Messages

6201

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Jogging while doing a tool change?

« on: October 23, 2017, 12:46:39 AM »

Hi,
can you post your m6 macro as it is.

I'm using one of the example m6s that come with Mach4. It may be quite different with your m6.

The only way I can see that you can jog is to stop the current cycle, do the business and <cycle start>

Code: [Select]

    mc.mcCntlFeedHold(inst)
    mc.mcCntlCycleStop(inst)
Now you can jog around and MDI a toollength measuring macro for instance.

Craig

6202

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Jogging while doing a tool change?

« on: October 22, 2017, 11:37:17 PM »

Hi,
its not quite as straight forward as you might think.

When a Gcode job is running the motion controller is being directed by Machs Gcode interpreter and trajectory planner. Even when you execute an m6
toolchange macro the Gcode interpreter is still in charge. What you want to do is have the jogging functions built in to Machs GUI take over temporarily
so you can jog to an appropriate location for probing and then revert back to the Gcode interpreter.

The problem is that given that you've jogged away from the exact toolpath that the Gcode specified.  When the interpreter takes over again it is not starting
from a known point along that path but some other location and could have unpredictable results.

If you are to achieve the behaviour you wish there are two hurdles I can see that you will have to overcome.
1) You need to be able to stop the Gcode interpreter without loss of place or status and offer up motion control to the jog functions.
2) Once you've jogged to the right location and set the tool length then the machine needs to go back to the last known good point on the toolpath,
    reinstate the status of the interpreter, have control revert to the interpreter.

I can't think of any ready solutions at the moment however feel sure that this behaviour could be achieved, after all customisation is Mach4s strength.

Craig

6203

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Spindle At Speed, Spindle Zero Problem

« on: October 22, 2017, 11:05:51 PM »

Hi Hakan,
yes you've already got the basis of a solution and the code to do it.

If you had or wanted to adding an indexing unit need not be that hard. This little Hall effect sensor requires 5V, 0V and output all for $2.03 NZD. Add a little
button magnet for another dollar and you're done.
http://nz.element14.com/honeywell/ss411p/sensor-hall-effect-bipolar-to/dp/1784734

Craig

6204

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: Tiny computer for MACH

« on: October 22, 2017, 09:41:39 PM »

Hi,
I run a dual Atom mini-ITX board similar to this:
http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=47#D2550HN
with Windows7 32 bit and ran the in-built PP and one PP on a PCI expansion card, no trouble.

If you want little PCs have a look at the Latte Panda and the Udoo X86 boards. Do yourself a favour and get an external motion controller like a Smoothstepper,
the computing platforms that can then be used increases dramatically and with way fewer hiccups than a PP machine.

http://www.lattepanda.com/
https://www.udoo.org/udoo-x86/

Craig

6205

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Spindle At Speed, Spindle Zero Problem

« on: October 22, 2017, 12:41:32 PM »

Hi Hakan,
just downloaded the Delta E series manual and it doesn't appear to have apulse output.

Craig

6206

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Spindle At Speed, Spindle Zero Problem

« on: October 22, 2017, 12:24:29 PM »

Hi Hakan,
my VFD is a B series unit. It has the Multifunction Opto Outputs as well, but they are just digital IO, they do not switch on and off that fast
to my knowledge. The DFM and DCM terminals are separate and dedicated to that one job.

Craig

6207

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe not stopping "Z" axis

« on: October 22, 2017, 12:06:54 PM »

Hi John,
I got a download of the book, not as convenient as printed but OK.

Craig

6208

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Complete newb, need help

« on: October 21, 2017, 10:10:40 PM »

Hi,
re-reading your post and you may need a few more preparatory codes.

As you've already noted M3 is a valid m code, its meant to turn your spindle on. You could use one of Machs outputs to turn your device on for instance.
If you use this idea it may take a short while before your device/etcher/gizmo is ready. There is a delay code:
G04 Pnnnn where nnnn is the delay in seconds (milliseconds). Whether the parameter P is interpreted as seconds or milliseconds is determined by the
setting Config/General Config   G04 Dewll in msec check box upper right.

You don't specify what units you wish to use. The numbers you've posted suggest inches. Is this the case? If so it would pay to program a G20 at the beginning
of your code. Likewise you don't specify whether your moves are absolute or incremental. Again from the numbers you've posted absolute looks certain.
Is this the case? If so code G90. You should code G17 to ensure the machine is in XY plane mode. Code a G40 to cancel cutter radius compensation and
G49 to cancel tool length compensation, a G50 to reset all scale factors to 1. Code G54 to make sure you are using the primary work co-ordinate system
and G69 to cancel any rotation. Code a G15 to be sure your in Cartesian co-ords. Code G94 to be sure you are in per minute feed units.

As soon as you code G1 all other canned cycles are effectively cancelled.

Putting them altogether:

Code: [Select]

G15 G17 G20 G40 G49 G50 G54 G69 G90 G94
Would recommend an M5 at the end to turn your spindle/device/gizmo off and then M30 which  stops the program and rewinds the code to do it again.

Code: [Select]

G15 G17 G20 G40 G49 G50 G54 G69 G90 G94
M3
G04 P1
G1 x0 y0 f0.5
x15
y0.5
x0
y1
x15
y1.5
x0
y2
x15
y2.5
x0
y3
x15
M05
M30

This is a tedious but simple way to code. If you wish to have variable step over and or programmable end points then coding this way will become
very tedious indeed. If that is the case then a macro is looking like a solution. Machs scripting language is a subset of Visual Basic called Cypress Enable CE
and it has all the expected looping and conditionals.

Craig

6209

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Spindle At Speed, Spindle Zero Problem

« on: October 21, 2017, 07:44:13 PM »

Hi Hakan,
this is pulse output that is equal or at least proportional to the output frequency of the VFD. As you know an induction machine will not rotate at
the frequency on its terminals but at some slower speed determined by the slip. With a good installation and motor the slip is seldom more than a few
percent of the input frequency. This signal is a fair representation of spindle speed.

If however the spindle is stalled for whatever reason the frequency would still be applied to the stator but the rotor would not turn. The output signal
would indicate wrongly that the spindle is rotating. The machine would very likely fault out 'current overload'. The essential point is that the pulse signal
is a reasonable estimate of spindle speed except under fault conditions and potentially inaccurate at start up conditions. If you called for the frequency
to ramp up too much faster than the spindle can accelerate and yet be within its fault current limit the output signal may get to 50Hz say while the spindle
is still trying to accelerate and is spinning at only 40Hz.

Most recent VFDs offer sensorless vector control, the VFD very cleverly uses current fluctuations to guess at the rotor actual speed and position. As such they
can be thought of as a servo. They can't achieve position control and their accurate speed control has a span of 10:1 or thereabouts. Of course a servo with
a proper encoder blows them into the weeds but none the less a very clever use of the digital signal processing power available to manufacturers. My Delta
does sensorles vector control but doesn't provide a derived rotor speed pulse, just the input frequency as above.

The signals At Speed and Is Stopped suffer the same problem, they represent whether the applied frequency is at speed or stopped but it can't actually tell
what the rotor is doing. If it was a matter of safety that the motor was rotating then would would need a device to measure it like an encoder. Even a sensorless
vector control VFD is still a derived measurement and wouldn't satisfy me in a lift application for instance.

Craig

6210

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Spindle At Speed, Spindle Zero Problem

« on: October 21, 2017, 07:13:24 PM »

Hi Hakan,
the output is called 'Digital Frequency Meter' or DFM and has a programmable parameter per attached.

Craig