Topics

21

General Mach Discussion / Cool CNC Features

« on: January 08, 2018, 10:43:51 PM »

So I've got a Mori Seiki SL1 lathe that I fully rebuilt with all new stuff and Mach 4 and I'm thinking about buying a Fadal VMC to replace my home built Bridgeport CNC. My Bridgeport CNC has been awesome, but I'm looking for more capacity and tool changer. I don't want to retrofit it but as Fadal's are old I want to be prepared to in case the electronics go.

SO I was wondering what cool features Professional CNC's have.

Here are some examples of physical features and neat programming ideas:
1. Tool Changer
2. Spindle Load - to know how much load is on the tool.
3. Seen some neat g-code manipulation where they have the machine spray coolant while moving the carriage around to clean it off after the part is finished machining.

Any other things a professional lathe or vmc would have?

22

Mach4 General Discussion / Using physical button to set Gcode for Tool Change

« on: April 04, 2017, 12:06:32 PM »

If I have a physical button hooked up to my pokeys board I know generally how to program it to do a general function such as cycle start; how do I get it to run something like G0G53X0Z0?

Also how do I get a pysical button to set feed rate? I do a lot of manual machine on my CNC lathe, i.e. using the keyboard to face a part, and for this I use different feed rates. Usually I use the slider, but that's a pain. How do I use a button to change the feedrate. I know probably where it should be just need to know the code.

23

General Mach Discussion / Is there Gcode to get the machine to goto Machine Coordinates for Tool Changes?

« on: April 01, 2017, 12:59:34 PM »

With a turret lathe how do I have the machine go to Machine Coordinates X0 Z0 for tool changes? I can't just do it for the regular work offset of each tool as each tool is a different distance from home.

Is there a G code I can use to get the carriage to Machine Coordinates of X0 Z0?

24

Mach4 General Discussion / HELP! Lathe Tool Offsets Something's Rotten in Denmark

« on: March 21, 2017, 06:27:07 PM »

Ok finally got my Mori Retrofit up and running and can't figure out how to setup tooling. Watched the video, read the manuals, but something is amiss.

Here's what I'm doing. Start machine > Ref Homing > Set Tool 0101 > Turn off my servos so when they come back on they go to a Zero Index (mach is not aware of this happening) > While the servos are off I use the MDI to make sure BOTH Machine POS Toggle and Normal DRO are both at ZERO > turn the servos back on and they automatically home to the zero index (again with Mach unaware and both DROs stay at Zero)

Then I jog over and cut on the X to achieve a 1" OD turn > open tool table > and hit the Set X Offset (which is set a 1") > Normal DRO now reads X-1.0001 and the tool table X reads -1.3067. Now from homing (which because of the zero index is dead accurate) if I go to where X will cut a 1" OD that is -3.6134. So here's where I'm confused, first off why is the offset at a negative? I put in the Set X Offset 1" NOT -1". And the Machine Pos Toggle, on the X, is half of the Normal DRO so in the Tool Table under X shouldn't it read -1.8067?

I'm at a loss here. Any help would be appreciated.

25

Mach4 General Discussion / Machine Pos Toggle How to Set as Zero?

« on: March 20, 2017, 12:15:53 PM »

I'm trying to figure out how to be able to change the machine pos toggle in lathe to zero.

Here's my procedure - I turn on the machine > ref all axis > shouldn't both machine toggle pos and the regular DROs read zero. Neither one does; and I have very accurate limit switches. I can change the regular DRO, but not the Machine Pos Toggle.

26

Mach4 General Discussion / Norton Anti Virus and Mach 4 Can it be Used?

« on: March 02, 2017, 08:19:06 PM »

Title says it all can I use Norton Anti Virus on the computer I'm using mach 4 on? I know with Mach 3 windows had to be setup a special way.

27

Mach4 General Discussion / How to make Mach 4 wait for spindle to come up to speed?

« on: February 28, 2017, 06:31:17 PM »

Finally got my Mori SL1 retrofit up and running, but when I ran my first program Mach 4 isn't waiting for the spindle to come up to speed even though I have that option check marked in the spindle settings.

Any suggestions?

28

PoKeys / Move over to 57CNC instead of 57E?? Help

« on: February 20, 2017, 02:34:05 PM »

SO I'm having problems with my Pokeys 57E connected to CNC4PCs M16 breakout board. I don't like that the 57E is hooked up to a breakout board not made by pokeys. Arturo is great, but doesn't have all the answers and it's getting frustrating to try to figure everything out. SO I'm think I'd rather have a BOB made by pokeys. Well the 57CNC has all the options built in.

