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Messages - Lindsay

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1
I have a four axis setup on my router, running G320's with a Campbell board. Last week when I fired up a program, the gantry moved into position across both x and y axis,  then router promptly started cutting in only one dimension- Y.  For some reason after moving into position, the x axis quit. Did all the gyrations of trouble shooting by swapping cables, popped in a spare 320 controller, etc. Still no X movement.
Shows motion on Mach 3 display, DRO counts off, etc, but aside from the servo on the x axis just locking into position, there's nothing happening. Yes the Gecko shows fault, when I unhook the drive voltage to the motors and I move the gantry on it's rack and pinion. The controller sees the motor, but can't make it move.
What makes me mental, is that a few days later without doing anything, I fire up the cnc machine and everything works perfectly...until today that is. The x axis quit again, and that's after moving to its start position.
Ideas? Anyone? Anyone?
Lindsay

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Mach4 General Discussion / Hi all
« on: May 21, 2007, 10:42:04 PM »
My name is Lindsay (it is a man's name by the way.) I'm fairly new.
I've done lots of stuff. My last paying job was doing estimates for a drilling- blasting company then I got laid off, before that I was a product designer at Volvo Construction Equipment.
Now I live in a small town in cottage country in Central Ontario - my home town - not as a transplanted tourist.
I built a CNC router and would like to make a living at that. However as soon as I got it up and running, people started wanting things built or fixed. So right now I spend most my time doing renovations for people as my source of income.
I'm a Mech. Eng. Technologist and anything related to CNC, I learned on the side or bugged other people for information.
I used to be able to program a bit in VB, but forgot all that. Tried Python (why?). So now I admit I can't progam 'Hello world' in any language.
Built a few cnc machines. Moved from steppers to servos. Maybe when the construction market slows down, I'll have my machine doing exactly what I want and I'll be poised like a leopard to be a router mogul.
Use Mach 3 mostly and am mucking around a bit with some DOS and Linux interpreters. I have Rhino and some other CAD software.
My only advice....make sure the blue smoke stays inside the electrical doodads.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: x axis drift
« on: May 21, 2007, 10:08:05 PM »
I went a little mental with my fix.
I cut the accel as suggested.
Slowed down cutting feed.
I also had some line drivers on hand from US Digital since my encoder cables are rather long, (duh- I forgot I had them). So I made a new pigtail for the x motor, with line driver at the encoder and ferrite cores on the cable harness.
(The A  axis cable is the longest and it is slaved to the Y, but there are no apparent problems there.)
The result?
Smoothed motion, in fact I'm going to put new pigtails all the way around. However I still lose up to .25 inches somewhere.
It seems when I load the g code fresh, I get a nice, clean cut. Rewind and execute the program again.....problems.

I am perplexed by the perplexity of the situation.

Do you wanna hear about the fun I'm having with Bobcad 2007....? Arghhh.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: x axis drift
« on: May 18, 2007, 09:35:54 PM »
Bob Campbells' breakout
4x Gecko drive g320
Ametek motors
Sheilded cable harnesses to the encoders
US digital 500 cpr encoders
Windows 2000 on a fairly new pentium 4


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General Mach Discussion / x axis drift
« on: May 18, 2007, 07:56:09 PM »
There is likely a post about this, but I'm too tired to search for it.  My router is losing its position on the x axis only. It seems totally arbitrary, but the x axis will shift to negative, by as much as .25 inches. So far I've destroyed a couple of really nice pieces of wood.
Run the g code once, and things go fine. Next time - whamo, I get gouges where I really don't want them. Shucks, I want to cry.
I generated new g codes, checked tuning on my G320's (gain and damping) nothing to tweak that I can see. I clean the linear bearings, lubricate racks, talk nice and offer up animal sacrifices....
Sometimes, but not always, I have noticed a hesitation when the x axis is cutting to the positive direction. Rapid movement, it seems, is not affected and works smooth as silk.
This problem appears to have happened since upgrading to version 2 of Mach 3.
I don't think it's noise, because I'm running with shielded cables and bleeds. Upgraded grounds, yadah yadah, (I had another post about this boar's nest)



Any guidance out there, this situation has effectively shut me down.

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General Mach Discussion / bobcad 2007 mach 3 milll available
« on: May 18, 2007, 07:25:49 PM »
Bobcad has released the Mach 3 post for v22.
http://www.bobcadsupport.com/posts/index.php?start=/www/htdocs/bobcadsupport/posts/BobCAD%202007%20Posts&parent=/www/htdocs/bobcadsupport/posts

(if this post shows up twice, it's because my computer had a spasm.)

