Messages

5861

General Mach Discussion / Re: Alright fellow campers...a frankenstein moment!!

« on: November 20, 2017, 12:48:24 AM »

Hi,
you're right in some countries they just don't care. In others they just print conformance notes and attach it to their equipment without being
anywhere near a testing lab.

There is to my knowledge  one accreditated testing facility in Christchurh and to have IEC schedule tests done can be tens of thousands of dollars.
Such testing and conformance costs are passed on to the buyer making well designed and made equipment expensive. A lot of the chinese compliance
marks are just plain fraudulent. Some of their gear is just plain electrically dangerous.

Then there is all the shortcuts we as consumers take. We all buy VFDs but has anyone bought the matching line reactors? I bet not, after all the device works
without spending all that extra.....so why bother.

Craig

5862

General Mach Discussion / Re: Alright fellow campers...a frankenstein moment!!

« on: November 19, 2017, 10:02:02 PM »

Hi Bob,
is common electronic practice to have signal conditioning and limiting elements protecting an input terminal. Among
the things that manufacturers will omit to build a device to a price is these very same conditioning/protection elements,
could be the case here.

Note that adding the capacitor has reduced the sensitivity of that input but the radiated electromagnetic interference still
exists. The ultimate solution is to prevent the interference from being generated in the first place and is easier said than
done. Ask any electronic engineer who has tried to get a device past the FCC or EEC emission controls.

Craig

5863

General Mach Discussion / Re: VFD Noise

« on: November 19, 2017, 02:51:15 PM »

Hi,
I suspect not. It seems unlikely that you have seperate single and three phase supplies.

More likely you have one three phase connection into the building with a single phase picked off for your
single phase circuits. It is not impossible therefore that noise on the three phase circuit is being impressed on
your single phase circuit. It seems more likely that you have a radiated interference problem rather than
conducted interference.

Craig

5864

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 lathe threading with UC100

« on: November 19, 2017, 02:43:47 PM »

Hi,
lathe threading is largely enacted by the motion controller. Not all motion controllers are capable at the moment.
The UC100 is a newcomer to Mach4, its Mach4 plugin is only a few months since release. I think a question of
CNCDrive is in order.

Craig

5865

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: computer requirements for mach 4

« on: November 19, 2017, 01:43:35 AM »

Hi Charlie,
sounds like fun. As Steve points out you can get a licence for the LattePanda jn addition to your existing PC. Do report back as to how it goes.

I suspect that with largeish (5Mb plus) Gcode files it might be slow to load and draw the toolpath but think it will go great guns otherwise.

Craig

5866

General Mach Discussion / Re: Alright fellow campers...a frankenstein moment!!

« on: November 19, 2017, 01:17:17 AM »

Hi Bob,
option D, B would work too but D is what I had in mind.

Craig

5867

General Mach Discussion / Re: Alright fellow campers...a frankenstein moment!!

« on: November 18, 2017, 12:13:36 AM »

Hi Bob,
the efforts your taking to master this stuff are noted and applauded.

I certainly, nor I suspect Rich or Roger really intended to 'air the dirty laundry'. Also it must be put in perspective, I choose to invest my time on a public
forum, and if I find some aspects less than satisfactory I have a choice dont I. I have read comments along these lines on a number of occasions and
admit that at the time thought them rather petty or griping. Now here I am doing exactly the same thing! Often the persons whom are being somewhat
less than realistic rather resent the truth, and I have that unfortunate tendency to 'call it as I see it' thereby earning some rebuke. My problem not others.

Craig

5868

General Mach Discussion / Re: Gear Reduction question.

« on: November 17, 2017, 08:34:12 PM »

Hi ger21,
yes I've looked at them too. Given that I live in New Zealand the actual cost by the time it gets here including airfreight and tax is closer to $1000USD.

I needed a servo for a spindle and was proposing to direct couple and really wanted a bit more speed than the 1.8kW DMM (1500 rpm).

On Trade-Me, a NZ auction site, I got a 1.8kW Allen Bradley servo (6.2Nm @3500 rpm) and drive for $800NZD including freight or about $600USD.
It is of course second hand so cant really be compared to a new DMM but so far it KICKS ANUS!!! I can twist 8mm carbide tool off like a carrot and talk
about making chips....my little mill can't really keep up, it starts to flex alarmingly and it leaps around, I had to tie it to the wall!

I recall that Hood had used several of them over the years and recommended them and I can too. EBay has a fair selection of them.

Craig

5869

General Mach Discussion / Re: Alright fellow campers...a frankenstein moment!!

« on: November 17, 2017, 08:18:10 PM »

Hi Bob,
I have been using Mach for several years but in the last few months have tried to re-invest the help that was given to me when I started.

By and large I've found it very satisfying and have helped a few guys along the way. There are exceptions too....one of the most common is
blokes who have very poor equipment with no documentation, or at least documentation worth a damn, no manufacturers back up and apparently
little intrest in learning the means to dig themselves out of that hole.

Following your posts you are not in that category.

While I take satisfaction/pride in helping others I can't help but feel there are some who take the piss as well. According to the stats I've been logged on
for something like 900 hours, no doubt not all productive, but a large portion has been devoted to posting for others benefit. I find myself less inclined
to spend my time with idividuals who can't be bothered to help themselves.

Craig

5870

General Mach Discussion / Re: converting from PDMX 411 to ESS and using g540

« on: November 17, 2017, 05:53:17 PM »

Hi Charlie,
dude1 is 100% correct. My laptop had a meltdown and I lost everything, including a copy of thr G540 manual. I assumed....and we know 'assumption
is the mother-of-all-f....ups'.

With the Estop button hoked to your regular teriminal 10, it corresponds to pin 15 in the DB25 connector and will be seen by the ESS as port1 pin15.
Set Machs Estop signal usiing the ESS set-up dialogue, that is Configure/Plugins/ESS/Input Signals Estop <enable> <ESS> <port1 pin15>.
Load the Lua code previously posted and you done.

Craig