Messages

771

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: No contract with probe error if trying to use touch off after changing tool

« on: March 07, 2022, 07:45:12 PM »

Hi,

Tried this 3 times with multiple programs same result. This is a bug right?

Probably not.

What motion controller are you using? Most motion controllers regard a probe move, ie a g31, where the probe does notmake contact as a fail and stops Mach4.
However there are circumstances where you might use a g31 instead of a g1 and you are not expecting the probe to make contact. The controller will stop Mach none-the-less.

The Ethernet SmoothStepper has a setting (Configure/Plugins/ESS/Probing tab) that determines its behaviour when a non-contact event occurs, by default Mach will stop. You may want to change it.

Craig

772

General Mach Discussion / Re: Start Building a new CNC

« on: March 04, 2022, 02:08:40 PM »

Hi,

I understand this John but after I pay $200 for the license do I have access to all (mill, lathe, plasma)? I read somewhere that for each machine you need a special license which cost more (think was $60) and that’s why I asked the question here. So it is $200 + more for a mill?

No, you are confusing UCCNC which costs an extra $60 for every installation. Mach4Hobby costs $200USD, a one time only purchase. It can be used
on up to five different and distinct PCs concurrently. Mach4Hobby covers all machine types, mills, lathes etc, no add-ons required.

As John has pointed out a Mach4Hobby license is specific to each PC. When licensing a new PC you submit the MAC (unique PC identifier code) to the
NFS Licensing page and it issues the license files specific to that PC. If you no longer require a given PC be licensed you can release it, and license
another instead. You are allowed seven such transactions in two years.

All-in-all Mach4Hobby licensing is pretty generous but not open slather like Mach3. There are now probably many more pirate copies of Mach3 out there
than genuinely licensed ones. Can NFS be blamed for discontinuing Mach3 development given that there are so many pirate copies from which they can
derive no income?

Craig

773

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: dangerous malfunction of a machine driven by Mach4

« on: March 04, 2022, 01:48:27 PM »

Hi,

1. The driver will pick up on a missed step and "try again", meaning when you are getting marginal on power you get some backstop; and

The problem with that is that IF a stepper misses a step its because it is marginally overloaded, so any extra step inserted to catch up is likely to be missed as well.
The manufacturers claim that closed loop increases the power, pure BS.  Closed loop steppers are no more powerful than their open loop counterparts
of the same spec.

2. Outright failure to reach the commanded position errors out and stops the machine - which is a HUGE safety feature.

This is correct, and is a distinct and clear advantage of closed loop steppers over open loop steppers.

One feature that you did not mention was that closed loop steppers can interpolate between full steps whereas open loop steppers can do
1/2 steps reliably but no finer. Thus closed loop steppers have genuinely better resolution than open loop steppers.

These two features are to my knowledge the only two genuine advantages that closed loop steppers enjoy. My contention is that the premium
paid for closed loop steppers is not justified by these two features alone. Others may have a different opinion.

Genuine AC servos are still quite a bit more than closed loop steppers, say 25% or so, and if you are going to pay a premium then servos are  worth
the extra. There again that is my opinion, others may differ with that. The principle advantage that a servo has is overload capacity.
When a stepper (open or closed loop) gets overloaded it misses steps or stalls, no ifs or buts, it just stalls, whereas a servo just 'digs' into
its overload capacity, typically 3-4 times its rated output, and just does the job. The short term overload capability of a servo means that it
seems to have MUCH greater output than the specs suggest whereas steppers never seem to quite live up to their specs.

Craig

774

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Z home before cycle start

« on: March 03, 2022, 09:45:49 PM »

Hi,

try many options but cant change the machine x position in any way
this function that you use:
mc.mcAxisSetPos(inst, 0, PosSetX1)
not make any change on x value

That is 100% correct. The only way to change the machine coordinate is to move that axis. When you <home> or <Ref> the axis it will move to the homes switch,
if fitted and enabled, and then zero the machine coordinate or set to some offset value if programmed. Thats it. The ONLY two means of changing the machine coorinate
of an axis are to move it OR <Ref> it. Mach4 has always been like that and so was Mach3 before it.

