Messages

2801

General Mach Discussion / Re: Jerky Jog before I even Code

« on: March 26, 2019, 06:09:07 PM »

Hi,

Dip Switches are set to 2000 pulse/rev IS DEFINITELY WRONG.

Rubbish, many stepper controllers have microstep regimes which include multiples of five or ten.

Craig

2802

General Mach Discussion / Re: Jerky Jog before I even Code

« on: March 26, 2019, 05:33:33 PM »

Hi,
that is very poor, certainly as is the parallel port would fail utterly to run your machine.

There was, of a time, a list that circulated on the forum about a number of items which could be deleted /set/optimized
for the purposes running a parallel port.

I updated to Mach4 and an Ethernet SmoothStepper 2-¹/₂ years ago and so have had rather less
interest in Mach3's parallel port since.

Your options are:
1) Persevere with the laptop, deleting components and otherwise optimizing it, I estimate only a modest chance of success.
2) Buy yourself another PC, a desktop model Windows7 32 bit or earlier, preferably with a built in parallel port
3) Buy yourself an external controller like an Ethernet SmoothStepper. I have a very low opinion of Chinese made
controllers, often they don't work at all or don't support all the realtime functions required and you won't get any help
form them when you encounter problems.
4) Take up knitting 

The advantage of a good external controller is that then you can run just about any PC you want, XP through Windows 10,
32 OR 64 bit, laptop OR desktop. If you do like the idea of an external controller may I suggest that you get one that
has a Mach4 plugin, then should you wish to update at a later time you can change without the extra cost of a Mach4 ready
controller.

Craig

2803

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3 THC not responding to torch up/down inputs

« on: March 26, 2019, 03:43:19 PM »

Hi,

I keep forgetting this software is almost the same age as me and designed around much slower systems.

Really its not so much that the PC is slow but it is the buffered communication protocol that determines 'around
the loop delays' of tens of milliseconds for Mach3.  Those delays preclude the effective use of a software closed
loop control.

Mach4 is faster, depending on the controller, most being Ethernet connected, about ten times faster, and therefore
suitable for a (non demanding) closed loop THC system.

There are no Chinese made boards (despite their protestations to the contrary) that are Mach4 ready, and only about
five or six US or European manufactured boards that are ready to go. Of those only the Hicon is THC ready although
the ESS is days away from adding realtime THC to its list of supported features.

Even if you wish to go to Mach4 just in order to get the script version of THC you will still require an external controller.
The ESS is a sensible choice for you as it (will eventually) support realtime THC, thus you have a choice.

Craig

2804

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: G-Code to reference all axis

« on: March 26, 2019, 03:00:09 PM »

Hi,
no, not directly.

When you call an M code the Gcode interpreter has control of the  machine, that is Machs Core chunk.
The function whose code you posted is in the screen load script , that is its part of the GUI chunk.
Only one chunk can run at a time.

You can make your own M code using the same API's although I wouldn't bother with the co-routine part.

Craig

2805

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Finial switching over to Mach4 amd Ihave a few question.

« on: March 26, 2019, 02:25:09 PM »

Hi,

You have these tunings:
X axis 160 steps per and 3200 mm/min
Y axis 160 steps per and 3200 mm/min
Z axis 320 steps per and 1600 mm/min
A axis 160 per degree and 3200 degree/min

Note the A axis seems pretty slow, 3200 degrees per minute, or 8.888 revs/min or only 53.33 degrees/sec

Thus if you had a move in X and Y of 200 mm each combined with a rotation of 10 turns:

G0 X200 Y200 A3600

If we ignore the acceleration phase the move would take 3600/3200= 1.125 min to run. The linear axes appear to run slow
but it is because they have to slow down to stay in sync with the A axis.

It gets worse if you do a G1 move:

G1 X200 Y200 A3600 F300

Now, again ignoring the acceleration phase, would take 3600/300=12 minutes to run! This is because the machine
moves at the rate determined by the slowest axis, in this case A axis. The linear axes appear to move only 16.66mm/min.

This effect is exacerbated when you use inch units but it all stems from the fact that the rotary axis is slow and therefore
the linear axes must go very slow to stay in coordination with it.

