Messages

5891

General Mach Discussion / Re: Gear Reduction question.

« on: November 16, 2017, 12:36:24 PM »

Hi,
that project looks good. The equipment the back ground of your pic suggests that you are an avid builder.

one more stepper driver along with the Screw jack mod and coupler I'm looking
roughly $700 extra dollars.  Its a tough decision but I think this should do the trick.

Seems like a lot of gold to spend without being  it will work. The advantage of the servo that Gerry mentioned is that it will hit its rated torque at 1500rpm,
no guessing involved.

Craig

5892

Modbus / Re: Who can I call to help me setup this automation direct vfd

« on: November 16, 2017, 12:14:31 PM »

Hi,
kool. Way cheaper than buying someone elses creation, you'll learn more and derive much much greater satisfaction.

Craig

5893

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 newbie here. I need some help

« on: November 16, 2017, 02:38:07 AM »

Hi,
this is what Sage had to say:

Does anyone have the parallel port working with Mach4. Specifically with the charge pump activated? I'd be interested in comparing configurations.
I have been in contact (for several months) with NFS support and they have confirmed that (as I observed) the charge pump signal from Darwin initially comes up and then fails just after Mach4 startup. It requires a toggle of the enable / disable screen button to get it going again. This would not be a big problem except that when if fails the DRO's still change but the axis' do not move because the lack of charge pump signal has disabled the drives. So then the disable/enable trick has to be done and a re-calibrate is required.
 In my latest exchange with support they have indicated that they have no (financial) interest in working further to correct the issue and suggest I purchase a motion controller instead. Fair enough I guess but it makes me wonder why they continue to sell the parallel port plug-in (Darwin) when it has this bug. Then it makes me wonder - if they have sold more than the one I have - what have others done to make it work. Maybe I've missed something.
 So, Is the parallel port finally dead?

Sage

I have some sympathy in the sense that an old Mach feature no longer works but at the same time I want to say 'who bloody cares'...hardly anyone uses it anymore.
Art Fennerty wrote Darwin just like he wrote Machs parallel port driver before. NFS have no financial interest in fixing the charge pump. Single point lathe threading, or
backlash compensation, or THC, or a touch module....yes they are probably very interested in those because the vast majority of Mach users want and appreciate such
features, but a charge pump?.

Craig

5894

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 newbie here. I need some help

« on: November 16, 2017, 02:18:32 AM »

Hi Azalin,
the charge pump is old school and no-one uses it much any more. Sage has found that it doesn't work too well in Mach4. Why bother with it?

When was the last time you had the charge pump activate a shutdown for safety in Mach3? I've asked quite a few people and they've all answered never.

If you think the charge pump is a deal breaker then go spend $200 on an external motion controller; if you don't have the money or don't want to spend it
then drop the charge pump idea.

Craig

5895

General Mach Discussion / Re: macro

« on: November 16, 2017, 02:08:29 AM »

Hi,
still not to sure that its not getting garbled in transmission. It sounds like you want Mach to stop you from going outside a certain area?

This can be done already...it called Soft Limits. For soft limits to be effective you have to reference your machine to an exactly known location and you can repeat that
location every time you start Mach. It is usually done with Home switches.

Once your machine is homed (referenced) then the soft limits are the area where Mach is safe to go but is unsafe to go outside of. If you have soft limits enabled
then it will stop and not let you go out of the safe zone.

Does that sound like the sort of thing that you want Mach to do?

Craig

5896

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 newbie here. I need some help

« on: November 16, 2017, 01:29:43 AM »

Hi Azalin,
I found the thread:
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,35622.0.html
It seems to me that if you are contemplating buying an external motion controller then it makes sense to get one that will meet your needs now and someway into
the future. If you follow my argument then the PoKeys 57CNC is a better choice than the 57E or 57U, regrettably somewhat more expensive too.

Using that same logic then the 57CNC is competing with the ESS by Warp9 and the PMDX-424. Both are good, both manufacturers support is excellent and they all
cost near enough to the same. The 57CNC is remarkably flexible with analogue inputs that the other two lack and also the low level programming available in the
PoKeys products. The Warp9 and PMDX products have grown and developed as Mach specific products. When I was selecting a controller it was my understanding
of the parallel port that I had been using for some years which leaned me to both PMDX and Warp9. In the event I chose an ESS. I would have been happy with
any of these three products. Now that my understanding has broadened somewhat from the pure PP mentality the 57CNC looks very attractive.

I had originally intended to use the Darwin PP and even bought a license but never got around to using it. Once I had the ESS sorted and running I didn't want to go
back. The smoothness of motion allowed me to push up my traverse speeds by 33% without any extra heat generated in my steppers. They even sound better...they seem
to sing rather than squawk like the did on PP.

I rather think that NFS might decline a refund. My suggestion is carry on with Darwin, get it working as well a you can while you formulate a plan for future development.
A good external motion controller like the ones I've mentioned would be a superb investment in your hobby.

Craig

5897

General Mach Discussion / Re: using a spindle encoder w/ Mach 3

« on: November 16, 2017, 01:00:26 AM »

Hi,
yes there are many pulse stretching circuits you could use. Another possibility is a Hall sensor like:
http://nz.element14.com/honeywell/ss411p/sensor-hall-effect-bipolar-to/dp/1784734
Little button magnets glued to the spindle passing within a mm or so of the IC will cause the sensor to have an output. Note that all it requires is 0V,5V and an output, only
three wires. With a few magnets in a row you wouldn't need any pulse stretching, the magnets would trigger the output for as long as there were magnets in proximity.

Craig

5898

General Mach Discussion / Re: Gear Reduction question.

« on: November 15, 2017, 09:20:21 PM »

Hi Ger21,
thats pretty good buying really.

I had in mind a angle gear-reducer. I got one off Ebay 19.5:1 reduction, 2min arc backlash, 380 Nm output, including
airfreight to New Zealand $330NZD or about $250USD.

Craig

5899

General Mach Discussion / Re: Gear Reduction question.

« on: November 15, 2017, 07:58:27 PM »

Hi,
steppers are really good for torque at slow speeds, much better than a servo of the same size. The servo
comes into its own at speed.

1600oz.in is 8.3 ft.lb or 10.4 Nm. You are going to need a bloody big mega expensive servo if you wish to go that way.
The only other way is to gear  down your stepper and take the speed hit.

I have little 23 size steppers running through 10:1 low backlash planetaries and they max out at about 5 ft.lb or
960 oz.in....really really impressive for little motors...tad slow though!

Craig

5900

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 newbie here. I need some help

« on: November 15, 2017, 06:44:43 PM »

Hi,
kool, Ok a PoKeys 57 on a breakout board.

I had a conversation with NeoT the moderator of the PoKeys board on this forum and the bare 57E or 57U have a couple
of limitations when used as a CNC controller but those shortcomings are addressed in the 57CNC with fullspeed pulserates
and all six axes capable.

Craig