Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: Driver Test Works but Pulse Frequency is 1, 2, 4, etc.

« on: September 07, 2012, 09:14:21 AM »

Is there any part(s) in the Windows XP Optimization Guide that is particular to the pulse frequency? Any other ideas to try are also appreciated. Thanks, John.

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: Driver Test Works but Pulse Frequency is 1, 2, 4, etc.

« on: August 28, 2012, 01:52:58 PM »

Mach3 Driver
Mach X Pulsing Engines.

I have uninstalled that driver and reinstalled Mach3 from the website. I uninstalled the driver and ran the driver test but still see pulse frequency of 1, 2, etc.

3

General Mach Discussion / Driver Test Works but Pulse Frequency is 1, 2, 4, etc.

« on: August 28, 2012, 01:20:56 PM »

I recently reinstalled Windows XP with Service Pack 3 onto my computer, reinstalled Mach3 R3.043.022, and loaded my previous XML file. I run the Driver Test and get a steady 24,300Hz pulse frequency and System Excellent, but when I open up Mach3Mill, the diagnostics page reads a very low value for pulse frequency (1, 2, 3Hz, jumps to 24,300Hz for a second, and back down to 2, 3, 4Hz, etc.). I have attached my XML for you to look at and see if there is something that I am missing.

Before my computer crashed, I was running in ACPI PC with no problems but needed to replicate a problem that another machine was having (a steady pulse frequency of ~21,000). I went through the Windows XP Optimization Guide step-by-step to setup Standard PC drivers. After that, the pulse frequency was only 1 or 2Hz so I switched back to ACPI PC. That was when my computer crashed and needed the OS reinstalled. After all was said-and-done, I didn't replicate the problem but instead found a new problem. Will going through the Windows XP Optimization Guide again fix this problem?

4

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Subroutine for Raster Scan

« on: May 16, 2012, 11:59:26 AM »

That's what I figured, but just wanted to clarify. I am more familiar with C programming but have enjoyed learning g code programming. Thanks for the help.

5

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Subroutine for Raster Scan

« on: May 16, 2012, 10:47:58 AM »

Hi,

I have rectangular raster pattern that I would like to program a subroutine for, but have a couple questions regarding the best way to go about it. The first question is, will Mach3 understand conditional loops (WHILE, FOR, IF, etc.)? I read on CNC Cookbook that Mach3 doesn't support macros, and I got an error when I tried programming a WHILE loop.

Anyways, what I want to do is setup variables for the X length, Y length, Z gap between tool and substrate, feed rate, and spacing between raster scans. For example, a 86mm by 36mm (X length, #1=86 and Y length, #2=36) substrate, a 2mm gap between tool and substrate (Z gap, #3=-12, in my case), a feed rate of 2500mm/min (#4=2500), and a 1mm spacing between scans (#5=1).

I have attached the g code that goes through the raster pattern I would like for reference. If Mach3 does not support conditional loops, how would I go about doing? Any help is greatly appreciated!

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: X & Y Driver/Configuration Issues

« on: April 23, 2012, 12:59:16 PM »

I noticed some rust on the end of the screw so I cleaned it up and lubricated the screw, and all is working great! Thanks for the help Hood!

7

General Mach Discussion / Re: X & Y Driver/Configuration Issues

« on: April 20, 2012, 02:51:18 PM »

I have every axis running smoothly and the correct distances! Thanks again! But I do have one problem with the Z-axis. When I travel down the movement is very smooth, but when I travel up the movement is a little jerky and may be missing some steps. The Z-axis is a 2mm pitch screw (1 start) so at 1/2 stepping I set the Z-axis to 200 Mach3 steps/mm, and set the velocity to 1200mm/min and acceleration to 2000mm/sec/sec. I have also tried the other micro-stepping configurations with their corresponding Mach3 steps/mm, but have the same jerky movement travelling up and smooth travelling down. Any ideas?

8

General Mach Discussion / Re: X & Y Driver/Configuration Issues

« on: April 20, 2012, 09:07:17 AM »

Nope, I should have mentioned my other table has different motors on it. Sorry. I'll have to take another look at the motors that are faulty to see if there is something I'm overlooking. Thanks for the help Hood!

9

General Mach Discussion / Re: X & Y Driver/Configuration Issues

« on: April 19, 2012, 05:58:02 PM »

I hooked up my other CNC table to the drivers and miraculously they worked. It should be just a matter of tuning the motors to get smooth operation.

10

General Mach Discussion / Re: X & Y Driver/Configuration Issues

« on: April 19, 2012, 03:41:05 PM »

For the Z-axis, I power down everything, unplug all motors, and plug the Z-axis motor into the X or Y driver and change the steps/mm to match the Z-axis. Once powered back on, using the X or Y jog works for the Z-axis. I've tried running each axis by itself on each driver, but Z-axis is the only one jogging. I just tried swapping the pin assignments for the Z and Y in Ports and Pins, but still only have the Z-axis jogging while the Y-axis doesn't.

I did notice in the manual that the Dir pulse needs to be 5us ahead of the Step pulse, but I'm unsure where to set that. Is that the Step Pulse 1-5us and Dir Pulse 0-5us in the Motor Tuning and Setup configuration window? Right now, both are set at 0.