Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: newb questions

« on: January 15, 2010, 06:00:29 PM »

Jon, over at www.Phlatforum.com, we use Mach3 for running our PhlatPrinters, and Google Sketchup for generating the drawings for our RC models.  Some of the guys there are programmers and have created a plugin called the PhlatScript, for use with Google Sketchup.  (Both the program and the plugin are free.)  The Phlatscript plugin has the ability to designate features as "centerlines" and "fold lines" which will create the gcode for a partial-depth cut along that line.  Using a ball-end or rounded bit, some of the guys have been drawing multiple lines at 1/2 of the bit diameter offset from each other, then cutting the first one at 25%, the second one at 50% and the third one at 75" depth.  The result is a bevel, with very slight scalloping.  The Phlatscript also allows us to designate "Inside" or "Outside" cuts, to maintain climb cuts on the finished surface, place "Tabs" so the cut part doesn't break free of the parent material, and other stuff.
Maybe you should check it out.

2

Polls / Re: Most Popular Motor Frames

« on: January 15, 2010, 05:14:09 PM »

I got my votes corrected, Thanks. 
btw Daniel, just drop the word "please", OR say
". . . . - NEMA23 frames measure ~ 2.25", but the 60mm frames measure ~ 2.38"

3

Polls / Re: Most Popular Motor Frames

« on: January 15, 2010, 02:05:15 AM »

I can't change my vote, but I should have selected Nema23 Square and 60mm Square.  Keling motors are 60mm - http://www.kelinginc.net/KL23H286-20-8B.pdf

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach Controls On/Off of spindle, not speed?

« on: January 03, 2010, 02:27:58 AM »

Barry - I recently had a somewhat similar problem with a 3-axis router that uses a SmoothStepper and a Dremel for the router head (my PhlatPrinter). Due to the low amp-load of the motor, I wired a micro-switch directly to the AC on the Dremel and have been using Z-axis moves to start / stop the motor.  It's been working fine for nearly a year, but suddenly Mach kept crashing, every time the switch would open to stop the motor.   
Fortunately, I had recently installed a sight-window in my controller box, so I could see the lights on the SmoothStepper when all was running.  What I noticed was that BEFORE Mach would finally signal that it had crashed (it was freezing up for a minute first) - anyway, before Mach would signal, the RED light on the SmoothStepper had gone out.  The RED light is the "data-transfer" light on the SmoothStepper.
Apparently, as the Dremel and the micro-switch have aged, they have become electrically noisy enough to interrupt the data-flow to the SmoothStepper, upon disconnect, every time.

So what might that mean to you?  Your problem might be electrical noise that is triggered by starting the motor.  Maybe you need some shielded cables, an opto-isolated relay, a better grounding circuit.

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: Gecko G540 Based Stepper Controller Wiring Diagram

« on: January 03, 2010, 02:01:19 AM »

Excellent!  Thank you! 

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: New Smooth Stepper Updates on the Warp9 site

« on: January 02, 2010, 03:43:51 PM »

(from within the zipped download file at http://warp9td.com/files/SmoothStepperUSBDriver2.06.00.zip )

Release version

2.06.00 (October 22, 2009)
WHQL candidate version with various bug fixes and enhancements.

Release Fixes

•   Corrected buffer optimisation for hi-speed devices.
•   Fix BSOD when terminating application with full buffers after disconnect.
•   Prevent data being written to hi-speed chips until baud rate has stabilised.
•   Fix XOn/XOff issue.
•   Fix BSOD when connecting an FT232R/FT245R with endpoint size of 0.
•   Fix possible BSOD when opening hi-speed device with full buffers.
•   Added ability to alias hi-speed baud rates up to 12Mbaud.
•   Added more languages to FTLang:
o   Dutch
•   Corrected positioning of controls on property page for some display settings.
•   FTLang will now detect current user interface language rather than Windows system language.