Messages

111

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Driver Test - no line & zero pulses per second

« on: August 01, 2013, 03:46:16 PM »

Sorry if I offended you Ian, but I thought your last smiley (meaning "huh ?") was saying something like, "What the hell are you doing that for".

If that's not the way it was meant and my reply upset you then please accept my apologises. My reply was only meant to illustrate my reasoning behind trying to kill the PC again, not to offend.

I'm actually very happy with you for helping me find out where the problem lay.

Keith.

112

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Driver Test - no line & zero pulses per second

« on: July 31, 2013, 03:07:15 PM »

Well if I was in a group of people and someone came and singled me out to poke me in the eye, I'd certainly like to know the reason why.

I could opt to just not go anywhere near where Mr eye poker is, but I'd prefer to understand what made him do that.

I've got more to gain by understanding what part of the optimisation killed the pc, and there's no harm done in finding out.

Keith.

113

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Driver Test - no line & zero pulses per second

« on: July 31, 2013, 06:26:24 AM »

Yes I've read that.

So you think I could have over optimised. That never crossed my mind. I wonder if any of the services that MSCONFIG starts up (Startup Items) could be to do with the motherboard.

The original hard disk is back inside now with a normal XP installation. I've just went and installed Mach on this and I'm waiting for the PC to reboot so I can do the driver test....................................................................I don't beleive it, the driver test is working on a normal XP installation and no optimisation, ha ha.

Thanks Stirling, you have just gave me one hell of an education here. I killed the PC with unnecessary optimisation.

I didn't take notice of those words and thought more is better.

Now I'll have to disable things one by one to see which one it is that killed it. I bet it's something in the startup items that is to do with the mainboard drivers.

Keith.

114

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Driver Test - no line & zero pulses per second

« on: July 30, 2013, 10:43:11 PM »

Thanks for your reply Hood.

I've actually just realised I had this problem a couple of yours ago and I think this is the same computer (found. It has been used as a web browsing computer for the kids since I gave up on it then. I've only just got a better computer for the kids and thought I'll use theirs for my cnc. How about that for a complete circle.

Anyway the new "better" computer gave problems so I put their original one back again.

Before it went back to the kids I even installed a PCI parallel port card, disabled the onboard P. port in the bios but the driver test was exactly the same. Looked through all bios settings to try and think if anything could be causing this problem but nothing came to mind.

It seems to be a very rare occurence that so far does not have an answer.

Keith.

115

General Mach Discussion / Mach3 Driver Test - no line & zero pulses per second

« on: July 30, 2013, 07:20:27 AM »

I've installed Mach 3 on quite a few computers but this problem is a first for me.

XP installed in Standard PC mode
Go through XP optimisation
Motherboard drivers installed
Install Mach3 and reboot
Run driver test - no line, and zero pulses per second, even though says system under Mach3 control

Tried ECC+EPP, and EPP settings for parallel port in the bios.

Uninstalled and re-installed Mach (including uninstalling pulsing engine from Device Manager) but same results.

I'm stumped, anyone got any ideas or should I toss the computer.

Processor is a 3Ghz P4, 2MB cache, 800 FSB and have 1G ram PC3200

116

General Mach Discussion / Re: G28.1 with feedrate added into the mix

« on: May 10, 2013, 05:08:24 PM »

Hi Ian,

yes I was, thanks for the correction.

Cheers,

Keith.

117

General Mach Discussion / Current feedrate and G28.1

« on: May 09, 2013, 05:25:40 AM »

I think I'm getting to the bottom of the rabbit hole on learning about G28.1

Homing is done at a % of CURRENT FEEDRATE, as set in Config/Homing Limits

When my plasma table Z axis does its very FIRST touch off operation, the only feedrate command that has been given before this is F1 which is 1mm/min in my case. Now I know that my first Z homing operation is not done at a the % setting of 1 mm/min. There are however some G0 command before the first touch off so my question is does a G0 command set the current feedrate to the rapid speed, and therefore my homing speed gets done at a % of the rapid speed.

Or in summary, is the following true:

F1234 in first line of code  -  current feedrate is now 1234 mm/min
G0 in second line of code  -  current feedrate is now machines rapid speed

Cheers,

Keith.

EDIT: Topics merged by Mod

118

General Mach Discussion / Re: G28.1 with feedrate added into the mix

« on: May 08, 2013, 02:52:36 PM »

Thanks Ian,

I'll have to write a tiny bit of code to try it on my table.

If that's the case it seems like a pointless exercise to put this referencing speed setting in my post processor, plus homing speed is not constant and is a percentage of current feedrate. Interesting, I would have thought a machines homing speed would be a fixed value, not connected to current feedrate.

Cheers,

Keith.

119

General Mach Discussion / G28.1 with feedrate added into the mix

« on: May 08, 2013, 05:18:07 AM »

My cam software for my plasma cutter gives me the following code as part of the touch of sequence:

G28.1  Z15  F500

From safe Z my torch rapids down to 15 mm then travels to the home switch at a reduced feedrate. What I am not sure of is whether it will be using the F500 code or it will be using the % speed setting in Config/Homing Limits. I assumed having the F500 in the line of code would OVERIDE the % setting in Config/Homing Limits.

Someone has told me that in the code above the F500 is redundant because it only comes into play IF there is a G1, G2 or G3 in the line of code. IS THIS TRUE ?? That's my big question.

Googling Mach & G28.1 a description of G28.1 was that it causes a homing move at a % (set in Config/Homing Limits) of the CURRENT feedrate. If that's true then doesn't that mean the homing speed will change depending on what the current feedrate is. I always though the homing % speed setting was a percent of rapid speed and would always be the same.

I'm hoping the F500 command in the line of code will overide the % setting so my homing speed is consistent regardless of the current feedrate.

Cheers,

Keith.

120

General Mach Discussion / Re: Un-install & re-install changes Mach3

« on: August 01, 2012, 04:00:49 AM »

Self solved - had to re-enter my Mach3 license, no THC in demo version.