Messages

351

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Ethernet SmoothStepper first test

« on: December 06, 2011, 08:59:52 AM »

Well I still have not been able to get the ESS to fail, time to devise more evil testing procedures 

I did get the new SSENC-2 finished up though. I have been building the USB version (SSENC-1) for more than a year now. Since the new ESS and the USB version share the same footprint only the back panel had to be modified. I've been toying with the idea of making a 2" longer enclosure available. The end panels would the same the increased depth would provide room for adding a few operator controls like using out EZ-MPG1 for SRO and/or DRO controls.

352

General Mach Discussion / Re: External E stop

« on: December 06, 2011, 04:58:27 AM »

I'll check and see if ours are G540s, but I don't guess it had occurred to me it was a fault of the drive, since most the time this has happened, we've run into the limit switches at a pretty substantial speed

Two words, "Soft Limits". Unless your machine looses its way using soft limits will help you prevnet hitting the limits hard. It is a very good feature to make use of

353

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Config problems - FTDI USB Driver Error

« on: November 30, 2011, 01:27:35 PM »

Glad to hear you got it sorted!

354

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Config problems - FTDI USB Driver Error

« on: November 30, 2011, 09:43:09 AM »

I use/sell a lot of SmoothSteppers and have not run into the issues you are having. The first thing I woudl do is uninstall everything. Then plug just the SmoothStepper in and look in Device Manager, what does it show up as?

355

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Config problems - FTDI USB Driver Error

« on: November 27, 2011, 09:55:47 AM »

What version of the SmoothStepper driver and plug-in are you using? Try the latest plug-in and the dev version of Mach. Warp9 found that Mach had changed the way it worked with plug-ins and built the latest plug-in to work with the dev version of Mach.

356

SmoothStepper USB / Re: SS and Win 7

« on: November 26, 2011, 04:22:27 PM »

Yes the SS works perfectly with both the 32bit and 64bit versions of Windows 7. I have many customers using them together quite successfully. I also use Win7-64 here in the shop.

357

Promote and discuss your product / Re: Our own CNC related Black Friday Sale

« on: November 25, 2011, 04:43:05 PM »

Thanks for the heads up Dave. It is working now

358

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Ethernet SmoothStepper first test

« on: November 25, 2011, 03:15:02 PM »

That is a good point Hood, you do need an external 5V power source.

359

Promote and discuss your product / Our own CNC related Black Friday Sale

« on: November 25, 2011, 10:49:31 AM »

We have two items with substantial savings for this special sale. You can only use one coupon code per order and the sale is limited to the first 20 sales of each item.

The first item, the venerable http://www.soigeneris.com/Gecko_G540-details.aspx: Only $225 only through Monday the 28th.
The G540 Use coupon code F187JD

The second item, our EZ-MPG-M1http://www.soigeneris.com/EZ_MPG_M1-details.aspx: Only $12.50, thats 50% off! The EZ-MPG-M1 is an easy way to add feed rate or spindle speed over ride controls to your machine. They come with a special plug-in for Mach 3 that gives you proportional type control (kind of like how a mouse works). This gives you really fine control when you rotate the know slowly and when you turn the know faster you get a much faster change.
EZ_MPG_M1 Use coupon code U2RSKX

360

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Ethernet SmoothStepper first test

« on: November 25, 2011, 10:46:25 AM »

I took the top of one of my STDR-4C controllers, swapped in an ESS for the USB SmoothStepper, set it all up with four steppers and a long Ethernet cable wrapped up in the Stepper cables. Then I ran it and ran it and ran it and it did not miss a beat. Next I carted everything out to the shop to try something 'noisier'. (As my daughter saw me carrying stuff to the shop she asked what I was doing and I said, "I'm going to try and break this board with the plasma cutter". You should have seen the horrified look on her face . Then I explained that I was not really not going to cut the board...)

I fired off my plasma cutter within 6" of the bare ESS board and it still worked fine. Even firing it for 30 seconds did not stop the ESS, the Ethernet cable was picking up the interference, the ESS compensated though and completed all moves! I've worked with about all the name brand CNC controls for plasma systems and don't know of another that would have kept working in similar conditions.

The changeover from the USB SS to the ESS is really simple. They are the same form factor and one plugs in in place of the other. As Hood mentioned Port3 is now a full port but otherwise it looks/feels the same and is easy to set up/use. Greg manage to pack a lot more hardware on the same PCB this time so I'm sure we will all have our socks knocked of with future enhancements.