Messages

171

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 19, 2010, 07:15:43 PM »

well, after much trial and error, it turns out that if I mount the probe so that it is not grounded to the mill, it works just fine. possibly, 4 or 5 is not supposed to ground to the probes body, but does...

Anyway, I just have to make a nylon bushing and all is well.

Thanks SO SO MUCH for all your help!

172

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 19, 2010, 03:04:16 PM »

turns out that if the metal body of the probe does not touch the machine (ground of controler and machine are same) then the G31 down in Z actually works.

So, I need to find a way to wire this renshaw TP1S so that it is electrically isolated from the machine.

173

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 19, 2010, 02:33:21 PM »

Ok, so I disconnected the probe.

went in to setup/imputs and changed the active high/low box and ran the wizard.

now G31 works!

What does this mean? was the probe mis wired? and not giving a fault?

174

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 19, 2010, 02:20:30 PM »

Here is a word file that shows my settings. this was done last night.

175

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 19, 2010, 02:17:57 PM »

Everything is fully lisenced in my name.

DRO shows no movement.

No messages when G31 X1 F10 is entered.

Mach Version R3.042.040

I believe that I am using the stock standard screenset.

176

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 19, 2010, 12:54:34 PM »

is their a cheat? is their a way to hand write the Z down probing code then I can just write a program with xy locations that incrementally change and insert the Z down probing code into it?

I am getting the strong feeling that G31 is not an option.

177

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 19, 2010, 12:51:35 PM »

Well, I have tried it a bunch of times again, I believe that my probe is configured correctly as when I set it to the other setting, it gives me the error ""Probe ignore, Activated at call for probe"" I have it set so I DONT get that error.

I have tried the wizard again, and mach is running the wizzard, but the z never descends to probe. it only moves in y and x.

I went to MDI again, and I can imput G31 X2 F10 or G31 X22 or G31 Z-.1 and I get no movement at all. Its as if it just does not reckognize G31 command.

I can however enter G00 comands in MDI and they are executed.

I am not getting any errors while running the wizard or MDI imput. its just like Mach is just skipping over the G31 commands...

Stumped.

178

General Mach Discussion / Re: G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 18, 2010, 11:33:50 PM »

I just used G31 X1 in did not set a feedrate.

Could you give me an example of code that you think would work in MDI?

179

General Mach Discussion / G31 does nothing, in probing wizard and MDI...HELP

« on: September 18, 2010, 09:56:50 PM »

I have been trying to figure this out for hours.

I have been searching this forum, google and cnczone, and have found no answers.

I have a renshaw probe set up on my 3 axis bridgeport, i have it running through a SS breakout board, a Smooth stepper and in to mach 3. The probe is functional. I can get the diagnostics "digitize" led to light when  i manually touch the probe.

first I tried the wizzard for digitize and the Z never drops (with G31) to touch the item im digitizing. Then I tried the digitizing plugin, but I get a strange error. much searching has led me to believe that the plugin cannot be used with current version of mach 3.

So, I went back to the wizzard thinking it was the settings I was entering into it. no such luck. more googleing led me to test if G31 was working in MDI. I tried it a dozen times in MDI and the machine and mach DRO does not move with the G31 command. i tried it for x, y and z, G31 does nothing. no machine movement, no dro changes etc...

All this leads me to believe that for some reason G31 does not work. I have searched for hours, checked my settings over and over, and I cant figure out how to get G31 to work.

I hope someone here can help. I sure could use it.

180

SmoothStepper USB / Hair already gone. pulling teeth out next...spindle tuning issues...

« on: June 30, 2010, 07:18:21 PM »

Well, after several days of screwing around with my setup, I am at a complete loss.

here is the setup-
Mach3 3.042.040
SS Vo15ogx2
CNC4PC index pulse board
CNC4PC C6 speed control board.
Automation direct GS2 110v in 220V 3ph out VFD.
1 HP marathon black max inverter duty motor.
approximately 1:6 reduction between the spindle pulley and the drive motor pulley.
1.5 inch 1 slot disk on the back of the lathes original tachometer assembly.

I have things up and running. motor is running through the VFD controlled by 0-10Vdc (although i cannot seem to get more than 5V actually) from the C6 board.
the index pulse board is recieving and and transmitting pulses just fine- AFAIK.
I can see my actual spindle speed in mach, but it has no relation to the M3 S*********x command thats imput.
I have tried everything I can find. I have adjusted Spindle motor tuning, C6 boards output voltage, index debounce, SS setup dialog adjusted "step and direction" pulse width, pulley ratio etc..

I have fiddled with the settings so much, that i cant get them back to even being useable (if even innacurate) i could use a baseline for all of these different settings. unfortunately, the automated spindle setup does not get things working even close to what they should be, and to compound that, I cant find out anything about the "PID" settings, what they should be, what they even are etc. the mach3 lathe manual does not even appear to refrence PID. and I have searched the web with no luck.

I have read the mach3 manual, and I cannot seem to find any reference to what the "steps per" should be under motor tuning/spindle. intuitively, I would think that it should be 1/rotation with an AC motor. unfortunately, this setting seems to make the spindle not move at all. 60 seems to work reasonably well, but this bares no relationship to anything i can think of, and so im guessing is incorrect.

In general, I find the SS documentation poor, the Mach3 doccumentation slightly better, but both have really dropped the ball when it comes to helping me setup a VFD controlled spindle.

Any help would be GREATLY appriciated! I certainly need it....