Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help with G-540 and xyz probe

« on: January 04, 2010, 04:05:54 PM »

Thanks again, but color me confused. The clip that goes on the router is attached to a wire that goes to DC Common. This is the same place that the limit switches complete their circuit. I have an aluminum plate that sits on top of whatever wood I am working with and that has a wire attached to it that is landed on terminal 3 of the G-540. The signal is generated by the tip of the router bit lightly contacting the aluminum plate to set the Z Zero. I think the only way for me to use this system is for the router frame or bit to be connected to DC Common so the signal can complete when it touches the aluminum plate and then it is disconnected immediately thereafter. My G-540 has no physical connection to earth ground

At what point is the signal going back through earth ground? I cannot see where that would be the case but am extremely eager to learn. I have read through the debate that you and Mariss engaged re: machine grounding and connecting to earth ground and I am unable to trace where in my setup that earth ground is anywhere near the DC Common.

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help with G-540 and xyz probe

« on: January 04, 2010, 08:53:46 AM »

Thanks Jeff. Not an electronics guy so surely got my terminology confused. Still learning about "Pulled Low", etc. and what that all really means. I think it is pretty cool that even an electronics idiot llke myself can kludge together something that appears to work.
What I can say is that all my inputs are connected to the same "DC Common" as the G-540 and my probe works with an additional wire run from the DC Common to the router mount that I clip on when I need to use the probe. Would love to know another way to do it without the additional DC Common wire if you would care to share that.
Thanks.

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help with G-540 and xyz probe

« on: January 04, 2010, 06:20:07 AM »

I had this same issue a couple of weeks ago when I went live with my G-540. I had previously been using a Hobby CNC Pro controller and had no issues with the probe lighting the LED on-screen. Could not get it to happen until I ran a ground wire from the common (ground) terminal on my terminal block where I tie on to all the G-540 ports and put a clip on it that I clip to the router mount. Works flawlessly now. Not sure why the router and the G-540 do not seem to see the same ground, but this was an easy, if not particularly elegant, fix.

In order to use the probe now I just clip the ground wire to the router mount and run probe routines.

Don't know if this will help, but good luck.