Messages

221

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Simple xml

« on: January 22, 2013, 07:26:00 PM »

If you have the G540 working with the parallel port than you have the XML you need. You just need to tell Mach to use the SmoothStepper instead of the the parallel port. Take a look at http://www.soigeneris.com/Document/Warp9/Installing_and_Configuring_the_SmoothStepper.pdf on page 4. It will tell you have to change the motion device in Mach3.

222

SmoothStepper USB / Re: new cnc build and smooth stepper questions

« on: January 01, 2013, 11:33:55 AM »

The only thing I'll quibble with Hood about is item 2, and it is just a minor differnece in opinion. While it is 100% accurate that the purpose of the chargepump was to prevent the machine from doing things as the PC was booting up and the parallel port line might toggle unpredictably; depending on how your BOB is set up the Chargepump might still be useful though as it will act like an enable signal. For example with the Gecko G540 when the chargepump signal is not present all of the outputs will be disabled (stepper motors and relay outputs). When Mach3 starts talking with the SmoothStepper, the SmoothStepper will output the chargepump signal and the outputs will be enabled. If Mach3 crashes for some reason then the SmoothStepper will stop putting out the chargepump signal and all outputs will be disabled. While this is not 100% needed, it is a nice feature to have in place.

Hood is also 100% correct about the ESS being a better choice than the USBSS. I have sold a lot of both units and while 95% (or more) have no issues with the USB versions I have not had a single issue with the Ethernet version dropping out on someone.

223

Promote and discuss your product / Re: Five year anniversary contest from Soigeneris.com

« on: December 31, 2012, 05:08:18 PM »

The winners in the final week’s drawing were:

Colten Edwards of Canada
James Johnson of USA

Colten and James an email has been sent to you with details on how to use your $50 winnings at Soigeneris,com.

The past five years have been a great opportunity to meet a lot of new folks and find out a bit about the cool things you make with your machines. Thanks for your support and I’m hoping everyone has a happy and prosperous new year.

Thanks,

Jeff Birt
Soigeneris.com

224

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 Gecko G540 Drive Spindle RPM won't display please help!

« on: December 28, 2012, 11:47:27 PM »

The DC grounds of the power supplies need to be tied together. Run a wire from the DC ground or your 24V power supply to the DC ground of your 48V power supply.

225

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 Gecko G540 Drive Spindle RPM won't display please help!

« on: December 27, 2012, 02:59:17 PM »

The G540 inputs need to be pulled to ground to activate them, they are internally pulled up to 12VDC. A sensor with a NPN type output will also work (NPN means that the sensors output is pulled to ground when the sensor is triggered.) You also need to tell Mach which port/pin the index signal is on.

226

Promote and discuss your product / Re: Five year anniversary contest from Soigeneris.com

« on: December 23, 2012, 01:08:28 PM »

The results are in from the third week of our contest. The winners are:

David Wescott, USA
Karl Gross, USA

Congratulations David and Karl, an email has been sent to both of you with
your code to receive $50 off your Soigeneris.com order.

The last week of the contest is now open, if you did not win previously you are eligible to enter again. Same rules as before.

Good luck to everyone in this week's contest, here are the details on how to enter.

I wanted to have this little contest as a way of saying thanks and to give back to the DIY CNC community; I feel fortunate to be able to start and keep a small business running in an economic downturn and good fortune should be shared. It is also Christmas time so it seemed like a fun idea and running it for four weeks with two winners a week to allow more folks a chance to win. A few weeks ago I got a lot of guff from one list moderator and thought about calling off the whole thing off. My goal is not to annoy anyone. If you find the whole idea of this contest annoying then please let me know at the email address below.

For the month of December 2012 we will be holding a drawing each week and giving away two $50 gift certificates for Soigeneris.com. We will draw two names out of a hat on Sunday from all entries the previous week (so we will draw on December 9, 16, 23, and 30).

