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Messages - TeaMan

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21
General Mach Discussion / Re: Proper directions of X, Y, an Z axis
« on: February 28, 2014, 10:44:08 AM »
Thanks Fastest1.  This explains the coordinate systems, but I guess I'm still a bit confused.  I was corrected before that the X and Z axis are the table planes and the Y is the vertical plane.  Looking in Mach3 turn, it solidified that in my mind because it only has X and Z since the lathe only has the table movements.  The Cad reference you showed here, even on a mill on the first link shows it the way I am used to picturing it where the X and Y would be the flat plane the tables move on, and the Z the vertical plane as the first link shows on the mill.  That is why I wanted to pose this question once more here to ensure I had it engrained in my thick brain before I set my machine up.  I know that with a home machine, I can do it what ever way I want and make it work anyway I want.  I'd rather do it in a standard way, or the most standard way in machining so when I get into conversations with someone who works in the profession, we don't have to spend the first part of the conversation getting on the same page.

Looking at the first link you presented, it's obvious that there is more than one way the profession views the axis, or is it different between the lathe and the mill?  Right now I have my DRO plugged in so it matches the mill in your first link and I only have used it that way for a very short period of time, and only to do some minor things.  I was hoping to fix it now, so I'm learning it "right" if there is such a thing.

Again, I thank you for answering this question.  Now I'd ask for clarification on a couple things, such as which axis is which, and when looking at the lathe spindle, moving the tool toward the chuck, is that "-", and moving it from side of the machine I stand on to the opposite side of the machine, is that also "-"? 

My objective here isn't to start a debate.  I just want to do it "right" the first time, and continue this pattern.

Again, many thanks
Ed (teaman)

22
General Mach Discussion / Proper directions of X, Y, an Z axis
« on: February 27, 2014, 11:19:08 AM »
I'm very new to machining and am finally starting to set things up and want to do them properly.  What I have learned is the tables are X and Z and the mill spindle vertical is Y.  I need to know proper directions + and - for the three axis's.

I read a post once where the gentleman said the cutting direction is normally negative.  Looking at Y, extending the mill into the work I would expect to be -Y.  Now for X and Z I'm not sure.  If my lathe head is left, and I'm cutting from right to left, is that considered -X and if the tool is going from being on my side of the work, to going away from me, is that considered -Z?  

Any advice would help me set this up properly.

Thanks,
Ed  (TeaMan)

23
Brains Development / Re: Example Brain or Macro pump to run a spindle
« on: February 26, 2014, 01:15:29 PM »
Scott (PoppaBear), I have to thank you for all the help you gave me personally on brains and modbus.  Your quick thinking and out of the box ideas in brains were a phenominal help.  It gave me exactly what I needed, a starting point to which I could start to build and understand how they worked.  You eliminated hours of frustration and helped me prove concept and move to more important things like tuning the system and actually make it work. You obviously have an excellent knowledge of Mach3, Brains, Macro's and in my case almost most important, Modbus.  Your knowledge and willingness to share it and help others says a lot to who you are and what you're about.

Thanks again.  I hope some day I can return the favor.

TeaMan

24
Modbus / Re: Problems with Mach3 Modbus TCP
« on: February 26, 2014, 01:11:17 PM »
I was able to solve this.  I was thinking that the FL COMM Server should be a modbus master, thinking that the computer would communicate to the COMM server via ethernet, and the comm server would then convert ethernet to modbus RS485 and thus send that to the modbus slaves, making it a master.  My thinking was wrong, the comm server is also a slave and the computer is the master.  Switching the comm server to a slave opened the comms up and allowed the computer to pass through the comm server to the modbus slaves.  Hopefull this can help someone in a similar situation.

TeaMan

25
Modbus / Problems with Mach3 Modbus TCP
« on: February 22, 2014, 04:36:39 PM »
I thought I'd try to communicate to my Modbus via TCP out of Mach3 and found what should have been simple, didn't work at all.  I have two VFD's on a Modbus 485 network and am trying to talk to them through a Phoenix Contact FL COMM Server RS485 converter.  The problem could always be in the COMM server, but I wouldn't think so. I will be digging into the COMM servers manual later tonight to see if I can find anything unusual, but the setup for what I'm trying to do seems pretty simple.

When I go into Mach3, open the Serial TCP Plugin, I added one line to the plugin for my Modbus Slave, I put the IP address of the FL COMM Server at the top, click on the test button and open the test screen.  Here I made sure the slave address was OK, IP address for the COMM server was OK, keyed an address in on the slave side, and clicked open.  I immediately get a connection timeout message.  I can see the activity light on the FL COMM Server light up each time I click the open button in Mach3, but get the same message, Connection Timeout.  I slid the slider below the addresses to the right and I then get Ethernet Connection Not Open as a message.

