Topics

41

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: May 05, 2009, 04:24:11 PM »

Hi everyone,

After much study and work and help from this forum and other resources, I have my servo powered 4th axis up and running. It does everything I wanted it to do.

In the current arrangement, the mill spindle stays active and still functions as normal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KNit__LJE4

For now, some interesting programming is needed along with a custom macro to do the thread passes, but in time, I think Mach3 will have features to make this much better.

I don't plan to make aluminum bolts from round stock. The part just demonstrates the various functions I wanted to get working.

42

General Mach Discussion / Xbox 360 controller plugin won't load . error says defective also says Mach4.

« on: May 02, 2009, 11:20:52 AM »

I had this working a while back with a wireless controller. I really like the implimentaion, but the wireless was interfering with the machine control. (Same with wireless network).

Finally I bought a wired controller and now Mach will not load the plugin. Latest plugin download and tried .20, .27 and the latest .43.00 also.

Getting error message that plugin is defective and the error box says Mach4.

43

General Mach Discussion / Parallel port for PCI bus that works with Mach3 - just passing along info

« on: April 23, 2009, 07:33:55 PM »

After much research I bought this dual parallel port to run a second BOB off Mach3. This is, incidentally, my favorite place to buy my geek stuff.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815166007

It works in a really old computer runing Win2000 (the one that actually tuns the mill), a relatively new computer running XP and even a 'middle aged' computer runing Windows 7 beta. I did not test it with Vista. It took quite a bit of tinkering to sort out, so I though I'd pass this info along and save people some time if they go with this card (apparently lots of cards don't work with Mach at all.)

Caveats are:

1) Go to www.MOSchip.com to get the drivers for the chipset on the card. The ones that come with the card didn't work for me . . YMMV.

2) The card has two ports.  You need to give Mach3 the address of what the device manger lists as LPT3 as that's the port address for the connector on the card itself. There is a second connector on a bracket that connects to the card with a ribon cable. So that one must be LPT2.

Hope this is helps someone.

44

General Mach Discussion / Limit switch wiring advice needed from you electronics guys, please!

« on: April 20, 2009, 06:11:08 AM »

Getting false estops again. First time it was swarf getting on switch contacts. Easily remedied. Now getting spooky random e-stops for no apparent reason.

One cause could be momentary induction on the 5v limit switch wires, so I read that bumping them to 24v is the solution . . again easy enough.

I'm at 'Electronics for Dummies' level, so I need some help interfacing the new 24v daisy chain back to the breakout without frying things . . . . again   .

So I would appreciate getting some advice on two possible solutions. First, a part number and wiring instructions for an optoisolator to connect the 24v limit switch loop to the breakout.

Second, I replaced a broken limit switch (don't ask   ) with a Cherry brand and it is very inconsistent on homing. I would like to replace all of the mechanical switches with something like the NTE3100 photointerruptor. Would that be a good choice and how would one go about building a circuit out of three of those daisy chained back to the breakout?

Thanks!

45

General Mach Discussion / Can two 36v power supplies be used in series to get 72v?

« on: April 14, 2009, 10:16:32 AM »

I'm using a 36v power supply which is  fine for the axis steppers, but I'm contemplating getting a 72v servo motor as well.

Q: can a pair of unregulated CNC power supplies (mine is from Keling) have thier outputs wired in series to get 72v or would that cause a problem?

Alternately, could a step up transformer be used to create the 72v for a single motor while the rest of the setup continued to run on 36v?

These are probably very rudimentary questions, but I'm not good with electrons so I appreciate the opinions and advice from those who are.

Thanks.

46

General Mach Discussion / 3.042.026 Fixtures broken

« on: April 14, 2009, 05:29:01 AM »

Can't get fixtures (offsets G55, etc) to zero out on .026

Went back to .025 and it works OK.

47

General Mach Discussion / Opinion and advice - explain relationship of encoder to kernel speed

« on: April 09, 2009, 10:05:18 AM »

I have a stepper powered 4th axis (shown in the show and tell section) that I am considering converting to servo power so that it can be used on the mill as a pseudo lathe.

Currently I have a 10:1 reduction and a 10,000 RPM DC motor to use which would net a max 1,000 RPM which is adequate for my purpose. I can install the encoder wither on the motor or on the belt drive idler.

First, I wonder if anyone is doing something similar and if it is considered viable.

Second, if I put a 200 step encoder on the motor, there would be a max of 2,000,000 pulses per minute. What kernel speed would be needed for that and in general what is the relationship between the encoder steps and kernel speed?

48

General Mach Discussion / Subroutines broken in 42.023

« on: March 23, 2009, 09:09:04 AM »

Ignores G0 move on next executed line after M99

49

General Mach Discussion / Speed controller won't hold steady speed - where is the problem?

« on: January 12, 2009, 03:13:41 AM »

I have two CNC4PC C6 speed controllers. Neither will hold a steady speed. Observing with an analog volt meter confirms the output voltage is fluctuating. I replaced the hook ups with shielded wire, but it didn't help.

Drive is a Minarik MM series which holds dead steady speed using a pot.

I am just curious if anyone is using this controller with success before I spend a lot of time trying to get it to work right if this is just a characteristic of the CNC4PC controller or Mach.

50

General Mach Discussion / Wireless network causes steppers to stall

« on: December 30, 2008, 05:04:08 PM »

Just thought I would pass this along. I've been chasing a stubborn problem with the steppers stalling for no apparent reason. Finally I serendipitously discovered that it was the wireless network adapted causing the trouble. Plug it in .  steppers stall, unplug it, all is well.


Just another thing to add to the troubleshooting pool.