Messages

4011

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Z axis running in reverse

« on: July 27, 2015, 03:44:47 AM »

If you have your machine Z axis direction wrongly set then...

Config / Ports & Pins / Motor Outputs - change the 'Dir Low Active' state for your Z axis (cross or tick) then click Apply.

That will change the Z axis direction.

Tweakie.

4012

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie help setup for CNC 6040Z USB2.0 port

« on: July 27, 2015, 03:38:02 AM »

I am pleased you have resolved the problem.

Tweakie.

4013

General Mach Discussion / Re: HELP PLEASE, Mach 3 on a windows XP system

« on: July 27, 2015, 03:35:27 AM »

If it's any help these are the minimum requirements for your PC ...

Mach3 Minimum Recommended Requirements:

 Requirements if using the parallel port for machine control:

•Desktop PC (Laptops are not supported) with at least one parallel port
•32-bit version of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 (64-bit versions will not work)
•1Ghz CPU
•512MB RAM
•Non-integrated Video Card with 32MB RAM(Large G-code files, especially 3D files will require a video card with 512MB RAM or higher)

 Requirements if using an external motion device for machine control:

•An appropriate external motion controller (options can be found on the Plugins page)
•Desktop or Laptop with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
•1Ghz CPU
•512MB RAM
•Video Card with 32MB RAM(Large G-code files, especially 3D files will require a video card with 512MB RAM or higher)

Tweakie.

4014

General Mach Discussion / Re: Newbie help setup for CNC 6040Z USB2.0 port

« on: July 27, 2015, 03:26:49 AM »

Just a thought but it may help if you make your video public so that others may view it.

Tweakie.

4015

General Mach Discussion / Re: Machine gets wacky after tool change.

« on: July 27, 2015, 02:38:41 AM »

I will try...

Bottom right of Mach screen is your Profile name.
In Mach3 folder locate the .xml file with your profile name (typically - Mach3Mill.xml).
Copy this file to the desktop and then rename it to Bhohbein.xml (a unique name)

When making your post choose Additional Options / Choose File - selecting Bhohbein.xml

That should do it.

Tweakie.

4016

General Mach Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!

« on: July 27, 2015, 02:30:49 AM »

Hello
My name is Greg, I live in Bellefontaine, Ohio and have recently purchased a CNC Mill that runs with Mach 3 controller using CNC4PC c-10 BOB .  I have been having some problems with programs turning off tool offsets and therefore entirely ignoring tool offsets and causing crashes.  I posted prett detailed description of the issues and got no response over e last several days.  I also went to the part of the forum which someone coul request paid help via telephone.  I left my phone number and email address and particulars of problem.  Still no response from any one. 

So my question is, am I doing something incorrect?  Does ArtSoft really provide some paid telephone help? Who can help me?  Right now I really don't have a machine that I can do much more with, than push the keys to mill parts.

Would really appreciate an answer back that can help.

Thanks
Greg

Hi Greg,

I am sorry you did not receive a response to your request for telephone help. There are only a couple of guys who participate in this – perhaps they are busy, perhaps on holiday, perhaps did not see your post – who knows.

May I make a suggestion…

In my opinion the open forum is probably a better place to resolve problems as you will get the views of the ‘hive mind’ rather than the individual.
Break your overall problem down into smaller elements then post a question (giving as much relevant detail a possible) as a New Topic in the General section.
Please be patient as holiday season can delay any potential replies.

Tweakie.

4017

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Impact engraving plugin

« on: July 27, 2015, 02:13:01 AM »

I would set the running current dip switches at their lowest current setting to start with. If the magnet stays cool during operation then increase the current setting until such time as the magnet runs warm to the touch (but not exceeding 60 deg.C).

As for the other dip switch settings I think S2 should be OFF but you will just have to experiment with the others to find the best combination (I would start with S2 OFF and all others ON).

Tweakie.

4018

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Impact engraving plugin

« on: July 26, 2015, 10:58:05 AM »

I'm looking at a TB6560 TB6560 3A Driver Board x2  (single axis board) found on eBay.
I do understand that I only need to use the A+ and A- (or B+ and B-).

The question is that it has 6 inputs and I'm not sure how to connect it.
Any guidance for starting would be appreciated as I don't want to fry anything!

The driver board information says that 5Volt signals are expected - firstly check that your computer's LPT parallel port is outputting 5 Volt signals rather than 3.3 Volt signals (a task for a multimeter).

For the inputs...
All that is needed is an LPT output pin (configured in Mach3 as an Active High axis step pin) connected to the driver board CLK +
and a Gnd (any of the LPT pins 18-25) connected to both the driver board CLK - and EN -
A suitable psu is connected to GND / +24

For the output...
The electromagnet connects to A+ / A- (or B+ / B-)


Tweakie.

4019

Forum suggestions and report forum problems. / Re: Z Axis

« on: July 26, 2015, 05:29:06 AM »

Hi Terry,

Just my thoughts...

If the Z axis DRO continues counting down while the axis is on walkabout then the chances are that the problem lies in your Gcode.
If the Z axis DRO continues counting both up and down while the axis is on walkabout then I would suspect that the axis direction signal is not being properly recognized by the controller. 
If the Z axis DRO stops counting while the axis is on walkabout then you need to look at your driver hardware.

Tweakie.

4020

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Impact engraving plugin

« on: July 26, 2015, 03:10:37 AM »

Hi Vogavt,

My apologies if I have confused the issue.  As you will have already read…

Andrea found that electromagnets ‘stall’ in the same manner as stepper motors ‘stall’ and he used this principle to drive his magnet from one phase of a bipolar stepper motor driver. This is probably the easiest method to at least get started with impact engraving and as you have mentioned another single axis driver board will be required. As only the ‘step’ pulse is required you may not need to fit a second parallel port.

In the quest for more speed and higher impact force I have turned to higher drive voltages and TTL / Transistor switching of the magnet but this requires some knowledge of electronics / circuit diagrams etc.

The whole process (and the software plugin)  is perhaps still experimental because I believe we have not yet found the best way so please report back on your progress and we can all learn together.

Tweakie.