Messages

1

PoKeys / running a 3d printer from mach4/pokeys57CNC

« on: March 20, 2020, 11:44:45 AM »

I have the following equipment ;
Modern PC running Windows 10
licensed copy Mach4
A Pokeys 57CNC
Creatity Ender 5 3d printer w/ single extruder head.

I have spent years learning LUA . Pokeys and the Mach4 system
Would like to use mach4/Pokeys57CNC  on the 3d printer.
What I would 'like' to do is connect and run the steppers and end switch's
directly from the Pokeys 57CNC. That part seems simple.
QUESTIONS ;
How could I  run a extruder step motor from mach4/pokeys. How could the extruder know how much filament to extrude.

How could I control the two heaters (base plate and extruder) from mach4/pokeys. There are several thermistors on the printer to feedback temperatures.

I am hoping if I cannot run it all from MAch4, I could use the Smoothie board for the heaters and extruders and  mach4/pokeys for the Steppers.

Existing control system. The original  board in the printer was replaced with a network smoothie board and Smoothieware software
After much trial and error it works but pain in the  ....

any hints , ideas greatly appreciated.  stay safe.

2

Mach4 General Discussion / Use of 3d printer with Mach4 and pokeys 57CNC

« on: March 20, 2020, 11:41:13 AM »

I have the following equipment ;
Modern PC running Windows 10
licensed copy Mach4
A Pokeys 57CNC
Creatity Ender 5 3d printer w/ single extruder head.

I have spent years learning LUA and the Mach4 system
Would like to use mach4 on the 3d printer.
What I would 'like' to do is connect and run the steppers and end switch's
directly from the Pokeys 57CNC. That part seems simple.
QUESTIONS ;
How could I  run a extruder step motor from mach4/pokeys. How could the extruder know how much filament to extrude.

How could I control the two heaters (base plate and extruder) from mach4/pokeys. There are several thermistors on the printer to feedback temperatures.

I am hoping if I cannot run it all from MAch4, I could use the Smoothie board for the heaters and extruders and  mach4/pokeys for the Steppers.

Existing control system. The original  board in the printer was replaced with a network smoothie board and Smoothieware software
After much trial and error it works but pain in the  ....

any hints , ideas greatly appreciated.  stay safe.

3

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Recommendation for 3D printer under $500

« on: March 05, 2019, 12:38:33 PM »

Thank you Joe, very well written by the way. will post on which TOY I buy.

4

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Recommendation for 3D printer under $500

« on: March 04, 2019, 11:37:48 AM »

I forgot to mention, I have a Pokeys 57CNC, a brand new Mach4 license,  and some Step Drivers, I was thinking of using them to drive  the printer so I could create some custom process. does that sound practical ? Am I better off with the built in 3D printer software and driver hardware

5

Mach4 General Discussion / Recommendation for 3D printer under $500

« on: March 04, 2019, 11:31:29 AM »

I have been thinking of a 3D printer. I need to make some simple parts. I have been looking at the eBay adds , for a dual filament unit such as the 'CubMaker' Fantasy Pro II for under $500. but I don't know much else about 3D printers, any recommendations, or horror stories ?

6

PoKeys / Re: switching from 57E to 57CNC

« on: August 19, 2017, 04:39:06 PM »

Thanks bicycleguy  and joeaverage, for the all the info.  I am thinking that the simplest path is to just use both for now.

7

PoKeys / switching from 57E to 57CNC

« on: August 15, 2017, 03:06:38 PM »

i have used every available pin on my 57E. i have a hydraulic tool changer,  warning lights , many input buttons and other devices connected. Of course i use the ExBus and the Matrix Keyboard. i noticed that the 57CNC has lost many 'user' pins.   I am concerned about making a smooth transition to a 57CNC with Mach4 , so here are some questions.

First i tried using the pokeys 'demo' app , I selected  the '57CNC'   , BUT the program let me see/set any key i wanted
(1) is this an oversight on the demo function ?
(2) can i use lua code to change state off the relays,SSR and other new outputs on the 57CNC ?
(3) are there api calls to the 'pulse engine' outputs and inputs. can i hijack the signals ?
(4) can i assign the any of above pins in the mach configure dialog to 'borrow' them from the pulse engine ?
(5) how do i send a value to the analog output with Mach 4.
(6) does poblocks work with the CNC. ?
(7) is there any hope of a 'upgrade' in the future to allow more user control of output / input assignments ?
( can i use both devices at the same time in Mach4
(9) would using dual devices impact Mach4 performance ?

I am not expecting every question to be answered , but any info would be useful

8

PoKeys / Re: unable to obtain maximum scan rate

« on: May 24, 2017, 11:00:21 AM »

Thanks for your reply. There is no noticeable problem with the Pokeys unit, I was just unsure of the meaning of the maximum scan rate warning. I am using Mach4 on a 2 Axis Lathe.

9

PoKeys / Re: unable to obtain maximum scan rate

« on: April 16, 2017, 05:08:54 PM »

Thanks for your response.

I Have a 57E, Not a 57CNC. For step drivers I use the PoExtBusOC16CNC,
which  has no External Outputs. I could set it for 8 step motors but I only use 4.


I trust someone will comment if This pulse engine configuration is incorrect for my setup.
I will run some tests on alternate configurations, and notify if that helps at all.

10

PoKeys / unable to obtain maximum scan rate

« on: April 15, 2017, 03:26:17 PM »

I have been  adding functions on to my Pokeys 57E , and the Device load went up and up
Now the Device Load Status screen is at 100 and the app says ' Maximum scan rate cannot be obtained '.  

Refer to attached screenshots  for hardware , software and configuration data.
i am running the latest Mach4 unlicensed, on a Mac Boot Camp Drive. (I5 1.4 GZ).

when I de-activate the pulse engine the 'load' drops to under 100 percent and
the message goes away and device load status drops to 78 percent.

See ' Device load status  window’ . note the 'drop' in the graph. thats when i turned
        the pulse engine off and then on. '

I need every inout and output i can get ,  i am using 48 of the exBus outputs
three high speed and one ultra high speed encoder and a 4 x 8 key-input matrix
plus the pulse engine.

question zero
is this a big problem ? does this  mean trouble when i try to make chips.
or can i ignore the 'warning'.

question one:
is the 57CNC faster ? will it manage the above load any better
or will i need a second 57E to handle some of the IO.

question two :
Will Mach4 handle Dual 57's,  one for IO and one for pulse ?

question three:
are there any tricks to reduce load ?
i don’t need high speed on the matrix inputs
or on the 48 outputs ?


thanks in advance