Y axis working very smooth. But the Z axis is acting strange. When I input the up key the Z goes up, pressing the down key will move the Z down, sometimes. I say sometimes because pressing the up key sometimes the Z will go in the wrong direction and vice versa.  I thought it might be the keys sticking on the key board I'm using, but I don't think so, because if I use the "Page Up" & "Page Down" with "Num Lock" I get the same problem.

8

General Mach Discussion / Error triggered Mack3 stopped working

« on: October 19, 2016, 07:11:39 PM »

I am using Mach3 version R3.043.056. Most of the time the program runs fine. But for reason's that I can't see or understand Mach3 goes into an "error triggered Art Code 3336" an stops running. The only way to recover Mach is to shut it down a restart Mach3. By doing so the Machine home setting are lost and have to be reset. The "Working Coordinates zero" will also need resetting and as everyone knows resetting the "Working Coordinates" are very hard to set to the exact settings as they were. Most of the time working with wood this is not much of a problem but I'm trying to cut some 3/4" 6061 aluminum to build a new Joe's EVO CNC router and now this can be a real problem. Has anyone seen this "error triggered" before and found some way to fix it? Sometimes I get "error #3337 or #3336. The number is never the same.

9

General Mach Discussion / Moving to a new PC

« on: October 07, 2016, 08:51:22 AM »

I'm installing a new PC on my diy CNC router and of course using Mach3. I don't want to loss any of the settings I have now.
Is there a file in Mack3 that I should copy to the new PC and move all of the old settings?

10

General Mach Discussion / Mach3 reload Question

« on: December 22, 2013, 09:57:26 AM »

I am having a "crash" problem with Mach3 (see previous post) so I decided to try a reinstall of Mach3. I have everything working but when I load the G Code into Mack3 it will only run just a few lines of the code then stops and the rest of the toolpath window is blank and the 'Black' window is not showing all of the toolpaths. If I look at the 'notepad' editor it shows all of the Gcode. I'm sure I have missed setting something in the program but I can't find the problem. Where might I find the setting to correct this?

Gene