Messages

7001

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: trouble posting code

« on: October 16, 2008, 01:19:40 PM »

Bear with me,
Confirm that when you clilck the Post Code button that you get the attached screen, and additionaly click Browse and select the directory,
ok each screen, and a windows screen should now be left asking you for a file name.

Also have you tried posting code to Mach?

 RICH

PS:Do you have a lazycam license?


 

7002

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 software Camtronics box gecko201's No voltage out to drive motors?

« on: October 16, 2008, 12:51:27 PM »

Jamie,
Please tell my sons how wise I am.

So,  I assume that all wiring is checked out. Is that true?
Have you read thru the Mach maunual?



Mach needs to provide info to the drivers via the PP. So you need to do some configuration in Mach.
Check the following:
 
CONFIG> PORTS & PINS
           >PORT AXIS SETUP >PORT 1 CHECKED, ADDRESS is 0x378( usualy but yours may be different), kernal speed 25000hz
           >MOTOR OUTPUTS> XYZ are enabled ( green check),step & dir  pins are correct, dir& step are checked ( green check)
                                         Step & dir port are 1




RICH
     

7003

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: trouble posting code

« on: October 15, 2008, 08:18:49 PM »

KAWI400,
I find that once in a while ie; it dosen't appear to be in the directory where i wanted it posted. Just minimize the
the drive letter and reopen the directory, sure enough it's there. Don't know why, think PC memory related.
RICH

7004

General Mach Discussion / Re: Repeating a program with an increasing variable

« on: October 15, 2008, 07:53:43 PM »

will1234,
Here is small program that should do what you asked. Gcode is not my thing but can dangerous at times.
RICH


G91                 ( INCREMENTAL MODE )
M98 P1000 L23 ( CALL SUBROUTINE L REPEAT MOVE 23 TIMES )
M30                 ( PROGRAM END AND REWIND )
O1000             ( THE SUBPROGRAM )
G00 A5            ( TABLE WILL MOVE IN 5 DEGREE INCREMENTS )
G04 P1.0         ( A DWELL OF 1 SECOND BETWEEN MOVES )
M99                ( RETURN FROM SUBROUTINE REPEAT )

7005

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 software Camtronics box gecko201's No voltage out to drive motors?

« on: October 15, 2008, 08:03:42 AM »

Jamie,
Isn't Marcus a fantastic knowledgable guy.
You need +5v dc to the geico for the opto isolators and if it is not there you will not get any pulses to the drives which may be your problem. Should the 5 volts be switched off and say you were running the steppers they will imediately stop. The five volts DC can be a voltage limiting circuit from the 37.9 volt source or from say a an independent trasnformer. Point is you need the 5 dc volts to the dirve.
PS: download the manual for the drive from the gecko site and you can go to the camtronics site and should  find a manual on their control boxes.
RICH

7006

General Mach Discussion / Re: Repeating a program with an increasing variable

« on: October 15, 2008, 06:40:46 AM »

WILL1234,
Yes there is. You can use a wizard or write a  small progam.
Work calls so need to go. do a search "rotary table" lots of good info in there.
probably annother will respond before i get home and if not i'll get back tonight.
rich

7007

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach2 inconsistent motor drive pulses

« on: October 14, 2008, 11:21:58 PM »

imsolidstate,
Have an admiration for your endeavor / challenge of designing or building your owne drive for use with Mach.
I just feel compelled to ask a question since Mach past and present has proven to work for so manny users.

Why would you try and build a drive, when so many time proven inexpensive drives that work without a hickup are
available?
It's such a critical component of the CNC system.

RICH

7008

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 software Camtronics box gecko201's No voltage out to drive motors?

« on: October 14, 2008, 08:06:09 PM »

JAMIE,
I assume that you can go into the controler / Camtronics box and check some things out. If not, say so ,and do not fool with the outputs / cable running to the steppers unless you absolutely know what you are doing. So electricaly
if not capable keep your hands out of the box! That said:

1. Completely trace out each and every wire to make sure whatever that previous person wired up was done correctly.
- here is a rough description of the controller electrical flow : 120v ac in to a transformer ( or 2 transformers) , then to  bridge, then to capacitor
- from capacitor to individual fuses which will feed the individual Geico 201 drives
  ( Check that all fuses are ok and of the proper rating ( the fuse may be blown on the drive which the light dosen't come on)
2.Go to the geico site anad download info on the g201's - you shoiuld have a capacitor across power to ground on each one. You should have power at terminal #2, check that there is a current limitiing resistor across the current set terminals and that it is good. You need +5v to the +5v terminal. Its understood that phase wiring is done correctly.
Is there a switch going to the disable ? maybe turned off?


Thats some general things.
If power, grounding, +5v, not disabled, is ok you may have a blown drive.
Call Geico, as they can tell you exactly what few ohm measurements to check to see if the drive is blown.
Sorry, but I just don't remember that test anymore. you will need to remove it.

3.With power off check each steppers wiring from drive to motor. Check that none of the motors are shorted.

Knowing that everything is wired correctly is the first step. Who knows what that guy did!

If the drive is bad I would replace it with like kind, there is an upgraded G201( think G202?) but the g201 is $20 to
$40 cheaper and may be different in size. While you at this , you may want to consider puttinig in another drive,
this way you could have xyza axis or a can always become a spare should you blow one.
Hope this helps,
RICH
PS: I didn't get into mach settings as I realy think you should first confirm wiring.

7009

General Mach Discussion / Re: Rapid not working during jogging

« on: October 13, 2008, 09:10:04 PM »

Thanks Brett,
Just never know what your going to learn in here.
  RICH

7010

General Mach Discussion / Re: Rapid not working during jogging

« on: October 13, 2008, 08:29:37 PM »

dah....thought i was at the end of  the posts

I leave it here anyway, never know you might have a sticky key!


Do both shift keys react the same way ( you can use either one)?

Did you turn the shift key into a "sticky key" by some chance. I didn't even know about this until I pressed the shift key
alone a few times and up popped a menu to use the key board keys in some fashion. Nothing in the Mach manual about this
so maybe it's just something that's loaded with the keyboard I am using.

RICH