Messages

21

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 lathe / turning general state of development question

« on: July 28, 2018, 10:04:49 AM »

The HICON is a very nice board, and it always seems to be ahead of everyone else on development..... but it does come at a price premium that is not quite in the hobby market range (but I probably could have bought two by now by the number of motion controllers I've now got / had to hand .... buy cheap.... buy twice.... )

Also with the Hicon you pay for the extras to be enabled (which I guess is fair given they have additional development cost that is borne by the users of such features (THC for example).

PMDX is also well supported and I've come close a couple of times to buying one of their boards but my main application until now was plasma + THC (I also fell out with USB when I got a USBSS and it did not like noise {+ ground loops}, where as Ethernet just is so much more noise resistant (even with a blowback start plasma.

Do you use the Mach4 Turn wizards much??   {that is kind of the draw for me back to mach4}

22

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 lathe / turning general state of development question

« on: July 27, 2018, 12:09:20 PM »

Tuttle, thanks for taking the time.

Most start on 3 axis router, mill, plasma I guess with mach3, not many look at lathes I guess.

The centroid acorn seems expensive (or I could not see for what) for what it does taking into account the pro licence and the cost of an acorn.

Ok I have a mach4 licence and a pokeys, with the sync board for threading.  So no real oncost there.

I asked the question on the centroid forum and got a sort of blank answer that the only benefit was that the software was designed to work seamlessly with the acorn...   http://centroidcncforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1954   . (Not like m4 which has to wait for motion controller development by third parties which can be sporadic and patchy)

Really I'd like the cncdrive uc300eth and uc400eth motion controllers to update their mach4 plugins for spindle sync and I'd be sorted..... (I use them for mill and plasma with uccnc, but they have no short term plans for rotary axis or turn development)

23

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 lathe / turning general state of development question

« on: July 16, 2018, 09:34:28 AM »

Thanks Chad, much appreciated for your post

24

PoKeys / Re: Mach4 + Pokeys Plugin + Compatible version

« on: July 16, 2018, 02:42:25 AM »

NeoTO, thanks very much for taking the time and confirming, very much appreciated

25

PoKeys / Re: Pokeys 57E + Mach4 + Lathe / Turning Application

« on: July 16, 2018, 02:40:34 AM »

....External pulse generator (e.g. PoExtBusOC16CNC) must be used since internal pulse generator doesn't support threading.

Note also that PoKeys57E is a barebone I/O interface and all signals connected to it must be properly preconditioned (no filter or protection on any of the pins).

NeoTO, thanks very much, I didnt know about the PoExtBusOC16CNC, I'll look at getting one.

with regards to the filtering, I've got a load of unused bobs, which will work just fine, thanks again

26

PoKeys / Mach4 + Pokeys Plugin + Compatible version

« on: July 15, 2018, 05:42:39 PM »

Ok, dopey question.....

https://www.poscope.com/product/pokeys57e/

lists:

PoKeys Mach4 plugin 8.38.0.3630 + manuals

The changelog within the plugin lists:

#define POKEYS_MACH4_VERSION      "8.38.0.3630"
#define COMPATIBLE_MACH4_BUILD      "0.3630"

Current Mach4 build is 0.3804...

A quick search of the NFS FTP server unfortunatly does not list 0.3630......

ftp://ftp.machsupport.com/Mach4/DevlopmentVersions/

closest version seems to be:
0.3633

 
which may be about to drop off the end of the list, given it dates from 13 Jan 2018

some Linux distributions run an "LTS" Long Term Support" version which allows for some stability in ever developing distributions....  Would be "nice" if NFS ran such a process..... it may allow for motion controller / plugin developers to base their plugins on an LTS release.

Unresolvable gripe over (NFS issue)

I noticed that there however was not a Mach4 "compatible release" download on the PoLabs site, which I thought there would have been..... given that is the tested / recommended release...... If I was intending to use this for commercial / production, I would have thought / expected that it would be available.

Bit more resolvable gripe with PoLabs (if NeoTO reads this maybe).

Ok..... question.... given the current Mach4 release is 0.3804, are there any issues using this version with PoLabs / Pokeys current plugin release?

Is anything broke between Mach4 current release and the current Pokeys plugin release? .... should I be using a specific Mach4 release that is considered PoKeys stable?

