Hello Guest it is March 29, 2024, 10:00:49 AM

Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - AdrianH

Pages: 1
1
Sorry this is probably as clear as mud.

I appreciate Mach3 has been superseded but would still appreciate getting the most out of my simple plasma system.

I have just fitted Home switches to X and Y and they work fine, Z home not connected in ports and pins inputs.
Ref all Home X and Y do as I would expect move to activate the home switches and then back off until the switch goes to normal State (NC) and with the home off setting I can make the displayed machine coords display what I enter.

I wanted to use Z probe to do similar for the Z axis by making the Z home the same input as the probe input and it does work exactly the same, only I realised it did Z first then Y then X and being a plasma table means Z could probe to an empty void hit limit then try and move Y and X jamming the head.  So I looked for a way to change the order of referencing to Y then X then Z, as I could always leave a block of steel for Z to touch off on at the home position.

But finding no way to change the order of homing I began to look for another way.

As I use an M800 macro to probe the top of work prior to cutting, I thought it could be possible to also set the Z axis machine coord as well as setting the work z axis coord.

But I can not discover what parameter I need to set, OEMDRO, DRO etc? either my brain is fuddled or I have missed something basic.

At the moment I can not remember where I got the 2002 to use in the line  GetprobePos = GetVar(2002),  2002 must be the position when the probe activated.  So I may have lost some docs or wiki link.
Later in the makro I use  Call SetOEMDRO(802, AH) where AH is the adjustment value before moving to pierce height but that is only working coords, I have tried a few of the DRO's without success but basically want to make the Z axis machine coord the same as the work coord so I can have some sensible soft limits working on Z.

Can anyone help please?

Adrian

2
I have been pestering Hood with a few questions via another group and I wonder if Art, Brian or anyone could just verify a few things for me?

I had picked up from somewhere, possibly here, that the typical input pins are read at a speed of 10 Hz or every 100ms.  I may have got this from a macro timing so again unsure.

Hood remembers discussing similar around 10 years ago and believes that the THC inputs and probe inputs are a lot faster, and are done at 25,000Hz or every 40 uS (25,000 Kernel speed), this could tie in with the debounce period but to me only if all input pins are done at 25,000Hz.

Can anyone assist me with this just for a better understanding. I have searched through the Mach3 pdf's and not found an answer, only the debounce which says it changes with kernel speed and does not seem to differentiate between inputs.

Many thanks

Adrian

3
Posting in lunch break at work so hope I can get the problem described correctly.

Mach3 licensed, on a CNC Plasma cutter, I use a Macro M800.M1s and call this as part of Sheetcam output Gcode before every pierce.

On some occasions, when some piece of metal has decided to jam things up I can find that the head is raised and the probe is already active before I call G31, so I get a message to say Probe input ignored and Mach3 then for some reason starts to move the X, Y or Z erratically which means I then loose position and have to stop the cutter, sort out positions and recommence cutting.

So the idea I has was on my M800.m1s check to see if the probe was active before doing a G31, but I can not get it to work, so not sure where I am going wrong.

Here is my M800 code as it is now and how I thought I could get it to work, can someone point me to my errors?

' APH
Code "G31 Z-30.0 F300" 'probe surface
' Wait for movement to complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run while we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
ZprobePos = GetVar(2002) 'get contact point
Code "G0 Z" &ZprobePos 'return to point to remove overshoot
' Wait For movement To complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run While we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
Call SetOEMDRO(802, -1.80) 'Set Z DRO = 0.00
Code "G1 Z 3.0 F300"
' Wait for movement to complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run while we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
' End

and new attempt is

' APH
' Update 15/06/17
If GetOEMLED(825) = 1 Then   ' The digitise LED is already on
Message " Probe input active"
Code "M1"         ' Code out the M1 to stop the machine if set to allow
' Wait for movement to complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run while we wait
WEND            ' Wait end
ELSE
Code "G31 Z-30.0 F500" 'probe surface
' Wait for movement to complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run while we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
ZprobePos = GetVar(2002) 'get contact point
Code "G0 Z" &ZprobePos 'return to point to remove overshoot
' Wait For movement To complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run While we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
Call SetOEMDRO(802, -3.60) 'Set Z DRO = 0.00
Code "G1 Z 2.5 F500"
' Wait for movement to complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run while we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
' End                                   
End if




Cheers

Adrian

4
I would have guess this must have been asked before but 3 searches later and a read of posts and I have not got may answer,

It ios based on Kernel speed like an interrupt based at 25K per second or the 100ms i.e. 10 times a second going off another figure I have noted.