On the FL COMM Server (converter) side in the configuration I have the same parameters that are on the RS485 side, 8-E-1.  The only thing different is the drives have no hardware flow control, and the comm server has automatic for flow control and it isn't changeable.

I can ping the FL COMM Server from the PC running Mach3, in fact I can open the configuration on the COMM Server from that PC, so I know the Ethernet connection is OK.  I can also talk to the drives via the Modbus Serial Plugin on the computer running Mach3.  I simply opened that plugin, unchecked the box to enable the communication.  Clicked OK, restarted Mach3 just in case, opened the TCP plugin and set it up as explained above.  

I'm confused as to why I'm getting an immediate timeout message and it won't open the Ethernet connection.  I didn't see any settable timeout settings.  My finger doesn't even come off the mouse button before I see the timeout message.

What is Mach 3 looking for when you hit the Open button on the test screen?  I'd almost expect that if you have a live Ethernet device connected with the IP address entered in the test screen, that it would open the connection, even without anything connected to the other side of the converter, maybe I'm wrong.

Could I have missed something on the configuration side in Mach3?  Something isn't making sense here.

TeaMan

26
Modbus / Re: Problems with Modbus TCP
« on: February 17, 2014, 10:24:25 PM »
I guess I missed the USB to Serial converter reference in Scott's post. I don't have USB, my converter is Serial 232 to Serial 485.  On the 485 side, I have screw connectors that take me to the Modbus 485 to the drives and touch screen.  The problem would either have to be in the serial 232 card in the PC or the 232 to 485 converter.  My next step is to reduce the baud rate and see if that solves it.  The other thing could be Modbus 485 is normally terminated on both ends.  I don't have any terminations because it's a very short run and all three slaves spur from the same connection point.  Nothing is more than 10 feet.

Thanks
TeaMan

27
Modbus / Re: Problems with Modbus TCP
« on: February 17, 2014, 06:05:14 PM »
Thanks Scott.  I was suspecting that I was bumping up against the converter speed.  I will try 19.2k to see how that works.  The drive timeout on the Modbus is 10s, so that should be way large.

much appreciated
TeaMan

28
Modbus / Re: Good VFD for Mach 3
« on: February 17, 2014, 01:08:41 PM »
I work mostly with Allen Bradley VFD's at work and they are solid, but a little expensive.  We also have lots of Modicon equipment (Schneider Electric), and I work with Modbus a lot, so I decided to go with Altivar 12 drives from Schneider Electric.  It took me a while to figure out how to write to them, but now I have it figured out, they seem to work really nice.  I'm now starting to get into the Macro pump and brains programmig to integrate them into Mach 3.

TeaMan

29
Modbus / Re: Problems with Modbus TCP
« on: February 17, 2014, 01:01:49 PM »
finally got it to work.  Turned out that the values were going to the right parameters, just in the wrong order.  The speed on the drive since it was just turned on and the memory cleared was zero, asking it to start at zero didn't work too well.  The other issue is the drive needs to see one bit high, bit zero on the command word to enable the drive.  In manual this is done with a normally closed switch coming into input 1.  Break this and the drive stops.  Sort of an estop.  Well same with modbus, you first have to send a 1 to this which can be programmed into the code you send for the stop, then with these two things set properly, you can finally send the command to either run in fwd or reverse.  Then the speed can be manipulated as you wish.

I need to make sure I put something in my macro pump or brain that takes care of the enable before the drive will be allowed to run.  It also will need an initial speed reference.  Probably should set the initial speed for the operation first, then let the drive soft start to that reference when it gets the direction start command.

I'm going to start digging into macro pumps and brains tonight to see what I can learn.  I'm pretty green with anything within Mach3 so I've got lots to absorb.  Kind of pumped though.  Been fighting it for a couple weeks, now I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I did have two issues with the modbus test when I was working with it.  One was I occasionally got a CRC error, and occasionally got a lost connection error, or slave not found, I'm not sure what the exact error was.  I'm running serial 232 to serial 485 to the drives that are modbus 485.  It's a short distance, less than 15 feet.  I'm running 38.2 Kbaud.  Maybe I need to reduce that to 19.2 or something.  Might be losing the comm at that speed.

Definitely getting closer.

TeaMan

30
Modbus / Re: Need help with a connection to an Altivar 12 VFD
« on: February 17, 2014, 12:51:18 PM »
Thanks Scott. finally got it to talk.  Now on to macro pumps or brains to encorporate it into Mach3.  I posted under brains to see if anyone had any examples.  I now have a lot to learn and absorb.

Thanks again.
TeaMan

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