DO you think the 57CNC would be a great replacement for my other stuff?

I guess all I need is:

Motor Control
Spindle 10V output
Limit Switch
Threaded - So spindle encoder hookup

29

Mach4 General Discussion / Mach 4 won't run constant Estop - HELP - Log File Included

« on: February 20, 2017, 03:52:45 AM »

I haven't even got my lathe up and running; i'm just getting it setup. I'd get random estops occasionally, now it trips instantly. I've attached the log file. I think maybe my CNC4PC M16 BOB is bad or my Pokeys 57E? Seems like it's getting an estop trigger from the motion controller; or as it looks to me from looking at the log file.

Any help would be appreciated.

2017-02-20 00:27:27.147 - [PoKeys] Switching to RUNNING state...
2017-02-20 00:27:27.147 - Signal id 1018, (Enable #0), changed from HIGH to LOW.
2017-02-20 00:27:27.147 - Signal id 1020, (Enable #2), changed from HIGH to LOW.
2017-02-20 00:27:27.147 - Signal id 1120, (Machine Enabled), changed from HIGH to LOW.
2017-02-20 00:27:27.162 - [PoKeys] PoKeys Pulse engine disabled
2017-02-20 00:27:27.162 - [PoKeys] Disabling motion - Buffer with 15 moves is being cleared!
2017-02-20 00:27:27.162 - [PoKeys] Axis enabled changed 0

2017-02-20 00:27:27.178 - [PoKeys] Updating enable output signals
2017-02-20 00:28:02.699 - API: mcCntlEnable(true) called.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.699 - Signal id 1018, (Enable #0), changed from LOW to HIGH.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.699 - Signal id 1020, (Enable #2), changed from LOW to HIGH.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.699 - Signal id 1120, (Machine Enabled), changed from LOW to HIGH.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.699 - [PoKeys] Axis enabled changed 5

2017-02-20 00:28:02.699 - [PoKeys] Updating enable output signals
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - [PoKeys] PoKeys Pulse engine enabled
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - [PoKeys] Enabling motion - Buffer with 0 moves is being cleared!
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - [PoKeys] Updating motion parameters in device
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - All motors marked as still.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - All motors marked as still.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - All motors marked as still.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - All motors marked as still.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - API: mcMotionSync() called.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - SyncPosition()! Clearing planner.
2017-02-20 00:28:02.715 - [PoKeys] Switching to RUNNING state...
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcCntlEStop() called.
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcCntlEnable(false) called.
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcMotionClearPlanner() called.
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDerefAll()
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 0
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 1
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 2
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - Signal id 1018, (Enable #0), changed from HIGH to LOW.
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 3
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 4
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 5
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 6
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 7
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 8
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - Signal id 1020, (Enable #2), changed from HIGH to LOW.
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 9
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 10
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcAxisDeref() called. axis 11
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - API: mcCntlMachineStateClear() called.
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - [PoKeys] E-stop due to emergency
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - [PoKeys] Switching to RUNNING state...
2017-02-20 00:28:04.727 - Signal id 1120, (Machine Enabled), changed from HIGH to LOW.
2017-02-20 00:28:04.743 - [PoKeys] PoKeys Pulse engine disabled
2017-02-20 00:28:04.743 - [PoKeys] Disabling motion - Buffer with 12 moves is being cleared!
2017-02-20 00:28:04.743 - [PoKeys] Axis enabled changed 0

2017-02-20 00:28:04.758 - [PoKeys] Updating enable output signals
2017-02-20 00:28:13.978 - Signal id 164, (E-Stop), changed from LOW to HIGH.
2017-02-20 00:28:13.978 - API: mcCntlEStop() called.
2017-02-20 00:28:13.978 - API: mcCntlEnable(false) called.
2017-02-20 00:28:13.978 - Signal id 164, (E-Stop), changed from HIGH to LOW.
2017-02-20 00:28:13.978 - [PoKeys] PoKeys Pulse engine disabled

30

Mach4 General Discussion / Help Motion Steps Overflow

« on: February 13, 2017, 09:44:29 PM »

I'm getting an error when I jog sometimes. I'm not moving fast at all, like maybe 5-15 IPM. When I'm done jogging I get "Motion Steps Overflow 2532 Check Motor Speed Parameters"

Anyone have any suggestions? I need this to be stable before I actually run anything on my lathe.