Messages

241

General Mach Discussion / Re: Windows 7 with 64bit

« on: November 30, 2012, 09:20:27 AM »

The SmoothStepper go 'in between' the PC and the rest of your machines electronics. You can think of it in a similar way (physically) as adding a parallel port card to your PC to use with Mach. By that I mean with a parallel port card you plug the card into the PC and plug your parallel port cable from the card to the machine. With the SmoothStepper you plug the SmoothStepper into the PC via a USB or Ethenet cable and then the run your parallel port cable from the SmoothStepper to the machine.

If your machine is/was working with the parallel port then it should work without much fuss with the SmoothStepper as well. There are different ways to mount the SmoothStepper. Some guys prefer to mount them in the PC case, some guys in the machine's case, and some folks who have an existing working system and don't want to do any rewiring prefer to use a 'SmoothStepper in a can' which I developed a few years ago: http://www.soigeneris.com/motion_control_and_i_o_boards-list.aspx see the bottom of page.

Hope that helps...

242

SmoothStepper USB / Re: smoothstepper and x axis

« on: November 26, 2012, 08:43:41 PM »

I would guess that there is a bad connection in the LPH26 to DB25 cable. I had one with a bad solder joint on one point. Pull the black cover off and look at the solder joints.

243

Promote and discuss your product / New Product - LMTS-4T for Taig controllers

« on: November 25, 2012, 05:55:55 PM »

This is another product that was inspired by our customers. A customer with a Taig controller liked the LMTS-4I we make for Gecko G540 based controllers and wanted something similar for his Taig controller. The Taig controller has an 'I/O' plug on the back that is used for Taig's 'Spindle and Auxiliary Control Module' (to turn spindle and coolant pump on/off.) There are also four inputs available on this same connection. Since most everyone will want to still be able to use the spindle control as well as the inputs this meant a pass through design was needed.

I took the LMTS-4I case and added a 8-pin DIN connector for the spindle control box and a DB9 for connection to the Taig controller to the back panel. A DC input jack was added to the front panel so prox sensors could be powered. A 6' DB9-to-CIN cable is used to connect the Taig controller to the LMTS-4T.

I've been testing them for several months now and have found the LMTS-4T to be a great addition to the Taig controller. It gives you an easy way to connect limit/home sensors, a tach and/or a probe to your Taig controller.

244

Promote and discuss your product / Re: New Rewards Point system is now in place!

« on: November 23, 2012, 01:29:09 PM »

Nope, sorry. It is from this point on...

245

Promote and discuss your product / New Rewards Point system is now in place!

« on: November 23, 2012, 11:27:46 AM »

When we started out on this adventure nearly five years ago our philosophy was to provide great customer service along with great products that represent a real value to the dollar spent. The idea of providing excellent service in order to maintain a long term relationship with customers is not new but it is a slower way to grow a business.

As we are approaching our five year anniversary one thing I have noticed is that a large percentage of our sales are to repeat customers. This is great and I'm very thankful to all of our customers. We have been thinking of ways to reward our customers for their patronage and are happy to announce our 'Reward Points' system.
 
For every dollar you spend you will receive one reward point when you checkout. Reward points can be collected and are redeemable for a discount at checkout. Save up 100 points and get $5 off your next purchase, save up 1,000 points and get $50 off your next purchase. For the month of December 2012 we will be doubling reward points (so you will receive two points for dollar spent.)

You do need to set up an account in order for your points to be kept track of. (The system associates points earned to a user account.) Setting up an account is quick and easy though.
 
Thanks again for your patronage and have a happy new year! Visit us at http://www.soigeneris.com

246

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Mach3 Not Responding

« on: November 15, 2012, 07:11:05 PM »

Motors produce a lot of electrical noise, motors with VFDs produce a whole lot of electrical noise. What is happening is that the noise from your VFD is killing the USB communication. First make sure everything is Earth grounded properly and that no high voltage cables (VFD, stepper motors, etc) are near the USB cable. Use as short of a USB cable as you can.

247

SmoothStepper USB / Re: encoder inputs as DRO

« on: November 09, 2012, 03:30:31 PM »

No the SmoothStepper cannot use encoders as feedback.

248

SmoothStepper USB / Re: encoder inputs as DRO

« on: November 09, 2012, 10:51:34 AM »

FWIW, the SmoothStepper plug-in sets the axis DROs in Mach based on where each axis actually is. It works something like this:

1) Mach plans moves
2) The SS plug-in sends the planned moves to the SmoothStepper
3) The SS reports back to Mach (sets DROs) on where each axis is.

249

SmoothStepper USB / Re: probe input not working

« on: November 08, 2012, 12:03:01 PM »

The probe input must go through the motion controller. It will not work correctly being fed through a slow I/O device like a PLC. Even though it sounds like you got away with it with the parallel port driver it was not the way to do things.

For a probe to work the motion controller i.e. SmoothStepper, parallel port driver moves an axis whilst looking for the probe input to change states. The motion controller has to know immediately when the probe is hit. Going from PLC to Mach to motion device introduces a LOT of delay, and a variable delay at that (you never know how long it will take for the signal to be seen.)

Just wire up your probe to one of the ESS inputs and it will work fine.

250

SmoothStepper USB / Re: SmoothStepper firmware for LinuxCNC?

« on: October 31, 2012, 07:43:53 PM »

The SmoothStepper is a motion control device all by itself. Mach plans the movements and the SS then carries them out and does all the 'real time' stuff on SS board itself (i.e. homing, limits, probing, threading, etc.) This is similar to how most motion control boards work (like Galil, etc.) but is in contrast to how the LinuxCNC guys think the 'loop has be closed by the controller', i.e. the PC. With an external motion control board the encoder feed back can be used for stuff like electronic gearing, etc but these types of features are done on the motion board NOT the PC. (It does not matter where it is done really but some of the Linux guys 'insist' that it 'has' to feed all the way back to the PC.)

The SmoothStepper could work with LinuxCNC if the motion board were allowed to do what it does best, real time control, and PC was allowed to do what it does best, crunching numbers. LinuxCNC just needs to allow for this type of distributed control.