Messages

111

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Analog signal input to MACH4 - is this doable without third party harware?

« on: March 22, 2015, 05:11:21 AM »

0-10V for $89. 

This looks like a good solution and would eliminate having to build a voltage divider to knock down the 0-10V for the other devices. My 4th axis motor controller is already on TCP Modbus with MACH4 and so far I have tested it with the ESS and there is no conflict. There is a benefit to testing as many potentially conflicting devices as possible, so the AutomationDirect module would serve a dual purpose.

Thanks very much for the lead.

112

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Feature Request

« on: March 22, 2015, 04:02:22 AM »

Access to the MACH4 screen source code.

If we do not have this already, then this is a feature request.

If we do have it already, how do we get to it?

113

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: MACH4 - Modbus

« on: March 22, 2015, 03:59:22 AM »

I am doing some poking around to see what is available in the way of analog input to MACH4. I have seen some references to the 'analog register' in Modbus, but now I cannot seem to find it again. I also recall seeing something about getting the MgHz from a VFD or something like that. Again, can't seem to find it now.

So the question is;

Is there and facilities in the MACH4 Modbus implementation specifically for analog input.

Since Modbus, but spec can only xfer 16 bit numbers, it would seem that any analog (or PWM) would need to be converted on one side and interpreted on the other. But is seems like its worth asking the question, jus in case.

114

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 screen GRAPHICS -- makin' it Purdy

« on: March 22, 2015, 03:53:22 AM »

I have figured out how to eliminate the border around the buttons, but to do so would require either;

Mach4 team to add this to their screen editing routing

- or-

Access to the source code for the Mach4 screen set

So the question is:

Do we have access to the MACH4 screen source code?

115

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Display html page using LUA

« on: March 22, 2015, 03:50:33 AM »

what about all the wx.wxhtml stuff theres a dozen or so things in the drop down menu. I'm not a programmer so I don't know if any of that would help. just trying to give ideas.

As time permits, I have been perusing Lua and wx.Lua documentation . The long list of MACH4 functions is one of many groups of functions and I *think* that we have access to all of them. I recall there being specific functions for manipulating HTML, but I will need to go back and investigate. I take a peek will post back if I find it.

116

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Analog signal input to MACH4 - is this doable without third party harware?

« on: March 22, 2015, 03:42:47 AM »

What resolution (how many bits do you need)?  How many channels?

Thanks for the response. Your question implies third party hardware, is that correct? I have assumed due to the lack of response to this thread that there is no method built into MACHH4, so that leaves third party stuff. Considering that MACH4 really needs a third party motion controller, it would nort be surprising if they left it to that device to provide analog input.

To your question; 12 bit would be nice and for now I only need one channel. The application is to input a 0-10v analog signal from an industrial A/C servo drive to MACH4 in order to get an on screen display of the motor load.

Options that I have now are the Arduino DUE processor in the 4th axis motor controller and a Pokeys board. I have the USB version, but now there is also an Ethernet version. The DUE has 12 analog inputs, each of which has 12 bit res. I don't recall offhand the PoKeys spec, but I know it has Analog I/O.

I also have an ESS, but I'm not sure if it has analog input or not.

 

117

General Mach Discussion / Re: BT30 spindle from scratch - with power drawbar and ATC of course

« on: March 19, 2015, 10:04:10 AM »

Oh and I never made the tool holders, bought most from eBay at a good price and only had to buy a couple new, even then the price of them has dropped massively in the last few years.

Hood

Sorry, I meant to say the wedges, which are the tool holder holders . . sorta . .


Thanks for taking the time to explain everything. Very interesting stuff.  Nice chatting with you again!

118

Mach4 General Discussion / Analog signal input to MACH4 - is this doable without third party harware?

« on: March 19, 2015, 07:43:59 AM »

I need to read an analog signal 0-to-5v or 0-12v into MACH4. I have done a search, but nothing came up about getting an signal IN to MACH4.

If this is doable, can anyone suggest the best method, please.

If third party hardware/plug-in will be needed, can anyone make a recommendation?

Thanks

119

General Mach Discussion / Re: BT30 spindle from scratch - with power drawbar and ATC of course

« on: March 19, 2015, 06:16:39 AM »

The ingenuity of the VDI system has nothing to do with me, it was the German Engineers Society

The VDI system deserves its own Kudos, no doubt, but then again, a lot of engineering also goes into a harmonic drive, and the designers of that component deserve their kudos in turn, however, it is still a component and can be used in a good design or a bad design. It appears to me that you reclaimed some components and methods from a previous machine, but that monster sitting on your lathe is a Hood design. Integrating all of those pieces together and adding a slip joint and servo control is not a trivial task. Nor was the machining of those tool holders.

I will add that the logic and methodical movement thru the evolution of the machine design is classic prototype engineering. Regardless of where the components came from, the overall machine is an achievement. That's my view. 

  

How the Indexing works in the AB drives is you assign up to 6 Inputs and depending on which Input combination is active you can have up to 64 different Index positions set. You can configure the RPM, Accel, Decel, Position etc for each Index.
Below is a screenshot showing a few of the Index setups in my Turrets drive.

Hood

I don't think it gets any better than that. .  Sigma5 has some kind of indexing capability, but I have not had time to dig into that encyclopedia of a manual yet. The Signma5 would be an expensive alternative, in any case, so I'll start poking around for an A/B drive using the data you have provided.


Question: is there a provision for fine adjustment, per tool, to bring the cutting edge to center for say the parting tool??

120

General Mach Discussion / Re: BT30 spindle from scratch - with power drawbar and ATC of course

« on: March 18, 2015, 10:52:55 AM »

Hood,

Well, I just transitioned from 'impressed' to 'amazed'.    The video does not do justice to the complexity and ingenuity that went into this machine. Often the best solutions are evolutionary. The trick is to persevere thru the fails. Assess the performance gaps, re-design and have another go at it.

Plus, you  have anticipated and answered my next question already, so I'm all caught up!

However, as a follow up on the topic of 'indexing' drives:

It would not really have been a problem as I use the Indexing drive and thus would just have different encoder counts for each position, the actual M6 macro in Mach would have been exactly the same as I have now with the exception of 10 tools possible rather than 8.

I recall that you are using Allan-Bradley and those guys have both 'universal' input and also positioning in the same drive. Is that correct?  With Mitsubishi, you have to buy different drives and Yaskawa has 'motion controller' to pair with their drives. I have one of the Yaskawa controllers that I purchased with the idea of running an ATC carousel or chain with differently spaced 'tool spots', but I have not had time to mess with it.  Also, I have in-house at the moment a customer's new Sigma5 Yaskawa motor and drive in 3kw size and it is uber impressive. The motor is about half the size of my 3.6kw Mitsu and it's fast!

As you know, the manuals on these things are just huge and I have not looked at what the new Yaskawas have to offer (beyond what I needed for the task at hand), but I am leaning toward the Allan-Bradley since from your description, it would be more or less 'universal'.