Topics

51

Mach4 General Discussion / Mach4 PC/NB Min Spec

« on: September 26, 2015, 10:31:36 PM »

Hi,
For those still not sure what the minimum spec machine is suitable for Mach4, here are some pointers.
I have tested a number of low spec XP NB's and PC's.
You must have 1.5 or greater OpenGL to display Toolpaths (tester available online internet).
If you plan to do any reasonable 3d engravings then:-
If you have a notebook with a video card it must be at least 512MB.
If the CPU does the video you should have 2GB or more of RAM.
CPU should be at least a Intel Duo 3Ghz processor.
On video cards Mach 4 uses GPU where as Mach3 did not.
Example.
Notebook Duo Intel processor T9300 2.5Ghz with 3GB Ram and a NVIDIA Quarto NVS 320M (256MB) with OpenGL 3.30 with XP 32bit Pro.
File Rotary size 47MB
Mach3
GPU 0-1% CPU 50% Low GPU temperature.
NB had still good response with mouse movement while processing cut.
Mach4
Lead-time 3+ times longer than Mach3
GPU 95% with max of 98% with 149MB being used and 0 to 30% CPU with and average of 15% and high GPU temperature.
NB had sluggish response with the mouse.
So this slightly aged notebook although reasonable quick is not suitable for mid to large Mach4 engravings.
At present Mach4 Toolpaths is still being worked so this may change.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Mauri.

52

HiCON Motion Controller / Mach4 Build 2660 and HiCON MPG

« on: August 27, 2015, 10:03:39 PM »

Hi,
The Mach4 build 2660 (fixed) now works correctly in JOG/MPG/DRO with HiCON Integra using .01mm increments.
If you have no backlash, then the screen DRO will display precise movements .01mm at a time both forward and backward.
If you have backlash set in config (Mach4/HiCON), then it will apply it and will display that value plus .01mm increments after the second click, so the screen may not show correctly to the two clicks, but if you have a dial indicator testing the movement it should move by those two clicks.
I.e.
.01
.01+bachlash (say.02)
Would equal .04mm on the screen DRO, but .02mm on the Dial Indicator.
At .001mm it is less accurate, but still usable.
Thank you Brian and Marc for the assistance in finally get this issue resolved.
Regards,
Mauri.

53

HiCON Motion Controller / HiCON Intergra Card with Mach4.

« on: August 23, 2015, 08:01:50 PM »

Hi,
Recently we purchased a Vital Systems HiCON Integra card as others were not yet completed or functional with Mach4.
We wanted to make a new Controller for our Mill to use with Mach4.

Our requirements were:-
Have a Controller with 4 Axis with the option to go to 5/6.
Have full front Panel 5 Button control the same as Mach4 controls.
Have the front Panel Buttons LED lights function correctly as well as have LED’s for other items.
Be able to have +5V Homing function with +24V inputs to controller.
Be able to have limit controls 24v inputs to controller.
Be able to fully control a high speed Spindle/VFD.
Be able to have full and proper E-Stop.
Have a fully functional MPG with E-Stop.
Have cost effective Stepper Gecko Motor Drivers (G203V and GM215).
Have a good Power Module for the Motors (PMDX)
Be able to Dump Motor Back voltage (PMDX).
Be able to disable Gecko Drives (+5V).
Be able to attach a Probe.
Have sufficient documentation and support (Marc/Rufi/Brian) to get the Controller completed and functional.

Make sure you fully read all the documentation HiCON/Mach4 as the answers are there.

Well this was a journey that required a lot of planning, simulation and circuit testing, providing a lot of fun along the way.
HiCON Integra Card and its Documentation, plus the Mach4 Documentation made it possible to do all we wanted.

We now have a fully functional Controller and are waiting on two items in Mach4 to be able to go into production.
1)   CV to be completed
2)   MPG to function correctly with .01mm and .001mm.

So in summary if you want a Mach4 Motion card that works then Vital System HiCON Integra delivers.

Mauri.