{kind of like with Mach3.... the recommended version with most motion controllers was 0.62, despite the last release (on the NFS site) being 0.66}

Thanks (I'll shoot an email to PoLabs too)

27

PoKeys / Re: Pokeys 57E + Mach4 + Lathe / Turning Application

« on: July 15, 2018, 04:18:51 PM »

No I haven't asked them directly, I thought NeoTO frequents this forum / thread and may offer some guidance.

28

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: G-Code for Mach4 vs. Mach3

« on: July 15, 2018, 03:26:44 PM »

I'd say for a post processor there won't be a lot of difference.

G00, G01, G02, G03, G04, G31
M0, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, M8, M9 M30
https://machmotion.com/blog/knowledge-g-code
https://machmotion.com/blog/knowledge-support-mcode

Are all the same.....  essentially as far as a post processor is concerned because all they normally do is profile and pocket cut a shape out

Wizards, cyclic (canned) operations, MDI entry..... that is another matter.....  but I've not seen many post processors use canned operations (unless you're using / calling a drilling operation, but most of the time the post processor will look at them as pocket operations (unless you tell it differently that is).

With laser there is the change from M11+M10 >> M62+M63 for synchronous output on + off (but that would be motion controller dependent too, whether its implemented in Mach4, same with threading applications {anything synchronization dependent})

29

Mach4 General Discussion / Mach4 lathe / turning general state of development question

« on: July 15, 2018, 09:37:58 AM »

Not been following mach4 for a while and I'm about to start upgrading an old CNC lathe.

I was wondering from those of you using mach4 for turning, are there any deficiencies or issues at present?

Hoping to use it with a quadrature encoder for spindle sync.

Motion controller will be a pokeys 57e (have separate discussion in the pokeys section on that, trying not to cross post)

So this is more of a general question, what would lathe users think is missing (someone has recommended to me use a centroid acorn, but I don't have one and cannot see what it does mach4 will not or could not do)

Plus I have a mach4 hobby licence to hand and a pokeys 57e (and an ess, but don't go there!!)

30

PoKeys / Pokeys 57E + Mach4 + Lathe / Turning Application

« on: July 15, 2018, 06:49:38 AM »

Hello, not been around for quite a while.

I'm the new owner of an old cnc lathe and am looking to convert it to PC.

I've been looking at various options controller + software wise, and I remembered I had a Pokeys 57E languishing in a box {it was bought for PoBlocks use}

I'd like to put a spindle quadrature encoder I have to hand on the lathe to aide in spindle sync for threading applications.

I noticed that PoKeys seems to be able to now offer spindle sync + Mach4, and I have an unused Mach4 licence, I thought I'd drift back from the darkside of other cnc offerings that don't offer turning / lathe and see what was available with what I have (I've still got an ESS, but would like something which is functional now not aspirational  )

The lathe is a Denford ORAC http://www.denfordata.com/downloads/forum/Orac-brochures-and-illustrated-parts-list.pdf

The plan is: simple 2 axis control using modern stepper drives (AM882H) a I've got a few on the shelf, http://www.leadshine.com/productdetail.aspx?type=products&category=stepper-products&producttype=stepper-drives&series=AM&model=AM882
Spindle control via modern VFD {IMO Jaguar Cub}, preferably via modbus, as that is also on the shelf, https://inverterdrive.com/group/AC-Inverter-Drives-230V/IMO-CUB5A-1/
Spindle sync via quadrature encoder, also on the shelf, 500 PPR, http://www.shop.cncdrive.com/index.php?productID=767
Inputs are likley to just be E-stop, axis combined Home + Limit switches

I don't plan on an ATC, as I'd like to use Multifix tool changers instead http://www.lathes.co.uk/multifix/

I am going to consider reusing the existing keypad, but that will probably via an ATMega32u4 as a keyboard emulator.

I guess the questions are:
1) will a pokeys 57E work with a quadrature spindle encoder at 500ppr direct drive, and a spindle running upto 2000rpm
2) is anyone runing Mach4 + Pokeys with a lathe / turning application?
3) are there any lathe or turning functions that are unavailable by using a pokeys?

Other alternatives considered are LinuxCNC + Centroid Acorn {I don't have an acorn, but do have a Mesa 7i76e}, acorn seems really expensive for hobby use.