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Messages - stirling

121
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: March 02, 2016, 09:57:42 AM »
Kolias - if I'm to help you I really need you to do what I ask and not what you fancy trying.

FORGET about running the macro for now. At NO point did I ask you to run the macro or press any buttons.

Are you connecting to pin15? are you remembering the 120R resistor? are you changing probe input in ports n pins from 8 to 15? is it set active low?

Go through the instructions again and please follow to the letter. Check and double check you have it EXACTLY.

Then touch your plate to the tool. Do not hit any buttons - do not run any macros - do not pass go - do not collect $200.

If it still doesn't work - please check the voltage between the tool and the plate and report back - it should be approx 4.8V

I thank you.

122
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: March 02, 2016, 08:44:35 AM »
the one on the 3 screw power connector is fine or there's a couple more opposite on the 6 screw output connector.

123
General Mach Discussion / Re: UC100 and PC specs
« on: March 02, 2016, 04:48:41 AM »
Am i right believing that if I'm using a UC100 motion controller that I could use a slightly lower power pc to run Mach3??

Bit of a vague question really Dave. How about "yes" - does that help?

Also, with a UC100, do i still need the parallel port configured in settings??

Again - a bit vague. You don't need and therefore wouldn't load the PP driver - but you'd still need to set ports n pins etc.

124
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: March 02, 2016, 04:09:32 AM »
You may not need it.  I assume that your machine is grounded so the tool will be grounded through the spindle.  But it's good practice to have a ground wire as shown which should go back to the star point ground in your electronics.  The "copper board" of course should be printed circuit board, so the copper layer which is uppermost is normally insulated from ground until the grounded tool touches.  I find that probing works fine through the machine ground.

Not quite sure what you're referring to by "it" when you say "You may not need it".

125
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: March 02, 2016, 03:56:08 AM »
Thanks stirling, enjoy your tea / Jin

It is strange because I used the same BOB and drivers / motors before and I had the probe working well with the same script / wiring as when I started this thread (black to clip and 5V with a resistor in between, red to pin 15).

You'll just have to trust me on this. That is NOT the way to wire a tool for tool setting probe. If you say it worked then OK but it was by some strange quirk of luck that somehow your tool was isolated from ground. That is the ONLY way that could have "worked".

You don't have to trust me on the script though because after we get your touch off working I'll explain exactly why that script is a crock o' horse sh**.



Anyway - the diagram you just posted demonstrates nicely how to do things properly but as I've tried to explain - you have a problem trying to do that with YOUR BOB because the muppets that designed it, HARDWIRED pullDOWN resistors on the dedicated inputs.

See the 10K pullUP resistor on this diagram?
See the that the tool is clipped to GROUND?
See the pullDOWN on YOUR schematic?
See the tool connected to 5V on yours (albeit through a stupid series resistor who's only purpose is to stop a short if the tool actually IS connected to ground).

exactly as I've been trying to explain to you.
Compare it to your BOB manual (page 11) and hopefully you'll see the difference.

All we can try to do on your BOB is try to "over-power" your pullDOWN with a strong pullUP.

So please follow the above diagram EXACTLY except use your 120 ohm resistor instead of the 10K one in the diagram.
Then go to ports n pins and change your probe pin from 8 to 15. Leave it active low (green tick).

Then touch your plate to the tool and you should be good.


 

126
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: March 01, 2016, 01:13:06 PM »
According to your xml you only have the ONE parallel port. If that's the case you can't use pin 8 for an input.

You're already using inputs 10,12 and 13 so you'd need to change the probe input to either 11 or 15.

However there's a problem:

Ideally you want to set the input active low (and use a pull UP). But according to your BOB datasheet, page 7, that stupid BOB has all the dedicated inputs (10,11,12,13 and 15) hard wired to pull DOWNS. This means the ONLY option you have to activate these is active HIGH.

This is REALLY STUPID and makes tool setting impossible UNLESS you can somehow isolate the tool from ground.

That's why they have that REALLY STUPID diagram on page 11. i.e. THAT can only work if the tool is isolated which is practically NEVER going to be the case.

I'll have to think... time for drink here in the UK...

EDIT: just noticed you just posted again. Pins 2-9 are OUTPUTS - pullups/downs are meaningless on OUTPUTS. Please don't play without knowing what you're doing - you're going to blow something if you're not careful.

127
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: March 01, 2016, 09:51:21 AM »
time to post your xml please kolias

128
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: March 01, 2016, 04:17:45 AM »
So just to be clear: if you touch the clip to the plate - you get a light?
If you connect the clip to the tool and touch that to the plate you don't get a light?

If that's the case (which I think it is) then as I said, your wiring's incorrect.

Why? - because unless your spindle has ceramic bearings (and even if it had) your tool is likely at ground potential.

connecting ground to an active high plate is not going to activate it.

The problem is that (according to your data sheet) pin15 is a "dedicated" input (page 7) with a fixed pull-down resistor. This means pin15 HAS to be set active high. That means that to work - your tool HAS to be insulated from ground. This is a really bad way to do this.

Use one of the configurable inputs (2-9) and set pullup and set it to active low. Then get rid of the 120R resistor and connect your clip to ground. Clip it on the tool and test by touching the TOOL to the plate.

THEN we'll deal with that useless code.  ;)

129
Your labeling is probably guided by your familiarity with lathes. But if you swap the labeling for X and Z you have a standard XYZ gantry layout. Two slaved motors for Y and single X and Z. Sorry - I don't see a problem here. All pretty bog standard stuff. What am I missing?

130
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can’t get Probe to Work
« on: February 29, 2016, 11:21:12 AM »
What is wrong?

I'm afraid your wiring is incorrect and that code is rubbish.

Is this a mill or a router? (i.e. metal base or wood spoil board).