Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Mach 3 tripping the e-stop

« on: February 20, 2023, 09:56:09 PM »

Mach 3 ( R3.043.066) is tripping the e-stop. This has happened before and I was advised to check the connections because it was caused by a drop in power.
Could there be any other reasons?
I have RESET and pushed PLAY and it may continue at the same line or it may move to another line of g-code and ruin my work!

2

Third party software and hardware support forums. / z axis stepping inaccurately

« on: February 26, 2018, 04:59:15 AM »

My z axis is doing queer things. It will begin cutting a part and when it rises to the safe z height and plunges to the next cut it does not go to the material height but cuts air until it eventually counts down the passes calculated in Mach 3 and eventually reaches the material surface when it begins to cut again. It does not cut right through the material because it thinks it has stepped down to the right thickness.
Today it finished a cut and instead of raising to safe z above the material it cut a horrible groove across the material back to the origin point.
I went to SETTINGS in Mach 3 and configured the z axis again for steps. It was accurate. No problem with the stepper motor.
I then dismantled the machine (a 6040 from China with water cooled spindle). I did not find anything binding in the physical workings of the z axis and gantry and the coupling between the stepper motor and the ball screw was secure.
I can only think the problem is in the circuitry of the stepper drivers.

Any ideas out there?

3

General Mach Discussion / Mach 3 freezes during operation

« on: November 02, 2017, 09:21:52 PM »

Hi
I am reporting back on this topic of Mach 3 freezing.
I can't remember who advised me to install an earlier version of Mach3 to the one I was using.
This has worked. I have had no freezes since and I have been running some large files of several hours.
So, thank for the valuable help and all power to the forum!
Moonchpa

4

General Mach Discussion / Mach 3 freezes during operation

« on: September 14, 2017, 12:59:45 AM »

Hi
I have no other problems with Mach3 other than during a g-code run it suddenly stops and I cannot use any feature to get it going again. I have to close down and re-start my job. It doesn't happen all the time but it is very annoying.
Any suggestions? Anybody else had this problem and overcome it?
Moonchpa

5

General Mach Discussion / Tool plunges into project too deep

« on: June 04, 2017, 10:25:38 PM »

Hi.
I have a chinese 6040 machine (new). Previously I have been using a Monmus home made machine which has never given the problem I face now so I am guessing the issue may be the machine not the Vectric file I created.
Simply put, after setting the project coordinates to the top of the workpiece to cut a pocket at 3mm passes, The tool plunges deeply into the wood in a vicious attempt to bury itself.
Anybody got any answers or good suggestions?

6

Mach4 General Discussion / mach4 is unmoving

« on: November 04, 2016, 05:49:54 AM »

I am new to this technology and can usually pick up new programmes quickly but Mach4 has me stumped.
I have watched You tube videos until I am cross-eyed, and learned a lot. I have read and re-read the manuals and I have fiddled with Darwin plugin and Mach4 until I am blue in the face.
I now know what most terms mean and why they are important (I think).
I can jog the machine in Darwin without any problems but as soon as I go into Mach4 I cannot get any movement.
There are no red light that display in the diag. screen but there are 3 green leds showing every time in the outputs for M0, M1, and M2 which are my three motors ( I presume).
I notice after I have jogged around thorugh Darwin and go back to Mach4 to try to get some movement that the estop has been tripped in Darwin and I have to reset it.
I have undone any estop config in Mach4 and still something makes it shut down in Darwin. Does any of this make sense?
I hope I am like some of you out there that you fiddle around with config. items you lose track of what you have done. I have not used the log function to trace my steps.
One person suggested the idea of trying Mach3 and getting it up and running first because most of the videos etc, are from that edition.
I feel I am so close but something is not happening between Darwin parallel port plugin and Mach4.
I am using Win7 32 bit (something I have learned through my long discovery process).
Ta.