Messages

3411

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Newbie here and need some starting help

« on: December 06, 2018, 12:18:07 PM »

Hi,
A Proma THC unit is about $150, so the THC unit itself is not too bad pricewise.
The problem would be that your controller (PMDX 416) would not be able to utilize it.

If you decided that you did want THC, and it has been an absolutely must have function with any of the tables I've had anything to do with,
and you bought a THC unit like the Proma but then found you had to replace your controller as well, that becomes expensive.

If you used a Hicon Integra controller you would be 'future proofed'. The Hicon controller bare, that is without the THC unit and the software
activation, is $600. They are good quality units but they do come at a premium.

Craig

3412

General Mach Discussion / Re: Lots of Questions- ac servo spindle, macros, and tool changing

« on: December 06, 2018, 07:20:04 AM »

Hi,
I'm sorry but I am unfamiliar with Fanuc servos so can't answer your question.

Craig

3413

General Mach Discussion / Re: UC 100

« on: December 06, 2018, 07:17:26 AM »

Hi,
1) Yes the UC100 will work with laptops with 32 OR 64 bit OS's.
2) Yes the UC100 supports probing
3) The UC100 has a capable Mach4 plugin. At this time the Mach4 plugin does not support advanced features like backlash compensation,
     lathe threading or THC.

If buying a UC100 buy direct from CNCDrive or their nominated distributor, there are heaps of Chinese junk knock-offs on Ebay and Amazon.
The UC100 is well known and liked and compares favourably with the PMDX411 and 57CNCdb25 which are all USB connected but all only 17 inputs/outputs.
Ethernet connected controllers have reduced latency and are electrically isolated and therefore have better noise performance.
Good examples of such controllers are the UC300 (85 inputs/outputs), the 57CNC (57 inputs/outputs) and the Ethernet SmoothStepper (51 inputs/outputs).

Craig

3414

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Newbie here and need some starting help

« on: December 06, 2018, 02:14:05 AM »

Hi,
fair enough, I understand the sentiment but a plasma table without THC is a pretty hit and miss affair, are you 100% that you can
do without it?

Craig

3415

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do you setup the ethernet port to work with Mach3?

« on: December 06, 2018, 02:03:53 AM »

Hi.

or is there some external configuration - perhaps in the Device Manager or with custom drivers - that is required before Mach3 can function with the Ethernet port?

Not to my knowledge. Mach does not interact with the Ethernet port, Mach interacts with the .dll plugin and the .dll plugin interacts with the Ethernet
port.

Craig

3416

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Newbie here and need some starting help

« on: December 06, 2018, 01:41:38 AM »

Hi,
I'm sorry but the SmartBoB 416 does not support THC.

It will run a plasma table just fine, albeit without THC. Chose either Mach4Mill (4 axis) or Mach4Router as a basis for your profile.
Note that neither are plasma specific but they do the same job.

Craig

3417

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Hybrid Stepper Setup in M4

« on: December 06, 2018, 01:36:13 AM »

Hi,
I would say that the stepper is losing steps some where or you have some weird backlash fault going on.

Its not impossible that you are losing steps.....I know you are going to jump up and down that closed loop steppers don't lose steps....
but they do. Eventually if it loses enough steps then it should fault 'following error' It may be that your error window is wide enough that it can lose
steps without throwing a fault.

The other possibility is that the signaling rate is such that pulses are getting lost or not recognized. You will recall that I recommended a fairly low
microstepping regime ( 8 micro steps per fullstep) in order that the pulse rate be low and therefore communication problems between the controller
and the stepper be strongest or least prone to error. I suspect that your 57CNC has singled ended step/direction outputs whereas the Ethernet input
of your stepper is differential. You may have to fit line drivers to your 57CNC step/dir outputs.

Craig

3418

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Newbie here and need some starting help

« on: December 06, 2018, 01:19:16 AM »

Hi,
what controller are you going to use?

At this time the only Mach4 ready controller that offers THC support is the Hicon Integra board by Vital Systems.

http://forum.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,38866.0.html

Craig

3419

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do you setup the ethernet port to work with Mach3?

« on: December 06, 2018, 01:04:20 AM »

Hi,

Also, are these the proper forums to ask Mach3 questions in

Yes there is and this is it.

The Ethernet port is part of the PC environment, Mach3 (or Mach4) does no affect that. If you have an Ethernet connected controller
there will be a plugin (.dll file) supplied by the controller manufacturer. It will need to be installed in Machs plugin folder.
When you start Mach you will be asked to select your preferred motion control device, you'll select the plugin an away you go.

What controller have you got? Did you receive a Mach plugin with it? Is it Chinese......if you want help from the manufacturer China
might as well be on another planet......good luck trying to get help from them.

Craig

3420

General Mach Discussion / Re: Lots of Questions- ac servo spindle, macros, and tool changing

« on: December 06, 2018, 12:56:06 AM »

Hi,
depending on the details of the servos then you will need a analogue controller. There are not many choices.

Kanalog
CSMIO/A
HiCon Integra
Gallil- various models.

All of these work with Mach3. The Gallil and Hicon work with Mach4 and the CSMIO/A is supposed to but their Mach4 plugin is buggy.
My advice is consider Mach4.....all development ceased on Mach3 five years ago and eventually it will tip over...so...'go mad now and beat the rush'

Craig