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General Mach Discussion / Bobcad 2007 posts and other novelties
« on: April 26, 2007, 01:20:32 PM »
I got the newest version of Bobcad, but as of yet there is no post available for Mach 3.  Bobcad will release post processors on a first come/priority basis...the more requests and sooner they get them, will move things up the priority list.  Getting or thinking of getting the latest Bobcad? Then print off a Post Processor Request form from Bobcad's website and fax it in ASAP.  As for the new Bobcad...can't tell much about it until I cut something.  It acts more intelligent so far.

Unrelated but maybe some worthwhile info. I posted a bit of a lament 'everything has gone haywire',  last fall, when I suffered a series of drive failures with my Gecko g320's. My router has been up and running for most the winter with no problems. The source of grief?  Poor grounding and dirty rural power. I replaced all my encoder cables with shielded cables and made sure they can bleed off properly.  Made sure things are grounded properly back to the source. I added surge protection right in the breaker box.
When time allows a new breaker panel goes in the shop, and some new isolated ground recepticles and wire, etc. Maybe bury another ground rod out by my shop...maybe not.


Dirty job figuriing this one out. Stumbled on the solution when I read about a plant in Ohio with CNC machinery failing constantly. Poor grounding in the plant.  A fried modem in my house and blown lightbulbs clued me into the dirty power aspect.

Hope this spares somebody grief down the road.

8
General Mach Discussion / Re: Everything has gone haywire
« on: October 27, 2006, 06:31:09 PM »
I've done everything I can think of outside of the control box. Cables, motors and encoders are fine. I've rebuilt the cables totally ,( power and encoders)  checked, checked and checked wiring on the terminal connectors. We had a tornado back at the end of summer and the power went nuts around here for a couple of weeks, as the crews were out pulling trees off lines and such. All my grief seems to have happened after this - I don't know if the events are related or not. Makes for good drama though.
It is likely something inside the control box, but I'm walking away from it for a couple of days - just to clear my head. I don't tend to get into a hurry firing things up anymore. I usually walk away, then come back after some time off then look over things again: find all kinds of kinky things.
While the equipment is down, I'm building a new, swanky looking control box, (I've been sitting on some swell aluminum sheets for a while). New SS relays (I just got some cheap), barrier strips, lights, knobs, wire, extra wraps of bindertwine, library paste, etc. and anything else laying under the workbench. Reinstall Win2000. (why not? it'll build character if nothing else)
While rebuilding, I will do as you say. Test it precept upon precept, line upon line, pin by pin, wire by wire. Doubtless, as it always is, something will show up that will make me feel stupid.
If nothing else, this will give me time to learn how to use Rhino.

9
General Mach Discussion / Re: Everything has gone haywire
« on: October 27, 2006, 03:41:38 PM »
Yes they have the blue terminals; they are delicate little things.
I've put them all in a box today and am sending them back to Gecko.  We'll see what happens. I've gone nuts trying to sort this out.
I'll put in intermediate screw barrier strips so I don't mess with the driver connectors anymore.
Meanwhile-no router.

Regards

10
General Mach Discussion / Everything has gone haywire
« on: October 26, 2006, 10:51:43 PM »
It all started back at the end of summer...but I'm just getting around to fixing it now. I'm running G320's with a Campell board.
My router has 3 axis, with Y and A slaved. Y started to fault constantly at the end of August. I replaced the breakout board, but it wasn't the board. I replaced the driver, but it faulted again. Today I replaced the encoder on the Y motor, all power/encoder cables and put line drivers on all four encoders, figuring that the distance warranted them.

Now, the only motors working are the Z and the Y.
X and A lock up like they should, but do not respond to any jog commands.
Unhook the power to the motors, and move the axis...the Gecko fault lights go on like they should, indicating that the encoders work. Pull off the encoder cables, of course all the motors take off like blue striped apes. Reverse any motor's wiring and the motors jerk around like they normally would.
The breakout board's LED's show that it is getting signals from the PC, for all the axis when I try to jog in different directions. But the x and a motors just sit there...dumb. I'm wondering if something in the Mach 3 config has changed, but I can't see it for looking at it.

I'm going back outside to shuffle around the drivers and see what happens. (I really don't want to do this though.)

I'm perplexed by the perplexity of the situation. Anybody been here before???

Thanks

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