Messages

111

General Mach Discussion / Re: Estop after turning on spindle

« on: November 01, 2015, 04:36:19 PM »

Most likely interference from the spindle, which is causing a small voltage to be generated in the E-stop/limit wiring.
The VFD to spindle wiring should be shielded, as that is a major source of noise/interference, which will be picked up by any nearby wiring. If that wiring is low voltage (5V or less) control wiring, it can be enough to generate enough voltage/current in that wire to trigger inputs, especially things like e-stop or limit switch circuits. It also has the potential to cause missed/extra steps in motor drivers.

112

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: suddenly will not stop stepping

« on: October 25, 2015, 03:22:13 PM »

I think what Rich meant was to swap the motor wiring across between the drivers.

113

General Mach Discussion / Re: Turret macro question! VERY COOL TURRET :D

« on: October 02, 2015, 06:52:48 PM »

I personally used a Click PLC for my lathe turret, and connected to it using Modbus via a KFlop/Kanalog (Kanalog supports Modbus).

It will depend on how you want to handle the turret. My setup relies on the turret position being updated via Modbus, with the commanded position being sent and actual position returned, then one output being used to tell the PLC that it's safe to perform a tool change, and one input being used to signal that the turret is on position and locked.
I used the PLC because I never had enough inputs/outputs to handle everything, so moving the turret logic to a PLC was the simplest option at the time.

A cheaper option would be something like an Arduino, as there are a few examples around showing how to connect to them via Serial/Modbus.
You don't have to use Modbus if you have enough inputs/outputs, as you could output the position to the arduino/micro using normal outputs, then let the arduino handle the sequencing before activating an input to say the move is complete.

114

General Mach Discussion / Re: Turret macro question! VERY COOL TURRET :D

« on: October 02, 2015, 06:21:59 PM »

The encoder output may not be BCD. Depending on what's fitted, it could be Grey logic or something similar. You'll either need to find a manual, or hook it up to a logic analyser to try and figure out the code.
You may also find only 3 of the output lines are for the position, with the fourth being a strobe/locating line which is used to time the locking.

Once you've figured that out, if the turret rotates at any kind of reasonable speed, then a macro won't be fast enough. Macros only run with a 10Hz update speed, so if you need anything more accurate than 100ms timing, then they're no good and you'll need to use another method, such as a PLC or something micro-controller based.

115

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 PC/NB Min Spec

« on: September 28, 2015, 06:09:46 PM »

Mauri, what version of Mach4 are you using?
There was an issue in some earlier versions with CPU usage maxing out.

116

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help connecting this board to a controller

« on: September 24, 2015, 05:27:54 PM »

I might be missing something, but both the KK01 and BM01 use parallel ports, so surely it's simply a case of getting another female to female parallel cable?

However, I'm not sure on how you're planning on connecting the original gecko/controller?
We need more details on how you are planning on connecting this all up.

117

General Mach Discussion / Re: What all is needed to convert from emc2 to mach3?

« on: September 24, 2015, 05:15:34 PM »

It will depend on what you're actually converting.

If it's something with a parallel port, simply install windows 7 32bit or earlier, followed by Mach 3 with the parallel port driver, then it's just a case of changing the settings to suit your machine.
However, if it's something not using the parallel port, then it will depend on exactly what boards/controllers are being used.

118

General Mach Discussion / Re: Best digitizing kit?

« on: September 24, 2015, 05:11:45 PM »

What do you mean by complete kit?

That link is for a complete probing head, which will need mounted in a spindle/holder.
I've got one of the earlier Deepgroove probing heads, and I can't complain about it. Very repeatable, and does what I need it to, regularly probing to better than 0.1mm accuracy. I've got it mounted on a dedicated probing machine, which there is a build thread for in the Show'n'Tell (Your Machines) board.

119

General Mach Discussion / Re: TLO lengths and Z axis readout

« on: September 14, 2015, 07:38:54 PM »

 I just checked and when using external motion controllers, it is up to the controller to update the DROs, although I'm not sure how displaying different offsets is applied.

It's probably worth posting in the Galil forum, as you'll get more specific help there, as smurph (Steve) is one of the guys behind the Galil plugin and is more likely to see your post there.
I noticed you also posted on the yahoo group, so it's maybe also worth mentioning there that you're using a Galil, as it's more likely to be a Galil specific issue rather than a general Mach3 issue.

120

General Mach Discussion / Re: HELP DOWNLOADING MACH3!!

« on: September 14, 2015, 06:20:58 AM »

Try downloading the file using an FTP program.

I had a similar problem a couple weeks back, where the download would stall at 99%, but using an FTP program it downloaded ok (I used Filezilla). I meant to report it, but obviously forgot in the rush to get a machine back up and running!