Messages

1021

General Mach Discussion / Re: Odd Startup Behavior

« on: December 08, 2007, 09:04:32 AM »

This sounds to be a fault with the driver card for the x axis (probably the dir input) which seems to be faulty until it gets warmed up.
Try swapping the inputs with those of the Y axis, and see if the fault moves too - this will tell you if it is the card.

I can't see what else it can be, I assume you have set up your config/port and pins correctly with active low or not as is the case and you do not change these.

If you are using a breakout board with some sort of buffer on, then it might also be the breakout board that is passing the wrong signal until it warms up.  If you have a digital tester you can see what the input is and if the card is behaving as it should.

1022

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help. Slow speeds

« on: December 08, 2007, 08:56:07 AM »

Shamus - What kind of machine are we talking about here. This seems to be a lathe or miller for metal at the speeds you are quoting. 93 is an odd speed, most people have their machines configured to give round figures for G0 movement - e.g. 100 (or 4 inches). Your acceleration can be much greater - mine is 4 (inches)(100mm) and acceleration is 1 inch (or 25mm).

This is the speed the machine will travel at 100% jog speed, or on a G0 command.

The speed at which you cut is a G command - (actually F) and is included in the "cut" line e.g. G1 F50 X1Y1. You can set it at the beginning of the program on its own if you wish, but many of the programs alter the cutting speed in relation to the material, the type of cutter and the diameter you are cutting and might vary from line to line.

1023

General Mach Discussion / Re: M3Turn Homing ?

« on: December 06, 2007, 01:03:29 PM »

Dear Overloaded - I don't think I can help other than to say it is one of those things that happen now and then. I can't remember going to the manual page, home x and z and it not moving.

I am interested, however - did you get your home switches hooked up. You must have done. My lathe will home and set the DRO's to zero. Do you then use an offset on G54 or what. The other problem was the tool offset, which I haven't quite figured out yet.

I have a speed readout, using the index input from the spindle - if you are threading, does Mach3 adjust its speed of traverse to suit the thread, or what - there must be some tie in with the speed of the spindle if you are going to get an accurate thread.

Jim Pinder

1024

General Mach Discussion / Re: About Nema motors or other type

« on: December 06, 2007, 12:50:50 PM »

Robhi -

I am using the same motors from Arc Euro Trade and they do the job. I am running a Warco Lathe/Mill with them (one of the big ones, not the small one. - 3.5 inch throw etc.

The spec you have quoted for the card would seem to fit the bill - the motors take 2.5amp. I power my cards with 24 volts from a pair of traction batteries (I just happened to have them, but they work well). The rest of the spec seems OK.

I have also used Stepmaster cards ( but I burnt these out and replacements were slow to come) and I am now using Routout CNC cards and breakout board. ( I use seperate single motor cards so that if one fails I still can use the other two) Routout sell the three cards and breakout board as a job lot.

If Arc Euro Trade is having a sale, I'll get another motor for my milling head.

Jim Pinder

1025

General Mach Discussion / Re: new user - help...Homeing

« on: December 06, 2007, 12:37:38 PM »

It is just what the message says. You are asking the machine to home to a homeswitch. The machine looks at the homeswitch, buts says "the switch is ON so I must be there" . One assumes you either have home switches fitted, or you have fitted them yourself, so the switch you are asking the machine to home to is already on.

If you look at the Diagnostics page, you will see the home switch LED is lit ( usually yellow). Find it in the ports and pins section and look at Active low. If it is off, the tick it, if it is ticked then untick it. Look back at the Diagnostics page and the LED should have gone out. THERE SHOULD BE NO LEDS LIT WHILST THE MACHINE IS RUNNING.

It cannot be doubled with a limit switch or the "E stop" would keep firing.

1026

General Mach Discussion / Re: Z axis Jogging when MACH is running :)

« on: December 06, 2007, 12:26:43 PM »

The way to do this is with a Macro or a Brain. I haven't done much with Brains so I can't help with that.

If your laser is connected to one of the inputs to Mach3, then you can write a Macro to move the Z axis to wherever you want. Have a look at the tutorial on Scripting and it will give you the idea. Adapt it to what you want to do.

1027

General Mach Discussion / Re: Schematics for X,Y & Z home switches?

« on: December 03, 2007, 05:04:58 AM »

No!!
The pin outs for LPT1 (printer port) are as follows -
pins 2 - 9  address &H378 (Out)
pins 1,14,16,17 - address &H37A (Out)
pins 10,11,12,13,15 - address &H379 (Inputs)

pins 18 - 25 are the signal ground wires for the above - i.e. they are connected to 0 volts on your computer, you must not cut them or the computer will have no reference.

I don't know what method you are using for your home switches - but the simplest way to do it is, perhaps, micro switches.
a) decide which three input pins you are going to use.
b) select one of the ground wires - or if it is easier, select three, one for each switch.
c) fit your home switch so that, when you go home, the switch closes, and makes a connection between the signal ground and the input wire.
d) identify these input wires in Ports and Pins/Inputs and show them as active low.
You do not need to use a 5 volt supply, because the input pins are already pulled high internally in the computer.
You can test them by switching them manually and looking of the diagnostics page.

You can test the principle of this even more simply, before you mess about with your lathe/mill by selecting an input pin, fasten a wire to it and then touch it on any of the ground terminals. If you have identified this in port and pins/inputs, then you should see the led light on the diagnostics page.

I have just connected mine this week, as above, and they work perfectly, and even with cheap micro switches, they are accurate to 2/10,000 of an inch - which is good enough for me. I could get some more expensive switches which are probably more accurate. The way it works is the carriage runs down until it closes the switch, then it backs off slowly until the switch opens again - it seems very accurate.

The problem will be if you have already used your 5 input wires for anything else, say limit switches. I'm afraid that, if you have, you will have to fit some sort of second port - and then carry on as above. You can, however, combine home switches with limit switches if that is convenient, which saves inputs.

 

1028

General Mach Discussion / Re: spindle speed control

« on: November 30, 2007, 03:58:12 AM »

I have an optical detector on my spindle, which gives one pulse per rev of the spindle. If you input this into the computer on one of the input pins, and then link this to the "index" input (which you will find on ports and pins/input), then it automatically calculates the revs per minute, without any other configuration at all. It is displayed on the front screen of both Turn and Mill

I find it works very well - but the only thing is I have a bit of difficulty with is checking to see if it is correct. I can specify a speed on my Omron inverter, by that is is hz/sec. I do not know how my motor is wired, and I do not know the step down ratios of my pulleys so I have a bit of a way to go yet - but at the moment my speed detector seems to be reading about 1/2 of what I think it should be.

There is a brief reference to this on the Inputs/Outputs tutorial video. I wish Art - (althoug I know they must be busy) - would do a video on the speed control and detection systems on Mach3 - I could sure do with one.

1029

General Mach Discussion / Re: Pins 2-9 as Inputs

« on: November 29, 2007, 11:34:55 AM »

The second card seemed to be the better one, and came with drivers - but I think you are doing the best thing !!!  If you know what you want enquire from the manufacturer and see if they will do what you want.

Jim

1030

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 on lap top wont operate

« on: November 29, 2007, 04:16:33 AM »

I have downloaded Mach3 (current version)  to my PC (in the office) and also to my laptop - driving the machine in the workshop and it all works fine.

The laptop is a Toshiba - about 5 years old with a Com1 and LPT1 port. It has 2 USB ports, but they are the earlier slower versions before USB became all the rage. Perhaps a second-hand earlier model would suffice. Voltage outputs on the laptop are 5v