Messages

5871

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motors not responding

« on: November 23, 2011, 12:16:19 PM »

How about using a spare axis - "A" for example (on the side of the PCB) and then set up your Mach ports and pins configuration to drive this axis as though it is the X Axis. ??

Tweakie.

5872

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motors not responding

« on: November 23, 2011, 11:44:09 AM »

Hi John,

Well I am stumped for suggestions - the annoying thing is that it is going to be something really simple that is causing you this problem.

Just had another thought - Are you transferring the same HD between the various computers you have tried ??

Tweakie.

5873

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motors not responding

« on: November 23, 2011, 10:28:16 AM »

Hi John,

Something you should try before you go any further is the optimisation procedure.

 http://www.machsupport.com/downloads/XP_Optimization.txt

Print this out and follow it to the letter, step by step, then see what happens with a fresh download and install of Mach.

Tweakie.

5874

General Mach Discussion / Re: X AXIS NOT WORKING

« on: November 23, 2011, 06:44:18 AM »

Hood,

BoB is here http://www.slidesandballscrews.com/pdf/ZP5A-INT%20axis%20interface%20board%20manual.pdf

Tweakie.

5875

General Mach Discussion / Re: Auto Tool-Changer and LPT2

« on: November 23, 2011, 04:29:15 AM »

Would current have anything to do with it?

Yes.

You cannot drive a mechanical type of relay directly from the parallel port. You can drive TTL logic, solid state relays and some swithching transistors but i think the avaliable current limit is 10mA (if you are lucky).

Tweakie.

5876

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motors not responding

« on: November 23, 2011, 02:07:27 AM »

Hi John,

Sounds like you are doing something wrong but who knows what.    (I am assuming your computer does have a parallel port ??)

Perhaps your download of Mach is flawed, try downloading the latest lockdown version again, uninstall your existing installation of Mach and delete the Mach folder from your hard drive. Run the Mach setup. Keep fingers crossed. 

Tweakie.

5877

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe

« on: November 22, 2011, 10:34:27 AM »

Thanks for the info Ian.

My machine is busy for the next couple of days but it will be free for the weekend - I will do some more testing then and report back. 

Tweakie.

5878

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motors not responding

« on: November 22, 2011, 08:39:38 AM »

Hi John,

I really have no idea, I just know that some work and some don't (onboard graphics controllers can cause trouble and a seperate PCI video card usually works best) - perhaps it's pot luck.

Try another PC and see what happens.

Tweakie.

5879

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe

« on: November 22, 2011, 06:36:08 AM »

Correction to above ....

By increasing my probing feedrate to a much higher rate than I would normally use the acceleration settings do have an effect on the axis deceleration after a trip has occurred but I can still not see a second contact during that period making any changes to the Get Var (2002) value.

Tweakie.

5880

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe

« on: November 22, 2011, 05:46:44 AM »

Ian,

Probably because you have decent acceleration and therefore don't notice it. Wind down your accel to a minimum and try it

With version R3.043.022 and using G90 G31 the Z axis comes to a halt after first contact without any regard to acceleration settings, winding down the Acceleration has no effect.

If the trip (or as many trips as you like as it's decelerating after the first trip) is/are momentary i.e. bounced as per my original description of a "glancing blow", then the value stored is where the axis stops after decelerating and NOT where the trip occurred.

This is not what I am finding from the tests I have done so far. As mentioned the value retrieved from Get Var (2002) is the first contact point not where the axis finished up.
Could you perhaps describe a test method that you have used to support your re-writing of the value please.

Tweakie.