Messages

281

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need HELP Steppers Stalling on Shallow Moves

« on: August 23, 2009, 03:43:11 PM »

If I switched it to Active high and it didn't work what would I see the machine doing differently?

282

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need HELP Steppers Stalling on Shallow Moves

« on: August 23, 2009, 03:30:09 PM »

Do you think that chaning the active position would make a difference?

283

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need HELP Steppers Stalling on Shallow Moves

« on: August 23, 2009, 03:05:08 PM »

Hood, I tried the Sherline and it worked, then per Chip's suggestions unchecked the Sherline mode and went into motor tuning and changed Step Pulse and Dir Pulse to 10 saved the axis and restarted Mach. Tried it didn't work, retried Sherline didn't work, then tried Step Pulse and Dir Pulse at 5 and it didn't work. So I tried changing the G00 to G01 in the actual Gcode and that worked. Chip said that the Step Pulse and Dir Pulse should be the same, so just for posterity I kept the Step and Dir Pulse at 5. So it seems something electronic or mechanical is happening, but the problem got solved and I changed alot of my regular Gcode files in Rhino.

Are your Keling drives set at active low? Chip said something about that but I didn't bother trying to change them, Keling documents say to have them at Active Low so I figured I'd leave them.

284

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need HELP Steppers Stalling on Shallow Moves

« on: August 23, 2009, 02:03:23 PM »

Thanks for all the help and a BIG THANKS to CHIP for spending time with me to solve my problem.

I changed the settings to the Sherline 1/2 Pulse Mode and reran the program and it worked, I was ecstatic, then I tried again from the beginning of the program...then it didn't work DAM. So I went and changed the G00 move that it was stalling on to G01, which at that point in the code was 20 IPM and that worked. I remember months ago trying different velocities, but I guess I didn't go low enough for the problem to stop. So something weird is going on for those shallow moves as it doesn't happen during other moves with high rapids.

OH well I'm not a complainer, I'm happy the problem got solved and it's not like I'm make 40" moves to where I'd notice the speed difference.

285

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need HELP Steppers Stalling on Shallow Moves

« on: August 23, 2009, 01:13:46 AM »

Thanks for the help.

Himy, it seems that the one making the short move is crawling along and the axis that's supposed to do the long move locks up, but I think I've seen it reversed. Not sure if the one axis that's is moving if it's actually moving at the correct speed.

Chip, is the only alteration to the XML the Sherline part as I'd rather change by hand so I know what's going on. Also for axis control do you mean what stepper drives I'm using? I'm using Keling 8078 Drives, here's a link to their specs:

http://www.kelinginc.net/KL-8078.pdf

286

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need HELP Steppers Stalling on Shallow Moves

« on: August 22, 2009, 09:29:08 PM »

As I said above I do 3 axis 3D all the time and no problem, the problem is only when doing a shallow X and Y move together. Anyway, I'm using a 72VDC 20AMP power supply.

287

General Mach Discussion / Need HELP Steppers Stalling on Shallow Moves

« on: August 22, 2009, 08:14:31 PM »

OK, ever since I converted my Bridgeport to CNC the X and Y axis lock up when trying to make shallow moves at the same time. So let's say when trying to go from Y0.2 X0.1 to Y8 X.2. I think it's because the machine is trying to move that shallow sliver of a move of X over such a long distance. I noticed it during drilling cycles originally. And before you ask I've tried everything slowing down the motor in motor turning and changing the accerlation down. The motors are more than strong enough 1200 oz. steppers at 150 IPM it can pull me across the floor without missing a step, but even then I tuned them down to 70 IPM as my top speed and of course it still happens.

Some things I noticed months and months ago when trouble shooting it, I readjusted my Y gibs, they were a little loose. I eneded up just forgetting about it and just altering my Gcode to make each move separately until it gets to where it's going. Instead of X2Y2 on one line I would say X2, [new line] Y2, just to be safe. The weird parts is I use this mill all the time doing very complex 3 and 4 axis stuff and it never messes up until I get to shallow moves on a drill cycle; that is until yesterday I was doing some pocketing where there were some extremely shallow moves and it messed up, luckily I was there to Feed Hold and resetup.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm just worried that it's going to mess up somthing real important.

288

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th axis

« on: August 07, 2009, 06:11:07 PM »

I just tried to set the top of the part at zero instead of at the radius and RhinoCAM doesn't like that, it has to be set at the raidus for center. But I don't care cause I put the actual part on and I crashed the machine hard, oh well a ton of work down the drain. What I did was pause cutting for the last part so I could reset the height because it was cutting a hair to deep, fine for what it was cutting but the last part has to be shallower. When I did "run from here" and the box popped up it said 1.72, OK, then I hit cycle, but it wanted to go to Z-Zero first instead of Z1.72 and it blew right through my part and broke my bit. WTF!!! the pop up box said move to Z1.72 so why did it go to Z0 first???

289

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th axis

« on: August 07, 2009, 03:40:12 PM »

OK I figured out what I think are the problems, first I reversesd the motor and everything comes out normal, this is good but why would Alenx's come out mirrored too, if reversing the motor was the cause? Is Alenx's motor revered too or is there a bigger problem?

Next I think the hesitation marks are from the Z axis moving up and down just slight per the Gcode, when I engrave from my other CAD program the Z, once making a pass, doesn't vary up and down. Why is this program making it go up and down slightly, is it trying to form somthing like when you do 'V' carving and it has to form the tips of letters. Possibly I have a setting wrong in my CAM program. If changed all the Z that are moving slightly to what the final depth should be would that solve the problem?

290

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th axis

« on: August 07, 2009, 03:19:46 PM »

OK, some success. I did get the 4th running and figured out all the weird things you have to do. I actually engraved a test piece, but as Alenx suggested it is cutting a mirror image, why would that be I have a feeling it must be in Rhino, I don't think Mach would have anything to do with that. Any suggestions to why that happens?

Also the cuts are not bad but the lines are not super smooth as when I engrave the same text on a flat bar. They seem to have hesitation marks. Is there some setting such as CV that I should do something with to make it come out smoother or is that just the nature of using a 4th axis. I mean if the timing or something else was off it would be noticeable, right?