Messages

591

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

« on: February 03, 2021, 09:21:11 AM »

Hello everyone, my Name is Rob Gore.  I purchased a ZenBot 48"x96" CNC router last year, and it has been up and running for a while.  We are using a gecko g540 4 axis control box and a UC 100 connected to the computer via double ferrite beaded USB cable.  We have used this setup with and older windows 7 laptop and with a windows 10 (64 bit) tower (current setup). 

I have some general questions, and a specific one related to an issue we are having.

General questions (please direct me to the correct place in the forum for these)

1.  Is there a guide for setting up the machine coordinate system and homing functions?  Currently we have none of that setup, we just zero to somewhere on the stock or part, make sure that location is zero in the CAM software (Fusion 360), and rock and roll.  I'd like to have it setup correctly though, and I do not really know where to start.  The machine has switches for x y and z but they currently do nothing. 

2. Is there are best practices document somewhere, and/or a tuning guide for setting all the parameters in mach 3?

Specific question about an issue:

1.  We have an intermittent UC100 connection issue.  It will either have a sync error, or fully lose connection maybe once every other day (every 3-4 machine hours).  I have taken the following steps to reduce the noise seen by the UC100 and USB cable.
     a. double ferrite bead USB cable
     b. VFD for spindle is in a thick steel box
     c. UC100 chassis is grounded to computer chassis
     d. Ensure USB power settings are not putting ports to sleep

Since doing these, the problem happens less frequently, but it still happens and is unacceptable.  It also happened with the laptop we were using. I need a robust solution.  This computer does not have a serial port.  Please advise.

FWIW, I am a mechanical engineer and have tons of traditional machine shop and fabrication experience (built my own car from scratch), but I am definitely a bit of a noob regarding setting up and running CNC machines.  Any help or advice is appreciated.

Welcome Rob to the Forum,
pls post your questions part in the General mach aeria by starting e new thread, it will get too much to answere here in the new People welcome aeria.

592

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Help to finish a button

« on: February 03, 2021, 01:15:51 AM »

the full code for the Limit Switch check would be:

Code: [Select]

'clear x-axis Limit Switch if needed
If GetOEMLed(830) then
    Code "G91 G1 X10 F100"
    Code "G90"
    While IsMoving()
    Wend
End If
'clear y-axis Limit Switch if needed
If GetOEMLed(831) then
    Code "G91 G1 Y10 F100"
    Code "G90"
    While IsMoving()
    Wend
End If
'clear z-axis Limit Switch if needed
If GetOEMLed(832) then
    Code "G91 G1 Z-10 F100"
    Code "G90"
    While IsMoving()
    Wend
End If

Dim is only a declaration for the variable not absolutly necessarily.

check this:

https://www.machsupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/VBScript_Commands.pdf

593

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Help to finish a button

« on: February 02, 2021, 01:08:56 AM »

Where is the best spot on the script to check this condition. Should be the last thing like this?

allways directly before you do the referencing of each axis


for the softlimits here a full example for begin of script:

Code: [Select]

'*** turn soflimit's off if they are on
Dim SoftLimitswhereon As Boolean
If GetOEMLed(23) Then
DoOEMButton(119)
SoftLimitswhereon = True
End If
this turns softlimits OFF, if they are ON and stores the original state in a variable.

so you can restore the original at the end of script with:

Code: [Select]

'*** turn soflimit's back on if they where on
If ((Not GetOEMLed(23)) And (SoftLimitswhereon = True)) Then
DoOEMButton(119)
Sleep(500)
End If

 

594

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Help to finish a button

« on: February 01, 2021, 12:33:11 PM »

example for softlimits:

Code: [Select]

If (Not GetOEMLed(23))  Then
DoOEMButton(119)
Sleep(200)
End If


595

General Mach Discussion / Re: VFD Messed up

« on: February 01, 2021, 01:44:42 AM »

Looks like you have to increase your Max frequency to 400Hz. inital Setting is 120Hz.

24000 / 400 * 120 = 7200

very Close to your "max" Speed you get now.

596

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Help to finish a button

« on: February 01, 2021, 01:31:23 AM »

for the Problem with the Limit Switches you can "automaticly" drive the Limit Switch free by code.

example for X-Axis

Code: [Select]


  'check x-axis home Switch
  If GetOEMLed(830) then
    Code "G91 G1 X10 F100"
    Code "G90"
    While IsMoving()
    Wend
  End If



597

General Mach Discussion / Re: M40 / M41 touch probe not working.

« on: January 29, 2021, 11:51:47 AM »

check

C:\mach3\macros\your Profile Name

wether ther is a M40.M1s and M41.m1s file.

598

General Mach Discussion / Re: Problem with soft limits settings.

« on: January 29, 2021, 11:49:52 AM »

Google for

three finger rule or right hand rule

than you can see what is "normal"

599

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 can only "Auto-tool zero" once per session

« on: January 29, 2021, 11:44:15 AM »

basicly i removed the G91 from the G31 code line, had some Problems by using G90/91 in same line
with G31 in the past.

600

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 can only "Auto-tool zero" once per session

« on: January 29, 2021, 09:46:44 AM »

made some changes, see wether they help, keep a copy of your existing code!!

Code: [Select]

'X/Y/Z referenced?
If getoemled(807) Or getoemled(808) Or getoemled(809) Then 'Kontrolli kas nullimise ledid polevad
DoOEMBUTTON(1021)
MsgBox "Teljed nullimata"
Exit Sub
End If

'probe input allready active
If GetOemled(825) <> 0 Then
DoOEMBUTTON(1021)
MsgBox "Testi raadioandurit"
Exit Sub
End If

XWork = GetOEMDRO(800)  ' Get Current X Work Coordinate
YWork = GetOEMDRO(801)  ' Get Current Y Work Coordinate
XMachine = GetOemDRO(83)  ' Get Current X Machine Coordinate
YMachine = GetOemDRO(84)  ' Get Current Y Machine Coordinate
ZMachine = GetOemDRO(85)    ' Get Current Z Machine Coordinate

Code "G49" ' cancel tool lenght offset
Code "G0 G53 Z-1" ' Home Z
code "G53 X216.90 Y3069.85" ' Move into Probe Pos ***EDIT HERE***
DoOEMButton(179) ' machine coordinates
Tool_Number = GetDRO(24) ' get actual Tool number

'fast probe
code "G31 Z-200 F300" ' Z liigub alla 300 mm kuni probini
While IsMoving()
Sleep(30)
Wend

code "G91 G0 Z10" ' Z liigub üles 10  mm
Code "G90"
While IsMoving()
Sleep(30)
Wend


'slow probe
code "G31 Z-15 F20" ' Z liigub alla 15 mm kuni probini
While IsMoving()
  Sleep(10)
Wend

If Tool_Number = 0 Then ' Master tool Cal
z = GetOEMDRO(85) ' get Machine ZPos
Call SetOEMDRO(49,z) ' Set g54 z offset
Else
Call SetDRO(24,0) ' Turn off the tool offset by loading tool #0
Height = GetDRO(2) ' Get the pos of the Z axis without the Tool comp on
Call SetDRO(24,Tool_Number) ' Turn the tool Back on so the offset will go to the
Call SetoemDRO(42,Height) ' Set the Tool Height offset
End If

DoOEMButton(181) ' back To program coordinates
code "G0 G90 G53 Z-1  F1000"
code "G43"
While IsMoving()
Sleep 10
Wend

Code "G0 X" & XWork & " Y" & YWork ' Returns to the previous XY job location
sleep(500)
While IsMoving()
sleep(20)
Wend