There is one work-around trick that you can use, although its not recommended. If no Home switch is assigned or enabled for an axis you can 'Home in Place', and
in combination with a programmable offset value you can in effect set the machine coordinate of an axis at will.

The following API's will help:

Code: [Select]

rc = mc.mcAxisGetHomeInPlace(
number mInst,
number axisId,
number homeInPlace)

rc = mcAxisSetHomeOffset(
number mInst,
number axisId,
number offset);


Craig

775

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: dangerous malfunction of a machine driven by Mach4

« on: March 03, 2022, 05:32:34 PM »

Hi,
that is usually provided by the servo tuning software.

Craig

776

General Mach Discussion / Re: Start Building a new CNC

« on: March 03, 2022, 02:26:20 PM »

Hi,
ESS= Ethernet SmoothStepper manufactured by Warp9TD.

https://warp9td.com/

They used to make a USB connected device, the USS, but is now out of manufacture. It was smaller and less powerful and would not run plasma tables due to noise,
so you don't really want one anyway.

Craig

777

General Mach Discussion / Re: Start Building a new CNC

« on: March 03, 2022, 05:12:00 AM »

Hi,

If I use lets say ESS with a Gecko G540 which has built in drivers and BOB would I still need another BOB?

No, unless you want to. A UC100 has 17 IOs, arranged identically to a single parallel port. That means you've only got five
inputs, if you want more ....to bad...its not going to happen with a UC100, and there is no expansion option.

An ESS has three parallel port outputs. One you would use with a G540, but if you wanted you could put a BoB or even two BoBs
into ports 2 and 3 for extra IO, if you want it. So the ESS has the same 17 IOs via a G%$) BUT can be expanded with one or two
C10 BoBs at $23.00 each.

Craig

778

General Mach Discussion / Re: Start Building a new CNC

« on: March 03, 2022, 04:53:00 AM »

Hi,
the UC100 is not a patch on an ESS.

Firstly its about USB verses Ethernet, Ethernet wins hands down in latency and noise immunity.

The UC100 maxes out at 100kHz whereas an ESS is good to 4Mhz, that is 40 times faster!.

The UC100 has 17 IOs whereas an ESS has 51 IOs, that is three times more.

Whether you need the additional performance is doubtful in a hobby machine,

A UC100 could not hope to run my mill, I require a pulse output rate to the servos of 416.66kHz. I have
21 digital inputs, nine for limits and homes, one for a probe, one for an Estop and five for a wired pendant.
The remaining five inputs are alarms, one for each axis. I have 10 differential outputs for up to five axes,
two outputs for the spindle, one of those is PWM and another output for the coolant pump, and one output
as an Enable commoned to all axes.

That's a total of 35 IOs....but that's OK I've still got 16 IOs in reserve

The ESS has arguably the most complete Mach4 plugin with realtime supports for backlash comp, single
point lathe threading, spindle PID, realtime plasma torch height control. The UC100 misses on all of those
features. The manufacturer of the UC100, CNCDrive, is naturally more interested in promoting their own
software rather than Mach and so it dubious that the UC100 will ever have a competing Mach plugin.

The UC100 is 80Euro or $89USD. The ESS is $190USD, so is indeed about twice the price but the ESS
is SO much more than double the motion control solution.

Craig

779

General Mach Discussion / Re: Start Building a new CNC

« on: March 02, 2022, 11:06:14 PM »

Hi,
apparently UPS is not accepting any mail for Australia or New Zealand and has not done so for a while.

Craig

780

General Mach Discussion / Re: Start Building a new CNC

« on: March 02, 2022, 08:27:06 PM »

Hi,
G540's used to be about $300, and given the quality I'd say pretty good value.

If there were one limitation that I don't like about a G540 is the 50VDC max input voltage, I'd much prefer 80VDC if not higher.
There are plenty of good Chinese made stepper drivers of 80VDC input and up to 6A-8A outputs for around $70.00

Four such drivers is $280 and you'd still need a breakout board....so $300 for a G540 starts to look pretty good.

Craig