Craig

2806

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: G-Code to reference all axis

« on: March 26, 2019, 02:04:15 PM »

Hi,

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=39729.0

Craig

2807

General Mach Discussion / Re: Jerky Jog before I even Code

« on: March 26, 2019, 01:58:24 PM »

Hi,
it sounds like the parallel port is not running smoothly.

Run DriverTest.exe ( in the Mach3 directory) and post a screen shot of  the result. It gives a pretty good indication
of how the parallel port is running.

Craig

2808

General Mach Discussion / Re: trouble getting torch to fire

« on: March 26, 2019, 01:55:06 PM »

Hi,
there are some people who get laptops to work OK with parallel ports but many more who do not.

The power saving features of laptops mean the CPU increases and decreases its speed all the time and that disrupts
the parallel port.

Not all parallel ports are the same. The original specification of the parallel port is required to work in full whereas some
parallel port hardware did not enact the full specification and therefore would fail to run Machs parallel port.

By all means try to get your laptop to work but from your description its not sounding too hopeful.

The other alternative is to get an external controller like a SmoothStepper or a UC300.

Craig

2809

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3 THC not responding to torch up/down inputs

« on: March 26, 2019, 01:46:05 PM »

Hi,

This is my first cnc machine so I was not aware the controller itself would need to support that.

THC is a realtime function, that is to say that it must respond instantly, or within a few microseconds of a THC_UP or THC_DOWN
signal. This means that the hardware must enact it. If the signal were propagated back to Mach and Machs response propagated
back though the controller the communication delays are too long.

You need to do some research but I'm guessing that your controller does not support THC, many of the Chinese made controllers
do not.

Most of the US and European made controllers do support THC.

reuelt is wrong, the Ethernet SmoothStepper DOES support THC in Mach3, and has done for some years. The USB SmoothStepper
by the same company does not support THC, the USB communications  are deemed being too subject to EMI to be useful
for a plasma table. He is confusing THC support in Mach4.....it is being Beta tested now.

I tried setting torch up/down signals to z jogging input but it wont move while running g code.

That is correct, once the Gcode interpreter has control of the motion controller then you can't jog at the same time.
If you like, that is the challenge of THC support.

Your choices are:
1) Forgo THC altogether
2) Use Machs parallel port (Windows 7 32 bit or earlier required)
3) Buy an external motion controller like a SmoothStepper that does support THC
4) Use Mach4??

I have suggested Mach4 because they have released ( as development version only just yet) a script based THC solution.
At the start of this post I commented that THC is a realtime function, and the communication delays preclude a software
solution. Mach4's communication delay are much less than Mach3 and so NFS have written a script  (software) solution.
Provided the movement required is not too rapid then it will work. If your machine cuts very quickly and demands
rapid THC movements then genuine realtime THC support is required.

Craig

2810

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Parallel Port Legacy Plugin

« on: March 26, 2019, 06:52:11 AM »

Hi,
all of the currently available external motion controllers support more realtime functions than Darwin, the possible
exception is the UC**** series, they have only basic realtime functionality like Darwin.

THC?

The Hicon Integra has THC currently and the ESS realtime THC is being Beta tested now. Mach4 has a script based THC feature
as development release now. Darwin does not have it and Art has indicated that its not ever likely to have either.

Sensitivity to EMI?
Buffer underuns?

Sensitivity to EMI....on a controller board.....doesn't happen.
Buffer underruns is more like a parallel port gremlin but not unheard of with USB connected controllers.

Pendants not supported

That is not either a Mach issue OR a controller issue but rather the manufacturers of pendants not writing a plugin
for their device. To date VistaCNC have, and there are (Mach) community plugins for the Xbox and one XHC pendant,
and a NFS written plugin for the Shuttle Pro.

Slave axis?

Mach accommodates six coordinated axes each with a master and up to three slaves per axis and six Out-of-Band axes,
again with a master and up to three slaves per axis with a maximum of 32 motors. Darwin can have up to four ports
and therefore could handle 24 motors (24 pairs of step/dir pins), the ESS somewhat fewer at 18 motors. I can't really
imagine a hobbyists machine needing anything like that number of motors, so the actual upper limit of motor
numbers is of academic interest only.


Craig