Messages

1

Galil / Re: Galil plugin version 4.6 available.

« on: October 13, 2014, 04:25:16 PM »

I can't get either 4.6 Plugin to work with my DMC-1425.  Both will allow the table to jog in Mach3 with the arrow keys but neither will cause the Galil to move when executing a program.

This special version of 4.5 is the only plugin I can get to reliably work, but 4.5 has some quirks too: http://www.smcomp.com/~smurph/galil/Galil.zip

Any suggestions?

2

Galil / Re: Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

« on: February 15, 2012, 10:30:47 AM »

As a temporary solution I have wired my limits to my ABORT input on my DMC1425, and jumpered ABORT to the input pin I have assigned to E-stop in Mach3.

3

Galil / Re: Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

« on: February 14, 2012, 01:46:46 PM »

I have noticed different behavior with the 4.5 plugin and my DMC1425 versus the 4.4 plugin with my PCI DMC1800.

When I trip an limit or E-stop button with 4.4 and my DMC1800, mach 3 goes into E-stop mode instantly, and the machine stops instantly.

When I trip a limit or E-stop with the 4.5 special plugin and my DMC1425, mach3 goes into E-stop mode instantly, but the machine will keep executing commands for a bit (maybe a second?) before it notices the E-stop.

Also, if I am holding down an arrow key to jog the machine, and trip a limit, mach3 will go into E-stop mode instantly, but the machine will keep jogging until I let go of the button.  Once I let go of the button, the machine will stop completely and remain in E-stop mode until reset.

It's almost like the plugin doesn't notice that Mach3 has entered E-stop mode.

Ideas?

4

Galil / Re: Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

« on: January 24, 2012, 09:57:01 AM »

That special plugin is working great with my DMC 1425.  No problems with Timeouts, and I don't notice the machine stopping at all.

I am still keeping an eye on my Galildebug.txt.  Should I be seeing anything when it catches a timeout?

5

Galil / Re: Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

« on: January 16, 2012, 09:27:56 PM »

Tomorrow morning I am going to unhook all my limits for testing, there is a possibility they could be flaky.  I've noticed that sometimes a noisy limit can silently trigger the Galil without showing up in Mach3.

6

Galil / Re: Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

« on: January 16, 2012, 01:37:31 PM »

It stopped again (with the new plugin).  This time there was no error message in Galildebug.txt.  Mach3 stopped executing Gcode and I had to exit out of Mach3 and relaunch it to get it to work again.

Attached is the Galildebug.txt

7

Galil / Re: Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

« on: January 16, 2012, 12:26:25 PM »

Thanks for the quick response!  I updated the DLL this morning and will report back with the results.

The computer running the CNC machine never has CPU usage above 20% while executing code in Mach3.  Right now the computer is a 2.8ghz P4 with 512MB Ram running XP with ACPI turned off.  It is connected to the Galil by a 6 foot long crossover cable (192.168.2.x).  A second NIC connects it to the internet (10.183.0.x).  I have tried a different computer, different NIC (onboard Broadcom, a reltek, and a 3com), and different cables with the same results.

I have one DMC2140 in use over Ethernet and have not noticed any problems (but then again I have never had to dig through galildebug.txt on that machine).  Is it possible the DMC1425 is being slow and choking occasionally?

8

Galil / Re: 2.5D mode in Mach3 with Galil

« on: January 16, 2012, 12:16:08 PM »

I'll give it a try and report back, but for now we went the M code route.

I'm planning on packaging up all the macros, brains, and screens, and posts (Sheetcam and Mastercam) we use for our 4 headed 2.5D machines and uploading them shortly.

9

Galil / Re: Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

« on: January 10, 2012, 12:08:17 PM »

Occasionally my CNC machine will stop operating and I will get "Galil Error -1: Emessage = "A time-out occurred while waiting for a response from the controller."" in GalilDebug.txt.

When it happens, if I query the controller in SmartTerm it appears to be working normally.  But to get it working in Mach3 I have to exit out and start the program again.  Just pressing the reset button doesn't fix it.

Sometimes everything will work fine for days, sometimes it will do it every 20 minutes.

I do not believe it is a network connectivity issue because I ran a continual ping (ping 192.168.2.1 -t > log.txt) to my Galil controller and it was uninterrupted during the failure.

I have tried a different computer, a different DMC1425, different cables. 

Any ideas?

Pretty soon I am going to dig out a PCI DMC1800, rewire the breakout box, and give it a try.  I have a few of those cards working in similar machines without trouble.

Here is a log of the important parts of my GalilDebug.txt

http://pastebin.com/6hfeH4da

10

Galil / Re: 2.5D mode in Mach3 with Galil

« on: January 10, 2012, 09:51:57 AM »

I have come to the conclusion that 2.5D mode on ouput #6 isn't possible to use with the Galil Plugin.  I wrote another post processor that supported M codes to do what I wanted.