Entering is easy. Go to http://www.soigeneris.com and take note of one of the items that are displayed on the front page. Then send an email to birt_j@soigeneris.com and tell me the name of one of the items you saw displayed on the front page. In the subject line please include the word 'Contest' (this will automatically sort the email into the correct folder) and include your full name and address. I will not be divulging, in any way, your personal information to anyone. The reason I'm asking for this information to verify that a real person, not a computer program, is sending in the entry. One entry per person per week is allowed and you may only win once. Pass the word around to your friends. Everyone is welcome to enter.

Please nobody try to spam me with multiple entries. I want this to remain fun and fair for everyone.

Good luck to everyone!

Jeff Birt
Soigeneris.com

227

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Air blast and FT_IO_ERROR s

« on: December 19, 2012, 09:38:47 AM »

The problem may be that after several hours of running continuously the fridge compressor motor is having a hard time and producing more electrical noise. Fridge compressors are not made to run continuously (they also need provisions for separating/recirculating the lubricating oil), they only run intermittently in typical use.

I have found that often a USB communication problem is not just a problem with the USB device but also the PC. Any electrical noise that feeds back into your AC lines can find its way back into the PC which can cause problems with the 5V power bus used by the USB ports). I've seen this in my shop when I turn on/off a florescent light above my workbench, the ballast is going bad in the fixture which causes enough noise to disrupt any USB device on the PC. If your keyboard or mouse are temporarily knocked out you will likely never notice but a motion control device getting cut off from the PC is another thing.

I added a line filter to the AC line before my PC: http://www.soigeneris.com/filters_and_ferrites-list.aspx (my website) there are also ferrites for power cords and USB cords there. This took care of most of the problem (as judged by looking at the AC line with an OScope.) Using an external power supply for the SmoothStepper also helped (have those on website as well). If you still have trouble then I would suggest a USB isolator: http://www.bb-elec.com/Products/USB-Connectivity/Isolators/Compact-USB-Port-Guardian.aspx . I have tested many of these units and found the ones made by B&B and Phidgets to work the best. Many of the other were next to useless.

228

General Mach Discussion / Re: What external motion controller do I choose?

« on: December 17, 2012, 03:48:27 PM »

A touch screen is not a necessity but it is very nice. To get the most from a touch screen you really need a screen set that is made for touch use. That standard Mach touch screen is rather lousy for touch purposes. Once you get used to running Mach with a touch screen it feels really natural. I find myself pressing the 'Start' button on the screen all the time on machines without touch screens, it just seems like the thing you should do.

229

General Mach Discussion / Re: What external motion controller do I choose?

« on: December 15, 2012, 10:25:13 AM »

I have been running Win7-64 and Mach for more than a year and have never had the problem you describe. I have lots of customers running the same combination and have not heard of this issue. My guess is that there is some hardware or driver issue on your PC, there have been a few similar issues reported with Mach and XP over the years so I don't think it is Win7-64 specific. Anytime I've had a customer with a really strange Mach/PC problem reinstalling Windows from scratch has taken care of it. A lot of guys will get a hold of an older PC that has had a lot of carp installed/removed over the years, even a new PC comes with a load of crap installed.

Just some ideas to look at...

230

General Mach Discussion / Re: What external motion controller do I choose?

« on: December 14, 2012, 01:23:28 PM »

While there are more existing Mach installations using WinXP at this time, about 95% of new installations I see now are using Win7-64 (a few Win7-32). Some problems are that for newer PC hardware you may not find WinXP drivers and if your manufacturing a machine you want to make sure that the OS you install now will have support for as long a time frame as possible. From this long term support perspective XP is dead.

I've been running Win7-64 with both USB and Ethernet SmoothSteppers for more than a year now. It works very, very well. The PC I'm using in the shop is not a high dollar, fast machine either. It's a Asus all-in-one touch screen PC that I picked up for about $350 from Newegg. I have lots of customers using both XP and Win7 but as I mentioned before 95% of new installations are using Win7-64.

For new installations I like to recommend the Ethernet SmoothStepper over the USB version. The Ethernet version is much more stable in environments where electrical noise. I'm seeing the sales of controllers (w/SS built in), SS enclosure, and bare SS boards are moving more toward Ethernet as well.The big thing to consider with an external motion controller is that it supports all the functional requirements you have. For some systems a board like Galil may be a better fit.