Messages

61

General Mach Discussion / Fitting Limit/Home Switches to TONSEN TS3040C CNC

« on: June 08, 2014, 12:09:23 PM »

Soft limits work very well however they are dependent on homing or referencing your machine on each start up of Mach. Being open loop, it needs verification of its location. I hope that makes sense.

62

General Mach Discussion / Fitting Limit/Home Switches to TONSEN TS3040C CNC

« on: June 08, 2014, 07:57:18 AM »

Is your screen enlarged? Or the wrong values in the screen size?

Soft limits can be used by first taking the machine to its maximum travel of Z for example (all the way up) then move down to the point you don't want to pass, record number on DRO. Place 0 and whatever the recorded number is into the min and max dialog boxes. Put a reasonable number into the "slow zone" box, maybe .25-.5"? The machine will approach the limits at a rapid speed, then slow down at that distance from the end/limit value.

Soft limits work very well however they are dependent on homing or referencing your machine on each start up of Mach. Being open loop, it needs verification of its location. I hope that makes sense.

63

General Mach Discussion / Re: Initial Speed control issue

« on: May 31, 2014, 02:29:13 PM »

Do you use a charge pump or its feature? My understanding is that it doesnt allow any motion until the signal is received from the PC, meaning communication with Mach is successful.

64

General Mach Discussion / Re: ESS/MX3660 and Estop issues?

« on: May 31, 2014, 09:38:58 AM »

  Peter, I owe you a beer.

  I am not sure of why my Estop was set to pin 10 but it was. I even remember questioning it a few times. Now if I could remember the other machine that has this issue, I would check its pin setting too. Since all of my Estops actually break the latch for the contactor it never causes problems but I wondered why the screen doesnt show it.

  Again, Thanks. I read the MX3660 documentation again. I have no idea why I set it to pin 10 (if I did).

65

General Mach Discussion / ESS/MX3660 and Estop issues?

« on: May 30, 2014, 10:37:45 PM »

That is exactly how I have it wired. One set of contacts kills the latch to the contactor, the other pair go to pin 10 of Mach via the MX3660. Even if I pull the EStop connectors out of the MX3660, the drives disable but Mach never reacts differently. The reset does not flash. I swear the pins and inputs are set up. It is quite odd.

66

General Mach Discussion / Re: ESS/MX3660 and Estop issues?

« on: May 30, 2014, 05:06:35 PM »

Mods, Can you move this to the SS section? Thanks

67

General Mach Discussion / ESS/MX3660 and Estop issues?

« on: May 30, 2014, 01:33:39 PM »

   I have a few machines that run Mach. All the do the mechanical work just fine, however the computers respond differently. I cant figure out why.

   At present I am testing a layout for my lathe. It consists of an ESS, an MX3660 (leadshine). The ESS has power full time (as long as machine is plugged in, in other words the power supply for the ESS is not connected thru my contactor)

   I have movement fine.

   My issue is that if I push the physical EStop button the machine quits (as it is contactor fed and the EStop kills the latching of the contactor) however nothing on the Mach screen would let you know that. Being suspicious that the contactor was somehow not letting the signal thru (since there was no power). I even pulled the EStops wiring connector from the MX3660 while leaving the contactor powered. I see that the MX3660 does disable the drive. But once again nothing on the Mach screen lets me know. I would think a restart should require an unlatching of the EStop button, pressing the reset button on the Mach3 screen then to press a momentary switch which energizes and latches the coils of the contactor.

   I have tried active low and high on the Estop button, smoothstepper and mach control of the Feedhold and everything and anything I can think of.

   Does anybody else see the Estop (the flashing of the reset button on screen) using an ESS? The switch works it just isnt getting thru to MACH or showing that it has anyway.

68

General Mach Discussion / Re: * * Need Help with possible ground issue and false E - STOPS* *

« on: May 26, 2014, 03:38:06 PM »

It is a common issue and frustrates many of us. It will be fun again, dont worry.

Take some pictures and post them, dont be embarassed about the rats nest of wiring. Something might be blatantly obvious to an experienced eye.

69

General Mach Discussion / Re: can i use my license on another computer

« on: May 26, 2014, 03:35:49 PM »

I believe it is unlimited use for the same user.

70

General Mach Discussion / Re: Hot Key, space bar

« on: May 26, 2014, 03:33:30 PM »

Hotkey assignments are in the config window, under "system hotkeys".