Messages

491

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3PLASMA LIMIT SWITCHES FOR G540/PROMA

« on: February 10, 2018, 01:17:00 PM »

All of my parts on my table are custom parts every time so I make a new zero every time

This is all personal setup - all my stuff is original etc but i always home first, it has allowed me to save jobs after a problem or two

492

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3PLASMA LIMIT SWITCHES FOR G540/PROMA

« on: February 10, 2018, 01:15:43 PM »

In the proma manual is says it “uses inputs of outermost connectors LIMIT OR HOME - THC relay contacts should be connected to the terminals the same way as limit switches connectors.”

What are your thought? This is out of the proma manual they sent me

This is BAD writing on behalf or Proma - it has NOTHING to do with limits at all.

From the manual....


The relay outputs “Arc, Up, Down”, are controlling outputs via relays, and should not be utilized for anything other then it's intended use.

COM terminal is a common input terminal connected to the ARC, UP and DOWN relay contacts inside the device, according to the diagram located on the cover (above picture). Suggested route is to “GND” at driver/pc end. Do not jumper this connection to the “7-35V” negative.

ARC output (also known as “Arc Okay”) is activated when plasma ignition is detected. Route and configure for a software input. Not required to operate.

UP output is activated when the measured voltage is lower than the voltage setpoints, reduced by half the hysteresis voltage. Route and configure for a software input.

DOWN output is activated when the measured voltage is higher than the voltage setpoints, reduced by half the hysteresis voltage. Route and configure for a software input.

Note: No output relays are activated in case when only the pilot arc is detected and when the main arc is broken.



SO, you need to connect the ARC, UP, DOWN to suitable free inputs on your BOB, then connect the COM to whatever your BOB needs - +5 or 0v etc.

Next configure Mach3 inputs to recognise the input signals from the PROMA.

Now, put the PROMA into test mode - this just sends repeat UP & DOWN outputs to Mach - make sure your Z axis responds in the correct direction, if not, fix it in settings.  You may need to set temporarily in Mill options, ports and pins - allow THC moves when not in THC mode to let the z move without an Arc OK signal.

Next connect your plasma - are your using HIGH voltage inputs or LOW voltage inputs???

493

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: February 10, 2018, 11:32:16 AM »

Hmm.

There is another option just passed to me by a friend - have the machine make all the moves itself, ATC style, all i do is change the tool and press start.

I have most of the code in place for this, commented out, so i can try it easily.

One day it might get an ATC so could be well worth trying this.

The ePid only seems to come with manual moves so it may work.

494

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: February 10, 2018, 11:18:41 AM »

great thread Dave, been following with interest.  my knee mill has a bad control which I hope to get going with either mach or uccnc this spring when the garage thaws out.  just a comment which I hope will be helpful.  mine is a 10 x 50 acra mill with square ways, and it rapids at 70 ipm.  when I bought it, it was at 100 ipm, but I had some control issues and slowing it helped.  thought yours was moving slower than this, just a little input to help.  fwiw, mine has a rolled ballscrew driving the knee, with a pulley and belt where the knee handle would go.  worked great.

Thanks, in this case its not speed related but a glitch in code somewhere that does not like manual movement while in the M6 loop, code moves are ok if called in a M6 macro.

I still have the old screw in my knee, seems ok for now.

495

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: February 10, 2018, 11:16:16 AM »

Hello,
had the same thing with this ePid fault.

i can see you are using CSLAB as well.

here the original answer from CSLAB as i went into this ePid Thing:

--- This fault can be activated by:
---  Bad Mach3 version. Bersions newer that 03.043.045 of Mach3 can cause ePID fault.
--- We recommend to use versions of Mach3 03.043.022 to 03.043.044. We always use 03.043.022 version as it's the most reliable in our opinion.

regards Tom

PS i "downgraded" to 03.043.022 and the ePid Thing is gone

i have written this a couple of sides earlier, i am running now without this epid Errors.

Thanks, does it work ok with CS's rigid tapping routine?

496

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: February 10, 2018, 08:38:26 AM »

Very educational day Made my first assembly of parts designed and cam'ed by myself in Fusion and run on my Bridgeport CNC

Lots of errors of course, all spotted before running, mostly WCS choices but all easily corrected and parts made without a hint of damage to the old girl

I can easily say that the powered knee axis taking tool length comp is brilliant, transforms the machine. Also the custom file load code works flawlessly in taking out the G43 lines.

An added bonus I discovered is that I do not need to call T100 when setting my height probe - any tool can be in the system and it still works! This seems to be because my knee routine reads the tool table directly for T100 length I think, whatever the reason, this is a major boost as forgetting to set the height for the probe was dangerous before

BUT (always a but) I'm getting the blasted ePid errors again, every single time i move an axis manually, any axis, while in the M6 loop - its the M6end code that triggers it, ANY code in M6end and it's ePid time

This is serious as it messes up the knee positioning routine a bit and also is just not right so needs fixing.

Now, I could put the TLC code back in the M6start BUT that can be dodgy as if going from long to short tools, the knee will come UP before you have a chance to pull the old tool out = crash possibility. As i have it now, the machine stops, you change tools and then the knee moves.

SO, i must fine a way to fix the ePid faults - any ideas guys??

I'm running Mach 062 BTW, very loathe of trying other versions as i cant risk upsetting rigid tapping etc which works ok.

497

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3PLASMA LIMIT SWITCHES FOR G540/PROMA

« on: February 10, 2018, 03:41:03 AM »

I had a PROMA and it knows nothing of limits, it just reads voltage, compares to a set-point and outputs up and down signals for the z axis. It also has an arc-ok output IIRC.

498

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3PLASMA LIMIT SWITCHES FOR G540/PROMA

« on: February 10, 2018, 03:26:34 AM »

If this is stepper powered, I would not fit limits at all, even a runaway axis on a stepper drive is unlikely to damage a machine, servos on the other hand = serious damage.

I would simply fit a good home switch and set soft limits up to work well. The first action upon start-up should be to home or reference the machine anyway IMHO.

I have fitted limits to my stepper builds but i realise now they are a waste of effort and inputs etc, they just do nothing, as long as soft limits are working.

There are those that never home their machines, maybe then a limit might help, doubtful still.

499

General Mach Discussion / Re: G49 on Mach3 Mill

« on: February 07, 2018, 08:36:50 AM »

Sorted

After a heavy session on the net, it seems its a license thing with the comdlg32.dll.

Easy way to fix was to install a tiny Microsoft app called "HTML Help Workshop", you can uninstall afterwards if wanted but its so small i just left it.

Dialog works perfectly now.

Thanks

500

General Mach Discussion / Re: G49 on Mach3 Mill

« on: February 07, 2018, 07:43:58 AM »

small progress, i wrote a vb6 app that does nothing but load the common dialog control and installed it.

I now have a working load file screen but it errors on save file dialog ??