Messages

621

General Mach Discussion / Re: Twin Steppers on slave axis

« on: September 18, 2008, 01:54:31 AM »

Get rid of the connecting shaft between the X axis motors.  Let them each drive one side.

Also ditch the second motor on the Y axis.  One should be fine.

Well you did ask for suggestions.   

Greg

622

General Mach Discussion / Re: Auto Tool zero. Which Input etc. do I Use?

« on: August 29, 2008, 01:18:36 AM »

If you are adding VB to a button to call a macro you will need to do it as follows
Code "M975"

Ahh that was my fault.  Sorry about that Bruce.

I should check and not just go from the old memory. 

Greg

623

General Mach Discussion / Re: Auto Tool zero. Which Input etc. do I Use?

« on: August 28, 2008, 12:35:34 AM »

Bruce

I ran Brett's macro on my machine and it works fine. 

Don't think the pause after the probe move (Code "G4 P0.25") is needed but it does not stop it working.

So I guess your problem may lie elsewhere.  Are you using LPT?    My SmoothStepper likes the macro to be a little different.

Also I found a gotcha in  Brett's macro.

If, starting a job, I jog down close to material and call the tool zero, it is likely to move the Z in the wrong direction as the Z DRO is already a negative number.

I don't like my machine doing anything I am not expecting.      So my macro zeros the Z DRO before the probe move.

You can try this one of you like but if Brett's won't work then this probably won't make any difference to that.


CurrentFeed = GetOemDRO(818) 'Get the current feedrate to return to later
PlateThickness = 1.5 'Z-plate thickness

If GetOemLed (825)=0 Then 'Check to see if the probe is already grounded or faulty
DoOEMButton (1010) 'zero the Z axis so the probe move will start from here
Code "G4 P2" ' this delay gives me time to get probe in place
Code "G31Z-20 F100" 'probing move, can set the feed rate here as well as how far to move
While IsMoving() 'wait while it happens
Sleep 20
Wend
ZProbePos = GetVar(2002) 'get the axact point the probe was hit
Code "G0 Z" &ZProbePos 'go back to that point, always a very small amount of overrun
While IsMoving ()
Wend
Call SetDro (2, PlateThickness) 'set the Z axis DRO to whatever is set as plate thickness
Code "G4 P0.25" 'Pause for Dro to update.
Code "G0 Z20" 'put the Z retract height you want here
Code "(Z axis is now zeroed)" ' this message goes in the status bar
Code "F" &CurrentFeed 'Returns to prior feed rate
Else
Code "(Z-Plate is grounded, check connection and try again)" 'this goes in the status bar if applicable
Exit Sub
End If

624

General Mach Discussion / Re: Auto Tool zero. Which Input etc. do I Use?

« on: August 27, 2008, 07:09:37 PM »

2. Grounding pin 12 makes the led on the Diagnostic screen work OK . (so far so good)

Does the "Digitise" LED light up when you ground the touch plate?

The code to call a macro is simply    M615  or whatever the number is.

Greg

625

General Mach Discussion / Re: Auto Tool zero. Which Input etc. do I Use?

« on: August 26, 2008, 11:56:23 PM »

Another quickie: do you put the VB script "directly in the Button" or do you store the VB script as a Macro M********* and call the Macro M********* from the button?

Bruce

If you want to use the zero script from more than one on screen button (Might have one on offsets page for example)

or you want to call it from a pendant, then it is smarter to have it in the macros folder and call it from the various buttons etc.

Any fine tuning you do to the script can be done in the one place instead of several.  Easily forgotten.  Don't ask how I know.   

Greg

626

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Strange issue since installing SS

« on: August 21, 2008, 06:41:26 PM »

 Now as soon as I power up my power supply I get the message "external Estop Requested"  .

That is typically a  noise problem. 

I don't expect that the SS is more sensitive to noise than the LPT but it is most likely sensitive in different ways.  A good quality USB cable is a sound investment I think.

There is digital filtering built in to the latest plugin.   Set some fairly high values and see if that fixes it. 

Then reduce the values till problem reappears.  Then you will know what values work for you.

Greg

627

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach Built In Find Hole Centre Probe Routine

« on: August 20, 2008, 03:34:31 AM »

Phill

Budmans script does not zero X and Y at the end. It leaves that up to the operator.

If you want it to do so then just add these couple of lines to the last bit.

Rem   move To the center
   
   Code "G0 Y" &YCenter
   While IsMoving ()
   Wend

   Code "F" &FeedCurrent        'restore starting feed rate

   DoOEMButton ( 1008 )
   DoOEMButton ( 1009 )

End If


Greg
 

628

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach Built In Find Hole Centre Probe Routine

« on: August 19, 2008, 10:35:38 PM »

Ok, I'm sure Greg (greolt) or "poppabear" will be along to help with this shortly, but here's my code (which is like Gregs):

Woah!!!!  I don't think my name should be mentioned in the same breath as Poppabear's   

I have to ask him the most basic questions.    And I have never seen that code before.  Never even tried centring routines before. 

Phill  what code are you asking about?  Can you open it in an editor?  Look for an F command and change it to what you want.

If it has none then G31 will use the last used feedrate.  But adding a line should be no problem.

Also see the following two line in Budman's code,

FeedCurrent = GetOemDRO(818) 'Get the current settings    This one near the sart

Code "F" &FeedCurrent  'restore starting feed rate     This one near the end

They restore the feedrate to what it was before running the routine.

Greg

629

General Mach Discussion / Re: Please, Help homing my gantry on my router

« on: August 19, 2008, 05:47:10 AM »

If you are still getting random estops then push the debounce up, 5000 or even 10000.

You don't have to leave it that high but it will help show if that is your problem.

You don't necessarily need shielded cable. There are a few other tricks available.

But first find out if that is the problem.

Greg

630

General Mach Discussion / Re: Please, Help homing my gantry on my router

« on: August 19, 2008, 02:44:05 AM »

I know it is only terminology but when you call them limit switches make me wonder.

You are setting them as home switches aren't you. 

And they are showing on the diagnostic page as home aren't they.   M1HOME and M4HOME 

Greg