Messages

5161

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Possible Feed Rate Bug?

« on: February 27, 2018, 06:48:04 PM »

Hi,
I for one learn't something about how Mach4 operates so my time was certainly not wasted.

Its been my experience that when smurph explains something is like the curtains being drawn back...

Craig

5162

General Mach Discussion / Re: Taig Mill Questions

« on: February 27, 2018, 01:03:59 PM »

Hi,
I've found some advertising material on your mill and it suggests the leadscrews are 1/2 inch 20 TPI. The extra diameter will mean you could spin them
fast without them whipping but the pitch means you'll have to spin them very fast to get fast traverses.

Getting your machine to work well with its existing leadscrews will result in a very useful machine, well balanced with respect to speed/power and rigidity.
To make the alterations necessary to make it fast, say new leadscrews or ballscrews, would be quite extensive and the machine would lose its balance,
that is to say it would be fast but not powerful enough to go fast or rigid enough to control the extra cutting forces even if you did.

Craig

5163

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: spindle via modbus

« on: February 27, 2018, 12:48:05 PM »

Hi,
try:

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,35916.0.html

Craig

5164

General Mach Discussion / Re: Taig Mill Questions

« on: February 26, 2018, 10:41:30 PM »

Hi,
correct me if I'm wrong but don't Taig mills have 1/4 or maybe 5/16 threaded leadscrews?

If I'm correct and recall that the screws are about 20 TPI then even to achieve 50 ipm will require you spin those
things at 1000 rpm. Your chances of doing that successfully are very poor.

Craig

5165

General Mach Discussion / Re: Taig Mill Questions

« on: February 26, 2018, 10:09:08 PM »

Hi,
I think Tweakie replied in another post and suggested inrush current. Try his recommendation of fitting slow-blow
fuses.

Switchmode power supplies are notorious for inrush current, Gary has suggested a linear (transformer/rectifier/capacitor)
supply. They tend to be more robust and forgiving.

Craig

5166

General Mach Discussion / Re: Switching from Mach3 to Mach4

« on: February 26, 2018, 09:12:02 PM »

Hi,
an external motion controller like a UC300 or PMDX-424 or an Ethernet SmoothStepper are connected
to the PC by either USB or ethernet.

The external controller takes numeric data (position/velocity/time   PVT) from Mach4 and converts it into pulse
streams for the motor drivers. They are way WAY clever! Provided you don't buy rubbish, a cheap one goes for
$120 and really good ones $600 plus.

Craig

5167

General Mach Discussion / Re: Switching from Mach3 to Mach4

« on: February 26, 2018, 05:52:55 PM »

Hi,
you can run Mach4 on a parallel port, the Darwin parallel port driver has a $25 licence fee. To be honest
Mach4 is ideally matched to external motion controllers, to use a parallel port with it is not really sensible.
Additionally a parallel port can ONLY be run with a 32 bit OS Windows7 or earl;ier.

The Gcode you have used before will still work but Mach4 doesn't have much in the way of wizards built in,
you can get them but you'll have to pay a licence fee.

Craig

5168

General Mach Discussion / Re: X Y axis move togehter with Arrows key

« on: February 26, 2018, 12:48:51 PM »

Hi,
yes that would tend to indicate that Mach is causing the X and Y axes move together.

Try MDIing some separate X and Y moves:

G0 X50
X0
Y50
Y0

That should move X 50mm then back again, then Y 50mm and back again. Does it do that or do both axes move together?
When the axes move together do both the X&Y DROs change together?

Does your friend have his machine set up and running?

Craig

5169

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Jogging in Mach3 while paused using M0

« on: February 25, 2018, 10:19:46 PM »

Hi,
Peter Smid's CNC Handbook is drier than the Sahara but is to my thinking 'the authoritive source'/

Craig

5170

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Possible Feed Rate Bug?

« on: February 25, 2018, 05:10:56 PM »

Hi smurph,
thanks for that explanation. I have on a number of ocassions believed that I had found a fault with Mach4
only for its behaviour explained and realise its no fault at all but rather a 'quirk'.

Craig