It is just to help me work out a bit more on my settings of thc speed that is all.

Thanks

Adrian

5
I am sure this did not happen, perhaps I have lost the plot or changed a setting either in Sheetcam or mach3 somewhere.

I have found other examples of this but also with other things thrown in which I am not using.

Radius to end of arc differs from radius to start , Block = N0140 G03 X137.442 Y113.202 I-0.662 J-2.473 F1100.0Line 13    is the error I get and it stops the screen loading the path display, but it will still cut?

The start of my G-Code from Sheetcam is this:-
0010 (Date: 07/01/17)
N0020 M08 (Switch on control)
N0030 G21 (Units Metric)
N0040 G90
N0050 G17
N0060 G53
N0070 G00 Z10.000
N0080 X140.577 Y115.014
N0090 M800
N0100 G00 Z1.600
N0110 M03
N0120 G04 P200
N0130 G01 Z1.500 F250.0
N0140 G03 X137.442 Y113.202 I-0.662 J-2.473 F1100.0
N0150 G01 X143.137 Y113.202
N0160 G01 X140.606 Y125.029
N0170 G01 X137.442 Y113.202
N0180 M05
N0190 G00 Z10.000
N0200 X126.486 Y102.299
N0210 M800
N0220 Z1.600
N0230 M03

There is a M800 in there that is as follows
' Find Zero
' Initial try
' APH
Code ("G31 Z-30 F200")
' Wait for movement to complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run while we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
Code ("G92 Z-1.4")
Sleep(100)
GotoSafeZ
' Wait for movement to complete
While (IsMoving())
' Sleep, so other threads can run while we wait
Sleep(100)
Wend
' End    

And for completeness I have attached the G-code file, I use .TXT by the way. :-

I have checked that my post processor has things on separate lines, please help

Adrian

p.s. not sure when I try to open the .TXT attachment my browser thinks it is a bin file but I can save it and open as text?

6
General Mach Discussion / How would I drive an output from ARCok on THC
« on: December 06, 2016, 08:09:52 AM »
I know there is an option in config ports and pins that when THC is On it will drive output 5, but that is not what I am after as it is not a reading of THC OK from the controller.

What I am wondering is how when the input THC in active can I drive another output such as 2 or 3 etc.

I assume it would have to be some form of VB, but not sure?

Adrian

7
Mods if in the wrong place please move.

I am home brewing gear so sorry of the questions seem to be dumb, this is all new to me.

When using torch height control is there normally a 'dead' range that the head will not go up or down, hysteresis I guess it is called?  So  if you have your magic cutting height providing say 120 Volts into the controller, how many volts either side do you have before the controllers say move up or down?

I assume there is a hysteresis in controllers otherwise the Z axis would be constantly adjusting it self for even a minute variation.

I also assume that without the THCON input even if there is an input on Up or down the Z axis will not move until THCON is active?

If the last point is correct is there a requirement to send the X axis to a cutting height from pierce, or can this be left to THC control.

Cheers

Adrian

8
Pardon my ignorance, but I am slowing getting my setup to work.

I have known about Mach3 for years, but I have been running an old DOS based package that I bought years and years ago, but after having to get an old machine to once again run Dos, think it may be time to switch, but I have a question.

I am initially trying to get it to replicate Yeager Automation CNCPro, in particular the following if I can.

The old software has several Function keys that drove output pins as well as using G-code such as M03, M08 etc.

For instance 'Function 5' will toggle an output for me that is spindle clockwise on and off so same as M03 and M05 in the program.

Now there is a radio button for this (Plasma), so I can check the plasma arc on and off with the radio button, all good.

But I could do with a radio button to the main screen to turn on Flood cooling and turn it off again the same as M08 and then M09 in a program.

Is there a way of doing this?

The reason for this in my case was M08 turned on the stepper control board and M09 turned it off.  At the moment i am using Enable, but it is on when running Mach3 and I can not find the way to enable/disable from the keyboard.

have I missed something.

Cheers

Adrian

Pages: 1