Messages

4211

Mach3 and G-Rex / Re: mach 3 control app acting wierd on my s7

« on: June 27, 2018, 03:34:49 AM »

Hi,
you'll get more readers and response if you post in the main Mach3 Discussion board.

Having said that I think yours is a fairly common problem.

I assume you are using Windows7 32 bit and a parallel port?
If so then there are at least three recent updates to Windows7 from Microsoft that cause a reboot when used with a parallel port.
There are three things you can do:
1) Identify and wind back the three updates and keep your PC off the Net to avoid other updates.
2) Buy and use an external motion controller like a UC300 or a SmoothStepper, external controllers are unaffected.
3) Upgrade to Mach4, it is a much more recent program which is still in development and regularly updated whereas Mach3 development ceased five years ago.

Craig

4212

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: WHATS THIS ERROR..??? Clearing a spurious limit hit latch event,

« on: June 26, 2018, 06:29:08 PM »

Hi Steve,
exactly, line filters have inductances usually less than 500uH whereas line reactors in usually in excess of 5mH.

Line inductance causes the current to lag voltage, so as the current falls to near zero, the point at which the SCR would
commutate the voltage has already increased from zero. So just at the moment that the SCR has to establish its
reverse block its already under dV/dt stress.

Almost all VFDs have a rectifier/capacitor input which causes line current to be drawn in short duration high current pulses at the
peak of the voltage excursions. It causes current 'distortion' on the line, much to the power companies disadvantage.
Line reactors cause the pulses to be of longer duration and lower peak values with reduced current distortion. In many
cases the power companies will mandate that they be fitted on large installations.

While both line filters and line reactors are for the benefit of the electrical supply they address different technologies.

Craig

4213

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: WHATS THIS ERROR..??? Clearing a spurious limit hit latch event,

« on: June 26, 2018, 05:03:05 PM »

Hi,
I'm not so sure I agree with you Steve, I regularly put filters between a phase controlled bridge and
its DC load.

The input capacitance is typically less than 1uF and therfore the dV/dt current at AC line frequencies is
pretty modest. The capacitance is useful in reducing HF ringing on the DC output line.

One of my recent projects involved a phase controlled bridge delivering spot weld current, low voltage to be
sure but about 20kA! I fitted filters at the input of the transformer AND the output of the bridge. The inductor
was 95mm sq weld cable wrapped around a laminated core.

Craig

4214

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ISIG_DIGITIZE

« on: June 26, 2018, 04:51:51 PM »

Hi,
its actually the motion controller/BoB that does the probing, or least the time critical parts of it.
To my knowledge ALL the motion controller manufacturers have used ISIG_PROBE name of the
probe input pin.

DIGITIZE was a term that came from Mach3, I don't recall ever seeing it in Mach4 or any Mach4 documentation.

Craig

4215

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: WHATS THIS ERROR..??? Clearing a spurious limit hit latch event,

« on: June 26, 2018, 03:08:08 PM »

Hi,
in this instance OP is using a phase controlled bridge rectifier for a DC output. In that case line reactors are the exactly wrong choice,
excess line inductance makes it ever harder for SCRs to commutate. Ordinary line filters on input and output result in noise reduction
without designing specialist filters.

4216

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Implementation of physical buttons

« on: June 26, 2018, 03:00:19 PM »

Hi,
no.....you don't need to program how Mach is to jog.....it knows how to do that already.

The attached pic is the event properties of the X axis jog button. Thus if you have a button <X Jog> then it would simply call the stock actions.

In your case you wish to use an axis selector switch and an MPG. You will need to attach, albeit temporarily, an axis to your MPG:

LUA Syntax:
rc = mc.mcMpgSetAxis(
      number mInst,
      number mpg,
      number axis)

Where the axis ID is provided by reading the axis selector inputs.

The movement is given by:

LUA Syntax:
rc = mc.mcMpgMoveCounts(
      number mInst,
      number mpg,
      number deltaCounts)

Craig

4217

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach XML Reader

« on: June 26, 2018, 10:19:44 AM »

Hi,
.xml files are unique to each machine.....there is no such thing as an .xml file you can simply paste in UNLESS your machine is identical
in every respect to the machine for which the .xml file was generated.

If you make a new profile for your new machine and configure your hardware you have in rffect made your own new .xml file.

Craig

4218

PoKeys / Re: Mach4 and Pokeys57CNC limit switches

« on: June 25, 2018, 11:10:13 PM »

Hi,
then I would guess that you have not set up Mach to look for those inputs.

I use an ESS and with the ESS if you set an input in the ESS plugin it will automatically set Machs input
in its configuration too. Quite handy. I suspect that in this instance the PoKeys plugin is not doing so.

Go to Configure/Control (also called Mach in earlier releases) /Input Signals and scan down until you find the
inputs (Home Motor3)you are looking for and attach the 57CNC signal to it. Hit <apply> and exit. You may even need to restart
Mach in order that the core read the new assignments from the .ini file.

Craig

4219

PoKeys / Re: Mach4 and Pokeys57CNC limit switches

« on: June 25, 2018, 09:02:48 PM »

Hi,
just looking at the manual and input #12 in the axis switch connector block (page 16) is
a DI5P type input,which per section 3.2 page 18, has the representitve circuit diagram shown, with a 10kOhm pull-up
resistor.

Probe the input, with the switch inactive it should be logic high. Note that the DI5P input is 5V tolerant,
you are likely to have a real cock-up if you try to bung more than 5V in there!

Note also that pin #12 is the home switch for the A axis, per page 16. Is this what you wanted?, I thought you
were trying to set up the Z axis. The Z axis home switch is pin #14.

Craig

4220

PoKeys / Re: Mach4 and Pokeys57CNC limit switches

« on: June 25, 2018, 08:31:05 PM »

Hi,
do you have a multimeter? I would guess that the input has a pull-down resistor in which case
switch operation would not be detected as a change of state.

Try probing the input. If it is low with the switch inactive then it has a pull-down resistor.

Craig