Messages

41

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Jogging and DRO errors

« on: February 04, 2018, 05:51:51 PM »

I tried a few things and the dro error is less with low acceleration rates and worse with high acceleration.
This means I can work around it, but something in the acceleration math is interfering with the delivery of the correct number of steps per unit. This decreases machine accuracy, but I guess close is good enough.

42

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Jogging and DRO errors

« on: February 04, 2018, 05:11:29 PM »

Hi Craig
It's not the machine, it's Mach4 not jogging one unit.
I tell it to jog one unit and it does something else, as indicated by the dro.
 As I stated, my steps per unit is a whole number, so what's up? Why would it do something other than move one unit worth of steps?

43

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Jogging and DRO errors

« on: February 04, 2018, 04:00:14 PM »

@Brotenc
Have you figured out this error problem?
I get a similar thing and don't know why it acts this way. Feed screw is 5mm per turn, so for one inch (25.4/5) = 5.08 turns, times 3200 steps per rev
I have steps per unit set to a whole number (16256) and when I jog one unit it goes to .9997. Jogging negitive one unit does not return to zero, like .0002.
I was told that digital control was exact, but this acts like it's converting to parsecs and rounding it off, then reconverting to inches and getting an accumulated error.
There is no feedback in the actual motion, so mach4 is basically telling me it's not going to do 16256 steps when told.

44

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: XHC Mach4 USB motion board warning and info

« on: February 04, 2018, 02:16:42 PM »

Anyone else got one of these boards up and running? I have the 3 axis version MK3-M4.
Are your output terminal assignments normal?  Such as you assign a function to output 4 and it activates output 4?
Cuz mine aint. 
Output 3 is stuck ON and the assignment for output 3 activates output 4.

45

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: XHC Mach4 USB motion board warning and info

« on: February 04, 2018, 07:45:41 AM »

Am I doing this right?

46

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: XHC Mach4 USB motion board warning and info

« on: February 04, 2018, 06:31:53 AM »

Same as cnc-kursk stated ... folder on cd named XHC-MACH4 Card Driver-V5.10.2, contains NCUSBPOD.m4pw and NCUSBPOD.sig dated 8/22/2017.
Both files are to be copied to mach4\plugins
Latest driver version shown in release notes.txt is v5.10.1 2017.8.23

Yes I can edit screens

47

General Mach Discussion / Re: Steppers have no torque.

« on: February 03, 2018, 07:42:38 PM »

something I've seen with my setup of a new cnc build, the stepper motors don't like 1/8 excitation. 1/4 or 1/16 work well. I'm trying to find out exactly why.
When the motors stall using 1/8, they turn during the acceleration phase, then stop and hum, and run again during the deceleration ramp.

48

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: XHC Mach4 USB motion board warning and info

« on: February 03, 2018, 10:52:05 AM »

I am new to the mach4 program and just building a cnc mill, but the MK3-M4 controller I got seems to work fine with the software.
I probably don't understand what the problem is that you're having.  
I'm using Mach4Hobby\Mach4GUI.exe/p Mach4 Mill and it connects on usb ok.
What are you saying it can't do?

PS ... I have a problem with output assignments. I set output 3 to react to "spindle on", but output 4 is what gets activated.  Whatever I set up on output 4 actually goes to output 5 etc.
Quirky at best.  Also there was no usable +5v from the controller, making me use a seperate 5v psu.

49

General Mach Discussion / Re: Making sure I get the right control board

« on: February 03, 2018, 10:31:35 AM »

Match your power supply to the motion controller input voltage instead of trying to use a converter. If your psu is within the listed range you're ok.
You may need control relays that work at the psu voltage, so consider that too. Look at voltage requirements for the board outputs, perhaps having a voltage limit applied to them.
In other words, my motion controller requires 24vdc input, and will only take 24v across the output terminals switching. So I got 24vdc relays for safety latching the stepper drivers.
I had to provide a 5vdc psu for the drivers excitation ckt. I also added a 12vdc psu for my exhaust fan on the control box I made.
You can use a motion controller with more axes than you need and simply don't connect them.