Messages

4101

General Mach Discussion / Re: Can't jog more than 1 axis at the same time.

« on: July 06, 2018, 07:29:45 PM »

Hi,
well I stand corrected.

I use a pendant for that sort activity and that is certainly one axis at a time.  When I'm trying to touch off or otherwise position
a part my preference is one axis at a time anyway.

Its not that I can't multitask...I can....I can talk AND piss you off at the same time! LOL

Craig

4102

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 06:56:53 PM »

Hi,
one other thought about how to get out of that bind is that you stated you have a six axis machine and required three outputs per axis;
step, direction and enable.

Is it strictly necessary to have an enable on every servo? It seems to me likely that if there is a fault of some description that you want to disable
one servo then its very likely that you'll want to disable more than one, maybe ALL of them so that the fault can be cleared without a crash.
If that's the case you could use one output as an enable and that one signal would enable all the servos. It would save five outputs.
You could therefore use the C25 as is.

Craig

4103

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 set up for clearpath motors and c62 BOB with Ethernet SmoothStepper

« on: July 06, 2018, 06:43:24 PM »

Hi,
one feature that I discovered about Clearpath servos is that the HLFB can signal a fault under depowered conditions.

There are several fault reporting modes available to Clearpath servos, the one of most value is a 'In Position' error.
The signal is active high when the servo is in position and the signal goes low or deactivates when the servo is out of position.
This is the reverse of most servos 'Following Error' fault.

This arrangement means that if the servos are depowered then the HLFB signal will de-activate and Mach would be required to treat
it as a following error when in fact its just that the power was disconnected even momentarily. This could have implications about how you
power up Mach and your machine.

If for instance you use a charge pump that discontinued pulsing when in Estop condition AND had a depowering strategy as Gerry has proposed
then you could not ever re-enable Mach because of an enduring HLFB fault by virtue of the servos being depowered. A sort of 'chicken and the egg'
thing where one precludes the other.

Another alternative would be to have the charge pump pulse despite being in Estop. I believe there is a setting that allows this. That would mean that
the servo power supply could be energized and therefore the HLFB would go high and clear the enduring Estop fault so that Mach could be Enabled.

Yet another alternative would be that the HLFB NOT be hooked directly to an Estop. Thus if one or more of the servos got out of position and faulted
Mach would not Estop but maybe you could program it to CycleStop or FeedHold instead. That would prevent the depowering of the servos.

Craig

4104

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 set up for clearpath motors and c62 BOB with Ethernet SmoothStepper

« on: July 06, 2018, 06:19:18 PM »

Hi,
I can and do power up my machine and there is an interval when the PC is booting where power is available to spindle and steppers but
neither my spindle nor my steppers move until Mach instructs them to do so. I have had no reason to require the use of a charge pump
or other failsafe strategy.

Craig

4105

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 05:37:28 PM »

Hi,
sorry cant add TOTAL outputs=28

4106

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 05:32:36 PM »

Hi,
are all of the six axes independent or are some slaved to others?

Even if you require all 18 inputs then yes you will need another board but you will still need inputs. If you think you can get away
without decent limit and home switches with a 6 axis machine you'll struggle.

If you bought another C10 then:

Port 1       outputs 1,2-9,14,16,17 =12
                inputs 10,11,12,13,15  =5

Port 2       outputs 1,14,16,17   =4
                inputs 2-9,10,11,12,13,15   =13

Port 3        outputs 1,2-9,14,16,17   =12
                 inputs 10,11,12,13,15    =5


TOTAL        outputs =
                  inputs  =23

Is that enough?

If not you need to extend capabilities with a PLC.

And that is exactly why I am really starting to hate this DIY hacker crap

Then go buy a Seimens 840, $20,000 plus!

Craig

4107

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 05:14:35 PM »

Hi,

Especially if they claim "Full access to all the pins of the Smooth Stepper Board"

Your reading advertising not the manual.......that's a mistake when it comes to CNC.

Craig

4108

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 05:12:06 PM »

Hi,
whats wrong with the C25.....its got plenty of inputs AND outputs enough to drive your machine so whats the problem?

Why do you have to use port 2 as outputs?

Craig

4109

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 05:07:56 PM »

Hi,
another feature of the C25 which I took no notice of is that the inputs 10,11,12,13 and 15 of each port have two inverter
buffers, ie the combination is not inverted.

The inputs port 2 pins 2-9 have only one inverter buffer so the inputs are inverted. Its something you need to keep in mind.

Craig

4110

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 04:56:34 PM »

Hi,

Port 2 pins 2-9 can't be outputs on the C25?

That is correct, page 2 of the C25 manual makes it plain......port 1 pins 2-9, 1, 14, 16 ,17 and port 2 pins 1, 14 ,16,17 are outputs
while the rest are inputs.

Craig