Messages

5981

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 and parallel port

« on: November 07, 2017, 04:16:58 AM »

Hi,
I believe Art has expressed that he has no intention to add some of the features that have become standard fare...THC and lathe threading.
Arts intent is clear, the parallel port is in its last iteration.

Do yourself a favour and get an external motion controller. As dude1 has mentioned the PoKeys 57CNC has a good reputation as does the PMDX-424 and Warp9's ESS.
CNCDrive have just released a Mach4 plugin for their UC300 which if it proves to be as successful as its Mach3 version will be good. Vital Systems has long enjoyed
a full featured Mach4 ready controller and CSLabs have just released aMach4 plugin. Both manufacture really nice gear but at quite a premium compared to the first
four I mentioned.

Craig

5982

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 and parallel port

« on: November 07, 2017, 12:44:06 AM »

Hi,
is there any reason that you want a charge pump? The charge pump idea has just about gone the way of the dinosaurs in Mach3 let alone Mach4.

Craig

5983

General Mach Discussion / Re: new setup issues

« on: November 06, 2017, 10:50:36 PM »

Hi,
by comparison a Gecko is a cake-walk!

Craig

5984

General Mach Discussion / Re: new setup issues

« on: November 06, 2017, 10:49:00 PM »

Hi,
yeah but it would take an hour to sort out a Gecko, the documentation is good and the people who make it
answer emails and they know their s*********t.

You are going to have to post every page of that manual. It may not be good but thats all there is.

Craig

5985

General Mach Discussion / Re: new setup issues

« on: November 06, 2017, 10:12:59 PM »

Hi,
if you'd bought a Gecko 540 this machine would have been singing days ago.

Craig

5986

General Mach Discussion / Re: new setup issues

« on: November 06, 2017, 10:10:00 PM »

Hi,
post the manufacturers info.

Craig

5987

General Mach Discussion / Re: new setup issues

« on: November 06, 2017, 09:24:31 PM »

Hi,
if you have info relating to this machine from the manufacturer and it in mm then use mm!
Config/Selct Native Units  check mm, close and then restart. Do not fiddle with it again.

It is possible to use inch Gcode but DO NOT USE NATIVE UNITS to do it, that's what G20/G21 are all about.

Post that info. Somewhere in there will be the info required to enable the machine.

You should tell your friend that these electronics are junk...he got the machine dirt cheap now maybe he should buy
some electronics that work and the manufacturer will back up rather than trying to use the forum.

Craig

5988

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

« on: November 06, 2017, 08:36:26 PM »

Hi,
there is one error register, a VFD output. There is also another registe, Modbus output that resets the fault.
There are also status registers, I wouldn't worry about those to start with but the error and fault clearance would be
handy.

Given that there are only two registers you could happily set it up in the same brain.

Craig

5989

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 with ESS locks up on Cycle Start

« on: November 06, 2017, 03:05:37 PM »

Hi,
yes, some of the predefined signals in Mach require specific termination by ESS and the BoB beyond it. Probe inputs
are the most obvious example. That remains the same irrespective of the Bob. The BoB including the MB2 is not
intellegent, that is to say there is fixed relationship between input and output. Provided you take care to associate
functional inputs of Mach via the ESS to an appropriate pin on the BoB, no problem.

As I have two working BoBs at the current time I won't be buying any more.

Craig

5990

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 with ESS locks up on Cycle Start

« on: November 06, 2017, 02:34:09 PM »

Hi,
yes it is.

Craig