Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / After the crash....she's a no work no more.....Z

« on: March 24, 2013, 11:21:42 PM »

Hi:
Had a "Z mistake " a few days ago and now it won't home correctly. I'm seeking some ideas on where to start looking for the problem. Here is what happened :
I screwed up the Z offset for a tool and it dug into the work  and made some "ugly noises" before I could hit the E-stop. Now when I try to "Ref all home" the Z starts up and hits the limit switch with the E-stop message. The machine coordinates are say "0" in the Z.  I believe it is hitting the limit switch and backing of just a small amount. The DRO Machine coordinate are working and I can jog the Z normally. As before when "ref all home" is selected the the result is limit switch triggered. I am getting an "abnormal condition" amber light with the message: "Axis is not refed to normal condition" I changed to the diagnostics page and have the following: M1++ is yellow, M1-- is yellow, M1 home is yellow.
Am I correct in making the assumption that due to the "crash" the Z has lost it positioning reference due to excessive load on the spindle? Could it have physically moved the switch out of position? OR is this a software issue? So, the 64 dollar question is how do I fix it and get back running.
As always, your stellar advice is GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks
 Caddy 

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: My "manual limit override"........she's a no work anymore...........

« on: June 07, 2012, 04:01:51 PM »

Hello
Again, thank you for the response. As you can see, I don't know very much. I will fire the "rig" up and experiment a bit. It's unclear to me why it was manual and then changed but perhaps it was related to the very weird computer lock up that started this whole thing. As for the hotkeys: This machine came with a "shuttle" that has a few buttons and a dial that controls speed of jogging. It seems to work OK but I have been tempted to change it back to the keyboard method as it seems to be a bit more convienient. I have taken the posture of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" until I have learned enough to become more comfortable just learning how to run the machine and Mach before I start messing around by changing things, as it takes very little to completely shut me down. I will keep and print out the hotkeys for future reference. Thank You
    I am VERY fortunate to have a mentor here locally who knows a great deal about CNC matters but his machine does not use Mach so I try not to compromise his time with any more questions than I have to, especially when it comes to Mach. The same policy applies to you as well as I do not wish to become a pest to those that offer help. I see you are quite active and I'm sure you spend a good deal of time helping others. Please accept my thanks once again and I will try (not promise.... not to  wear out my welcome.
now............off to experiment
BTW, Do you reside in Scotland?

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: My "manual limit override"........she's a no work anymore...........

« on: June 07, 2012, 09:55:46 AM »

OK, here it is (I hope) I am interested in the auto limits function. For some reason, my Mach manual seems to be missing the section that references auto limits config. (section 5.7 in the index) I downloaded the lastest revision to see if the one I had was too old but I could not find it on the newer version. Have I missed something here? Either way, thank you for responding.

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: My "manual limit override"........she's a no work anymore...........

« on: June 06, 2012, 11:38:35 PM »

Hood
I have posted two replies and neither has shown up. I suspect it has to deal with the xml attachment. I am not attaching anything this time. We'll see if this shows up .Thanks

5

General Mach Discussion / My "manual limit override"........she's a no work anymore...........

« on: June 05, 2012, 01:31:42 AM »

Well, looks as though I've messed it up yet again. I had to replace a limit/homing switch and all seems to be back to normal EXCEPT, the "manual limit override" toggle and LED  on the Settings page has gone dark and won't respond
( red or green light) to any input. How can I reset this so I can use it if needed? Many Thanks to all of you that are burdened  with guiding  the "new people".......

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Normal/abnormal message

« on: June 02, 2012, 09:38:09 PM »

THANK YOU GERRY !!!

7

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!

« on: June 02, 2012, 08:33:37 PM »

Hi
Been hanging around since '09 but don't have a great deal of time to stop in and review what has been going on. New to CNC and have been struggling to master CAD/CAM and Mach 3. Not doing very well at any of them. I have made a few parts (enough to really get the "hook " solidly embedded)   Retired and busier than when I worked. Not uncommon I'm told!  I suffer from "old Brain" disease but am accepting it!
I live in toasty Arizona where in the summer, going to the shop is "a bit warm". I enjoy reading the posts even though I don't understand a good deal of it. This gang is really smart!

8

General Mach Discussion / Normal/abnormal message

« on: June 02, 2012, 08:14:20 PM »

Hello:
I'm hoping someone has encountered this before and can guide me on how to resolve the issue:
When I purchased my machine, it was set up to home the full X+ and full Y+. I changed it to home at full X- and full Y_ . After that, the yellow/green Normal/abnormal light flashes at me all the time and when clicked on gives the message: axes not reffed to normal condition". Clearly this is from changing the homing position. I don't know how to tell the normal/abnormal light  that the homing position has changed. Have any of you experienced this and if so, please advise me how to fix it. In return, I would offer to dance at your next wedding.................
Thanks for taking the time to read and respond. And oh yes, obviously I'm not the shapest knife in the drawer on Mach 3 ..........well DUH !!

9

General Mach Discussion / Re: "turn" question

« on: October 09, 2011, 01:06:37 PM »

Hood:
Thanks for the reply. I believe I did just as you said regarding an incorrect while doing the D/L. Just looking at it made me want to utilize "Turn" and you just confirmed it. Thanks

10

General Mach Discussion / "turn" question

« on: October 07, 2011, 11:20:20 PM »

Hi
 Newbie here. I need a bit of clarification here. When I D/L Mach 3 (trial ver.) I notice I now have two  "lathe" related icons. One for "Mach 3 turn" and another just labeled "lathe" When I open "turn" it appears to be a different animal than the "lathe". The lathe icon opens to a screen that appears to be identical to Mach 3 mill, while the "turn" appears to be specific to lathe operation. So.....what's the difference and which one should I direct my efforts to? From my perspective, it seems "turn" is the "correct" one to use?
Thanks Gents, as you can see, I haven't much experience to draw on..............