54

HiCON Motion Controller / HiCON general info on Stepper testing

« on: August 22, 2015, 07:32:21 PM »

Hi,
We have made a Controller using a HiCON card with the same button controls as the Mach4 and all function correctly
We are at the final test stage of testing and are awaiting fixes on two main issues with Mach4/HiCON.
1) CV to be updated on Mach4 (currently being worked on)
2) MPG to correctly increment with .01mm and .001m increment settings (not sure if Mach V2 2651 has fixed this issue?)

Here are some handy tips when using the HiCON Plugin for testing Steppers (refer to the Motor3 TAB on the HiCON Plugin).

When do we Save Config?
- The config is saved when you hit OK or APPLY on the plugin window. But it is only written on the hard disk when Mach4 closes.

Where does it save too?
- The config is saved in your Mach4 profile ini file.

When do we Update HiCON?
- I would recommend using the “APPLY” button instead.

Do the settings as shown on the HiCON Config Pane get saved to the HiCON card?
- Yes, but these are lost when the HiCON loses power.

When do we Export Data?
- Export data is meant to write the graph data to a file. Not sure this works in Mach4 yet.

Does this data go to a file for later viewing?
- Yes, it’s supposed to.

How do I turn on the HiCON debug window?
Go to the HiCON plugin System Tab and click the "Enable Debug Windows", this will display a continuous listing of the commands sent to the HiCON card.


Why does this appear in the HiCON debug log display?
[15:14:10] ###WARNING: Reduced Timer Socket receive poll rate detected (42 pkts/sec) 1.6831e+007
[15:14:10] ###WARNING: Reduced Timer Socket transmit poll rate detected (3 pkts/sec) 1.6831e+007

This message is displayed in the black debug window if the connection appears to be lagging (e.g. when the communication rate drops below a threshold of 80%). This is normally seen on Mach4 startup, or during a disconnect. If this message shows intermittently, then it could mean that Mach4 itself is lagging (probably because your CPU is stressed), or if your network connection is slow or unstable.

What settings should I have on Input Gain and Motion Threshhold Counts?
The best setting for the Input Gain is 1 so that the commanded position will have a 1:1 ratio with the actual executed motion. For Motion Threshold Counts, our base setting is 4 so we can account for the small jitters that might occur on your motor when it’s still, and 4 counts is our error mark for judging if the generated motion is off-target or not. But, this value can change depending on the tightness of your drive tuning.
But if you really what “the best” settings, then please give the Mach4 integration manual a good read so you can judge for yourself if these settings are optimal for your machine. Because almost all machines have their own differences “the best” settings are completely dependent on your hardware. There is no “one-size-fits-all” group of settings.  The default Mach4 profile was provided as a starting point for users to get motion going right off the bat, but it will still require further configuration on all machines.

An example of Stepper Motor testing using HiCON Driver (Pic)

In our testing we had the motor was very close to our Controller and had an unshielded cable, the HiCON motor screen provided a good way to test for spikes.
Below (Pic) is an example of what you will see (this appeared in our example every 5/6 times after pressing the execute button quickly). By just placing a ferrite over the cable (for example), the issues disappears.

Regards,
Mauri.

55

HiCON Motion Controller / VFD Spindle with HiCON Integra 7766 and Mach4

« on: June 03, 2015, 04:58:28 PM »

Hi,
Is there anyone who has installed a Huanyang VFD 24k Spindle to J12 Socket of the HiCON Integra 7766 card?
Our Huanyang VFD has DCM, FOR, ACM and VI connections to make it work.
We only need FORrward motion on the spindle.
We where planning to connect as per below.
J12 on HiCON
GND = ACM
DAC = VI
RLC = DCM
RL1 = FOR
Is this correct?
Do I need to have 24V on the RL1 Relay?
What would be the settings required on Mach4 configuration to be able to use in the G Code S24000, M03 and M05 to control the spindle?
Also how do you implement a delay to ensure the spindle is at full speed before it starts cutting in Mach4?
Regards,
Mauri.

56

General Mach Discussion / True 4 Axis Simultaneous on Mach3

« on: November 22, 2012, 08:41:45 PM »

Hi,
Does anyone have True 4 Axis Simulataneous G Code from any CAM pogram that runs on a Mach 3 4 Axis CNC machine.
I need to see this code to see what can be wrong with my CAM program
Regards,
Mauri.