Messages

11

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3,ESS, Boss 5 limit switches not recognized

« on: April 01, 2018, 09:02:54 AM »

So I wanted to come back and end this thread with my solution. I hate when I read through a thread,especially a long thread, only to find that the OP evidently found the answer but never came back and posted the answer.

 So I woke up in the middle of the night and started reading threads on my issue . I learned that I neeeded to add a 12v power supply to my BOB. I thought that since I already had a 5V supply to the card that it would use that to charge the switch circuits. And on my BoB the 12v is attached on the opposite end of the card than the connections for the switches so it wasn’t obvious to me.
Anyway, I obviously am learning as I go with this. As I stated before, I’m no electronics expert. I appreciate the suggestions and help you guys give. And I’m sure happy I got my home switches working, now I am working on the limit switches. I need to get the configuration for them figured out.

   Thank you
      Rick

12

General Mach Discussion / Oops.i posted in the wrong thread, then deleted it

« on: April 01, 2018, 08:31:36 AM »

Sorry

13

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3,ESS, Boss 5 limit switches not recognized

« on: March 06, 2018, 09:35:41 PM »

Ok, So I found the active low in the output page. I played with that a little and my motors got very labored while jogging.
I was just going through the input page and homing and limits and playing with stuff. At one point I got the X&Y home lights to light up. But now they aren’t coming on. I’m not sure which parameter changed it. So I will do a little more with it tomorrow, only maybe more methodical and keep track of each change. It’s hard to remember from page to page otherwise.lol

14

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3,ESS, Boss 5 limit switches not recognized

« on: March 04, 2018, 10:54:56 PM »

Craig,

   That makes sense to me. And with more inputs I could add an auto Oiler and a couple other options. This mill already has an auto oiler, but the electric motor isn’t working. So I have been pulling the handle every once in a while to oil it.

  I will play with the low active again tomorrow and see if I can get Mach to see the switches. I definitely need to get some homing and limits  on it.  BTW, do I need to supply power to the switches? Or does the BOB supply power to the circuit?


      Thank you
          Rick

15

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3,ESS, Boss 5 limit switches not recognized

« on: March 04, 2018, 06:48:48 PM »

I can use the home switch on Z.and the lower limit for z also.
The x & y only have one switch each.
It seems like maybe it would be better to get some normally closed
Switches and put them in series?
What are your thoughts

16

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3,ESS, Boss 5 limit switches not recognized

« on: March 04, 2018, 02:54:07 PM »

Thank you for the help
I went ahead and did as you said. I still get no reading from the switches.
The only switch I have hooked up on Z is the one at top on the right. I want to use it as the home and the limits.
Now I have set 0 entered in all the X++X- - ........only the home switches are set to their respective pins

17

General Mach Discussion / Tarzan_More pics_3/4/18

« on: March 04, 2018, 12:16:52 PM »

More pics

18

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3,ESS, Boss 5 limit switches not recognized

« on: March 04, 2018, 12:15:14 PM »

Tarzan_pics

19

General Mach Discussion / Mach3,ESS, Boss 5 limit switches not recognized

« on: March 04, 2018, 12:04:42 PM »

Hello guys,


 I have been reading threads and watching you tube vids to no avail. So I am looking for help to my problem.I am a Machinst and not an electical/electronics guy so I am learning as I go.

I have a Bridgeport Boss 5 and the switches are all Normally open switches. I have them attached seperately to pins 11 for  X axis, 12 for Y axis and 13 for Z axis. The ports and pins look correct as far as I can tell.
My axis's all move in the correct direction in jog and mdi. And the scaling looks to be correct. When I hit all reference home the Z heads for the home and ignores the switch and keeps going.
Same in all axis when I try to individually home them. I am using a Mach3 5 axis breakout board along with the ESS. I would try and post some pics if I were able, but I will have to figure that out first.
Any advice,critique. and help is greatly appreciated.

  Thanks
   Rick

20

General Mach Discussion / Re: Limit Switches Hard and Soft

« on: February 28, 2018, 06:53:03 AM »

Hi,
you would be advised to leave half-stepping active and double the steps per unit setting. In fact just about all stepper powered CNC axes are operated at some sort
of microstepping, commonly 8 microsteps per full step or 16 microsteps per fullstep.

Its nice to think that the resolution improves as you introduce microstepping but the truth is the gain is illusory. The real advantage is smoothness of motion.
Midband resonances are very much reduced with microstepping.

If your driver allows 8 microstepping then increase the steps per in Mach by a factor of 8 as well.



Craig


I didn’t know that. Thank you fo the information. I will try that