Messages

61

General Mach Discussion / Re: Driver watchdog triggered.

« on: August 16, 2014, 05:01:49 PM »

Both are at 25,000 Hz.  When I can transfer them, I will post the xmls.  Maybe something will stand out.

62

General Mach Discussion / Re: Driver watchdog triggered.

« on: August 15, 2014, 07:21:15 PM »

The temp/voltage seem okay.  It is a bit of a chore to just have a look at the board.  I did look at it during a HD change a short time ago.  Oddly, I ran a Gecko 540 xml today with no issues.  The 540 xml has watchdog enabled.  The computer is a Xycom panel mount with touch screen.  I have three of them and picked up a HD for one of the spares.  I will swap out the computer as we continue to wire the new enclosure.

I also picked up a small frame computer to run with the 540.  It has Windows 7 already installed.  Is there any issue running Mach on 7?  How is Mach 4 working for you?

63

General Mach Discussion / Re: Driver watchdog triggered.

« on: August 14, 2014, 12:42:43 PM »

Thanks Hood,

Missed steps are one demon we wanted to rid ourselves of.  Our current software works well except for that little irritation that pops up just at the wrong time.  When we first tested Mach we ran a 6 hour carving, watchdog enabled,  with no known issues.  We have had our share of surprises including purchasing pirated Mach and my first ever hard drive failure.  Therefore, we have loaded the OS and Mach several times on two different HDs.  In the end when it was time to clean things up and install everything in its proper place including moving the panel mount computer from the rats nest on the bench to the final panel we cleaned the HD and reloaded every thing one final time.  Everything worked just fine.

The mystery to me is what has occurred that cannot be corrected by a fresh install of the complete system today.  The only thing that has changed is we are using IT's disk to install XP, perhaps there is a difference with versions.

Is there a process to detect lost steps?  That is, does Mach know if it was bumped by XP and log the event?  It is seemingly working fine but missed steps, in my experience, are not easily detectable until I machine something expensive . . . XP seems to know when to mess it up.   

64

General Mach Discussion / Re: Please Help!!

« on: August 11, 2014, 04:14:46 PM »

I am surprised that a decent part can't be produced following Gerry's advice.  I have a similar spindle and it performs as well as our high buck spindles.  But keep in mind that engraving does not product the same spindle load.  If by chance you have a bad spindle the heavier load my induce the vibration.

As I noted earlier, we use a strobe to troubleshoot chatter issues.  It really removes much of the speculation 90% of the time.

Did you visit a happy owner nearby before you selected your machine?  Perhaps they would run a part for you to compare. Or did you get a demo from the seller?    

65

General Mach Discussion / Re: Please Help!!

« on: August 11, 2014, 03:26:06 PM »

What type of router motor does your machine have?  You say that the "vibration" starts when the router spindle is turned on?.  If yes, then you have a balance issue.  Tightening or bracing everything does not solve the problem, it only makes it less noticeable.

 

66

General Mach Discussion / Re: Please Help!!

« on: August 11, 2014, 01:50:15 PM »

Oh my!  I sent you an email, hopefully you can respond. 

67

General Mach Discussion / Re: Please Help!!

« on: August 11, 2014, 01:12:43 PM »

Gerry’s comments are sage; however, I encourage that you not toss in he towel just yet. 

When I shopped for a project specific router I looked at a machine that appeared to identical to the one you have.  That is, the same appearance, color, size, and configuration. It was used by the then owner to machine plastics.  The parts that I saw coming from the machine were just fine.

I did not buy the machine and a several months later I continued my search.  During the search I stumbled upon the same machine at its new owner’s shop and he too was machining plastic with excellent results.

Certainly the seller of the machine has a vested interest in not accepting fault on behalf of the machine.  But, the seller also has a vested interest in your machine performing as it was designed.

As I said before, just as Gerry noted, rigidity is key, but don’t get caught up in how much you can move a static machine by leaning on it.  And keep in mind that the part/material shown in your supplied photo can be machined with excellent results using fixtures and a handheld router.  Is your machine less than a fixture and handheld router?

I am very new to Mach but not to PC based controllers.  I am not yet persuaded that the computer is your issue, but I can positively tell you that a computer can make difference with other control software.   Although Mach seems to have addressed those issues, I would listen somewhat to your manufacturer’s rep.

I assume your machine has a centerline drive?  I have a small router that has a centerline drive.  When we set it up 15 years ago I believed that it would never work properly/accurately.  I set up the old dial indicators and leaned on the gantry.  Yep the old dials starter to spin.  Well, 15 years later the machine will hold about ½ thousandth.  The tool defection is greater than that.

68

General Mach Discussion / Re: Please Help!!

« on: August 10, 2014, 04:14:35 PM »

John,

I am not a router guru, however, I do have substantial experience in the high speed machining of wood, wood composites, and some plastics.  The issues/problems are same as with a router.  I also own a few routers one of which, that by its photo, is the same or very similar to yours.  We did purchase the machine used, thus I cannot compare it to a new one or your exact machine.  That being said, we have discovered/confirmed that a rail set on one axis is not exactly parallel and that seems to induce chatter.  Rigidity is key and our machine, 4 x 8, is lacking in that department.  I have not experienced anything I would attribute to backlash.

Does your part have chatter on all sides?  If yes, then I would explore movement in the part.  I am currently machining .125 aluminium with reasonable results.  We also, use a strobe to troubleshoot our other types of tooling.  It is more difficult on a router because of the short linear movements, however, you can see tool deflection, spindle movement, chip load, and so on.

Again, check your hold down.    

69

General Mach Discussion / Re: Driver watchdog triggered.

« on: August 10, 2014, 03:38:18 PM »

Thanks,

Interesting that you mention temp.  We just installed the panel mount computer in an enclosure and suspected heat as an issue.  The computer behaved kinda/sorta like a hot CPU.  However, it seemed normal after re-configuration.  We monitored the temps and they seem okay so far.  We will watch closely when it is running for longer periods.

Is there any downside at all to disabling watchdog?  Is there substantial benefit to enabling watchdog?   

70

General Mach Discussion / Driver watchdog triggered.

« on: August 10, 2014, 02:06:34 PM »

I have used Mach in a given configuration with great success.  The OS is XP-SP3 and the only added hardware is/was a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse.  It worked flawlessly.  If it ain't broke don't fix it, however, my trusty assistant decided that we needed wireless communication with the network and an app to run the iPad as a pendant.  Upon installation of the aforementioned the system went south and displayed "Driver watchdog triggered."  Mach then transitions to all stop.

We tried a verity of remedies with no luck.  I then reformatted the HD and installed the following:

1)  Windows XP

2)  Mach 3

3) The OEM touchscreen driver.

The system seemed to be fine running with a wired keyboard and touchscreen.  I plugged the wireless mouse in and coincidentally/incidentally the system transitioned into all stop displaying again "Driver watchdog triggered."

Keeping in mind that the configuration once worked and we started with a newly formatted HD, are there any ideas regarding the issue causing the watchdog trigger?  With clean installs and a dedicated computer there are no added components that were not present when the system functioned flawlessly.

Is watchdog required to be enabled?  If disabled, what is the downside?