Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / No forum for help wanted here?

« on: January 15, 2010, 01:58:15 AM »

I don't see a forum for help wanted or seeking work here.   I could use some benchtop machining help  asap in Los Angeles by someone that knows Mach3, is there a forum here that is suited to this kind of request?

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: Question about how LPT1 is running

« on: August 06, 2009, 07:31:41 PM »

Ha,  yeah I suppose so.  I am resorting to a microprocessor to drive the steppers from strings from the GUI.  Thanks fore the help guys.  This is too proprietary for Mach.  Fortunately I have the external board set up to accept LPT1 and USB to serial at the same time, so both apps(mach 3 and my new gizmo) can talk to the machine when needed without unplugging. 

3

General Mach Discussion / Question about how LPT1 is running

« on: August 06, 2009, 02:15:35 PM »

I am developing a proprietary app in Realbasic to pick and place parts onto an SMT board.  I use Mach3 daily for machining parts for my product.  On the same computer Mach 3 runs the motors very smoothly.  With my app, using a parallel port plugin called Inpout32.dll, the motion from the stepper loop has hickups twice a second.  I had thought that Mach 3 was Visual Basic based, so that maybe it used the same plugin which is popular among VB and RB developers.  I can't use Mach 3 to position the parts as there are a number of values per move that need to be input for the operator, Mach 3 can't manage the structure I want to use, so I need a new app. I would like to get an idea from my Mach3 app as to how it is processing the step and direction output regiuters.  Currently I am doing something like:


A single byte for the output registers (pins 2-9)  bits 0 - 7

example is  byte 0 = direction for X,  byte 1 is step pin for X


//set dir based on where it has to go
//loop this code, include accel and decel functions
00000000    //direction pin = 0
01000000    //turn on step pin for X
00000000   //turn step back off
Pause SpeedRate   //set speed of motor/loop

Mach runs the same motors fine, so I know the port and outputs have the potential.  I need to understand what method is best for looping the motor, if anyone has any suggestions on this I'd appreciate it.  Thanks

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: New error just started. Need help asap!

« on: June 16, 2009, 05:22:50 PM »

Finally back up.  I had to manually redo all tuning, homing, limits, some of the outputs.  Lesson learned, have hardcopy backup!   

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: New error just started. Need help asap!

« on: June 16, 2009, 02:39:54 PM »

Yes,  it was default to off on the new install.

Should the xml settings for tuning, homing and limits, plus ports and pins come back the same on  Mach3 1.84.002 and 3.042.020?

I load in the preset on run, but many things are wrong.  I suppose worst case I can go into the sml and read it and hopefully manually recover info.

Thanks for the help.

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: New error just started. Need help asap!

« on: June 16, 2009, 02:14:39 PM »

I managed to at least get the spindle to turn on and off, and follow speed commands.

I am not even sure that loading the old xml file is putting back all the info.  I can see that the numbers on the homing and limits are all wrong.  Not sure on the ports and pins, can't remember those.

No movement with arrow keys as before.  But with MDI I can move x and y, but they aren't moving the proper distance.  No Z in MDI. 

So this tells me the port is talking, but maybe the settings are all wrong, not sure why the arrow keys are  dead.  I wish I could just get the old version on the old drive to run without the art 100 error.

OH, also it appears now all my old cad files and gcode are missing from the desktop on the old drive, searching old file names turns up nothing.  Fortunately I can fine some backups of recent important stuff.

Worst possible time for a crash.

7

General Mach Discussion / New error just started. Need help asap!

« on: June 16, 2009, 12:14:27 PM »

After 3 years on the same system, XP pro, Mach3 1.0.0.1 from 2006. I just started getting an error trying to run mach 3.  On run, the main little graphic comes up but then a little popup error  message says "error triggered" and asks to try to retry or something, press yes and then "art code 100 error triggered".  Cancel and the standard crash error pops up asking about submitting error.

Coincidentally, shortly after this error yesterday, I rebooted the computer, motherboard dies completely.  $550 later and new motherboard, main boot drive, new ram, same error.  I am booting off a fresh drive but trying to run mach 3 off the old drive, both are connected still.

After installing Mach3 version h3.042.020, I dragged my old xml with setups into the new drive Mach 3 folder, on run there is the box to choose the setup, I choose my old one, nothing works on the machine.  The parallel port is enabled. 


Any advice appreciated!  

Thanks