Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Getting a Handle on Tool Height

« on: October 09, 2020, 02:43:04 PM »

I recently adapted a scope rail to hold my XYZ probe and added a tool height setter to the back corner of my table. I have viewed a ton of scripts/macros and I am still not quite getting a handle on how to get mine to go from the probe settings, mainly Z of course, to adding a tool and then transitioning over to the height setter and probing the tool to generate an offset so the tool knows where the top of the material is.
I have set up a G59 of the XY zeroed above the height probe so I can easily get to it and I am not sure if that's a good way to go but it gives me a table setting I can reference...I do a Z (XY Centering as well) probe first in G54 of course and then do my probe center to spindle center offset, switch to G59 and go X0Y0 after which I execute the Tool Height script below and I'm trying to get that delta between the stock top and the tool tip into G54 but it is not going too well. I can't quite seem to sort out which setting I need to modify in the script I am using currently.
The script is attached below and originates with the verser series of Mach 3 probing scripts and everything else has worked very well:
I have my probe as tool 99 as it is a requirement though easy enough to change it works fine for me and use Tool 1 for my testing.
I keep getting a zero height of the Tool Height setter so I am missing something just not quite sure which...

2

General Mach Discussion / Picatinny Probe Mount Offset

« on: October 04, 2020, 02:22:30 PM »

I rather marveled at the foldout probe on the Datron Neo and have been working at designing one up but recently it occurred to me as a temporary measure I could use a high quality Picatinny (Rifle Scope) rail and quick release scope mount ring mounted to my Spindle head bracket that I could quickly and easily install and remove with repeatable accuracy without always putting it in and out of the spindle. After a bit of trial and error I have a really solid repeatable level of accuracy, ~.001, that I can pop in and out very quickly. I stress again a good quality rail that is precision machined and matching rings allows you to change scopes and sites with high degrees of accuracy to make a minimal amount of scope/sight re-cal.
I am curious about what is the best way to then program and store the offset between the center of the probe and the spindle center in Mach3. There is a ton of info about the offsets for a number of things and I'm a little confused at to which offset and tool I should assign this to as a matter of best practice.

3

Mach4 General Discussion / Probing

« on: August 28, 2020, 11:12:46 AM »

I have been building a new machine to offset Covid Blues and have got it up and running however in configuring my probe I have run into an issue. I hit the XY calibration and get a Z up move and retract to start then it throws an error stating Probe0 Never hit or the allowed distance was travelled however in never makes an X or Y movement.
What am I missing here...I went back to the config video and have all similar settings but in the video the movement begins and ends with X and Y motion while I have nothing but Z.
I have an ESS V.260 with MB3 and Mach4 .4517

Thanks !
John

4

Mach4 General Discussion / Hybrid Stepper Setup in M4

« on: December 01, 2018, 03:20:17 PM »

I'm using some Schneider LMD drives which are Ethernet enabled closed loop steppers and they do some very odd things in M4 with a Pokeys57CNC. They do odd things differently in one direction than another and I can't get the speed anywhere near the way these things are capable of.
As an example if I send them a direct command via a terminal app they move liked greased lightning the EXACT relative distance I command but if I take the math I use to M4 then nothing is as precise and crisp. They even move oddly less in one direction than another...every cycle I lose a few thou off each side...it's absolutely bizarre.
I can literally set them up in 256*1.8/200 MS which is the default spec (51200MS) write some Schneider based MCODE for doing circles and the machine fairly flys around (almost scary) on little dovetail ways with .0002-3 run-out...I can't get anything near that through M4
I'm hoping someone else or MACH staff has dealt with these drives before.
Thanks!

5

Mach4 General Discussion / Wizards

« on: November 27, 2018, 03:00:02 PM »

I saw a few wizards in the YouTube Channel videos like the servo tuner and such I don't have...can they be downloaded?
Thanks!

6

PoKeys / Mach4, Pokeys and Lexium

« on: November 09, 2018, 05:35:16 PM »

Posting here as well...
Greetings all...I am new to smaller machine tech and recently purchased a Pokeys 57CNC BOB for a small custom machine and I am having a heck of a time hooking it up to a trio of Lexium Ethernet drives. The drives are all configured in S/D mode but I get one little "clik" sound out of them on jog and not a bit beyond that. The drives have a million settings but I have a basic Step/Dir wiring config on pins 4,3 respectively and connected to pins 5,3 on the Pokeys respectively and I'm not doing anything to drive them via Ethernet it's just the config interface at this point. I have some experience programming these drives but none with Pokeyes and boy am I stuck in the mud. I thought it would be a simple thing and am sure it is but I'm not getting the message somehow. These obviously also take a reference but it's auto-sensing and the Pokeys looks to be wanting a sink/gnd so I have a connection to Pin 8 on the motor drive as my reference. Like I said before I get this little clik sound but no motion.
Thanks in advance

7

Mach4 General Discussion / Mach4, Pokeys and Lexium

« on: November 09, 2018, 04:40:16 PM »

Greetings all...I am new to smaller machine tech and recently purchased a Pokeys 57CNC BOB for a small custom machine and I am having a heck of a time hooking it up to a trio of Lexium Ethernet drives. The drives are all configured in S/D mode but I get one little "clik" sound out of them on jog and not a bit beyond that. The drives have a million settings but I have a basic Step/Dir wiring config on pins 4,3 respectively and connected to pins 5,3 on the Pokeys respectively and I'm not doing anything to drive them via Ethernet it's just the config interface at this point. I have some experience programming these drives but none with Pokeyes and boy am I stuck in the mud. I thought it would be a simple thing and am sure it is but I'm not getting the message somehow. These obviously also take a reference but it's auto-sensing and the Pokeys looks to be wanting a sink/gnd so I have a connection to Pin 8 on the motor drive as my reference. Like I said before I get this little clik sound but no motion.
Thanks in advance