Messages

3061

General Mach Discussion / Re: Stepper issues

« on: September 24, 2016, 04:33:38 AM »

I think Rob has summed it up very well.

Something else to bear in mind is that some external motion controller will work with both Mach3 and Mach4 (using different plugins) but, as Rob has said, the Mach4 plugin software lags behind Mach4 development.

If it’s of any interest, my preference is a dedicated PC running WinXP (licensed copies can be obtained quite cheaply) and using Mach3 with the parallel port.

Tweakie.

3062

General Mach Discussion / Re: Stepper issues

« on: September 24, 2016, 04:00:35 AM »

Just to confirm what has already been said...

The parallel port cannot be used with Windows 10.
If you wish to use Win10 then you must use an external motion controller.
If you wish to use the parallel port then you must use Windows 7 (or earlier) 32 bit only.

Tweakie.

3063

General Mach Discussion / Re: Laser control on and off using Z

« on: September 23, 2016, 04:27:38 AM »

For your Z axis if you measure the voltage between +5v (Dir+) and Dir- it will change between 0v and 5v depending on which direction the axis was last moved.
Connecting a relay directly may not be a good idea (the Dir- can only sink 50mA current and it is already driving the Z axis controller) so use an opto coupler (or similar device) to drive your relay from the +5v and Dir- terminals.

Tweakie.

3064

General Mach Discussion / Re: UC100, exchanging Z axis for A axis

« on: September 22, 2016, 03:17:18 AM »

 

Tweakie.

3065

General Mach Discussion / Re: UC100, exchanging Z axis for A axis

« on: September 22, 2016, 02:45:27 AM »

I think you need to add postage and VAT to that price Dave.

Tweakie.

3066

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: Removal of SmoothStepper

« on: September 22, 2016, 01:36:12 AM »

Under Function Cfg’s select Reset Device Sel…
Click OK then restart Mach3
This should then let you select Parallel Port operation (assuming the drivers are installed).
The drivers can be installed by running the DriverTest (from the Mach3 folder) – If DriverTest.exe is not present then you need to re-install Mach3 (make a backup of the existing Mach3 folder first).

Tweakie.

3067

Building or Buying a Wood routing table.. Beginnners guide.. / Re: Problem with upgrade nema 23 to nema 34

« on: September 21, 2016, 10:57:21 AM »

So your NEMA34’s are stalling out at around 500 rpm.
Your gearing has increased the torque required to drive the axis by a factor of 3 and my best guess would be that your motors do not have quite enough torque at that particular rpm (I am assuming you have increased the DM556 current setting to match the NEMA 34’s current rating).

Just my opinion…

Possibility of mid-band resonance but this could easily be ruled out by attaching a small (reasonably light-weight) flywheel directly to your motor shaft. This would alter the mass of the armature and if the behaviour of the motor was different (different point of stall) then I would investigate fitting the proper dampeners to your motors.

Alternately reducing the up-gearing would reduce the required axis torque. This would increase motor rpm (reducing motor drive torque) but I would expect >1000 rpm from those motors when driven at 48 volts.

Tweakie.

3068

Building or Buying a Wood routing table.. Beginnners guide.. / Re: Problem with upgrade nema 23 to nema 34

« on: September 21, 2016, 08:38:40 AM »

I am confused about your 1/3 gearing. Is the maximum rpm of your NEMA 34's now lower or higher than the maximum rpm of your NEMA 23's ??

Tweakie.

3069

Mach4 General Discussion / MOVED: Mach4 and modbus - help needed

« on: September 21, 2016, 08:19:53 AM »

This topic has been moved to Modbus.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=33301.0

3070

General Mach Discussion / Re: Does this product exist?

« on: September 21, 2016, 04:04:19 AM »

A few years back I designed a low profile tool setter which was intended as an open source project for all. There must have been something there that I had not realized because I was approached with a request to sell the design. Well I sold it (so cannot disclose any further details than have already been posted) but, to this day, I have never seen it on sale.
The related thread is here http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,21525.0.html and post #54 shows the overrun ring which triggered the EStop in case of emergency.
I use the prototype many times a day and it has never overrun so I consider the G31 to be 99.9999% reliable. Just why it behaves for some and not for others is probably one of those great mysteries that may never be solved.

If I built one, then there has got to be a fail-safe probe plate available on the market somewhere.  

Tweakie.