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Messages - bowber

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151
General Mach Discussion / Mill as a lathe
« on: November 24, 2008, 07:08:24 AM »
Hi

I have a mill using the latest stable release of mach, I'm thinking of setting up the lathe module to do some basic profile turning of some cutters.
Can I just open Mach turn and setup the ports and pins, outputs/inputs etc?
Does Mach keep these separate from Mill? I'm guessing it does as there are separate xml files but I would like to be sure before I start messing.
Also for those that have done this is there anything to watch out for or that needs doing.

I had a look yesterday and turn seems to have taken in the motor ports and pins already from mill or was it just a coincidence :P motor tuning is way off though.
I'm also going to add an index pulse to the spindle for other reasons but it will come in on lathe for threading.
Does Mach need a disc with a cutout of will it work the same with a single "tooth", again I seem to remember that it needs to be a disc.

I don't use profiles, just the default mill profile.

Thanks
Steve

P.S. I will convert a small lathe some day but I seem to be gathering projects faster than I can do them ;D

152
General Mach Discussion / Re: Bugs in Mach 3.42.015
« on: November 18, 2008, 08:54:28 AM »
I was wondering how you would get mid travel homing switches to work and was about to ask the same question.
If you have a movable limit switch could you have a VB button that moved that axis through the full travel after homing to find the switch positions and then put that into the soft limits?
It would be a bit of a pain on a large machine though having to set this everytime you restarted with a different limit position.

Steve

153
General Mach Discussion / Re: soft limits
« on: November 18, 2008, 08:45:48 AM »
The soft limits do have a slow down setting and a distance, can't remember were it is as I only set it once and my machine is in a different building.
There is a homing button next to the DRO's on the left, it's a long vertical bar with ref all in it, you need to have homing switches enabled etc for it to work, also the homing direction.
Or have I miss understood you :)

Steve

154
General Mach Discussion / Re: AH-HA into Mach 3
« on: October 07, 2008, 05:16:33 AM »
Hi

I just removed all the AH-HA stuff and used a newer computer with Mach 3.
Are you reusing the AH-HA interface card?

Steve

155
General Mach Discussion / Re: Stepper rough and intermitant operation
« on: September 26, 2008, 05:24:45 AM »
Well I have looked at it and I think that must have been enough because without doing anything else the 4th axis is working as it should ???
I really hate that sort of fix because I've no idea what's changed.
I'd have suspected the computer or power supply if all the axis were rough but the rest were fine.

Ah well I guess I best be happy that it's working.

Thanks for your input.

steve

156
General Mach Discussion / Re: Stepper rough and intermitant operation
« on: September 26, 2008, 04:59:35 AM »
Thanks for the ideas.
I was going to try altering to another set of pins last night but my wife invited some friends round so I didn't get chance to go into the workshop, and tonight we're going out to a local music night.
It's a hard life :D
Think I'll finish early today, as I'm self employed, and have a fiddle with it all. I'll let you know the results.

Just thought Nick you may be right, when I checked the motor tuning I remember they were 0 & 5 in that order, is this normal or should it be 0 & 0?
I'll check against the other Axis (what's the plural for Axis ;D)

Steve

157
General Mach Discussion / Stepper rough and intermitant operation
« on: September 25, 2008, 10:02:46 AM »
Hi all

Well the gremlins have struck, I have a 4th axis that I made and is normally disconnected from it's driver when not in use.
I fitted it back on my mill last night to setup a job and just had to jog it round, nothing happened at first no noise no movement so i tried the other way and it moved slowly and very roughly and then stopped.
I checked for smooth movement of the stepper and axis by hand and it was all free and smooth, I then turned the power back on and it locked the stepper but just the same when jogging.
I have tried to input G0 and G1 moves in the manual input area, still the same.

So far I've checked the cable connections from the breakout board to the driver, I unscrewed them and checked then re fitted.
Checked the power to the driver.
Checked the pin settings in Mach and on the breakout board.
Checked the motor tuning, no change from before.
I've also disconnected the coupling and tried the stepper on it's own but no difference.

This is all strange as it was working  when it was removed and I haven't even used the mill much since and I'm certain I've not changed any settings.

The only thing I've yet to check is that the wires into the plug are ok, I have a socket on the front of the control box that takes this plug.
I'm wondering if having the mill running without a stepper attached to the 4th driver has damaged it, has anyone else had this.
It's a 3A driver from Arc Eurotrade set at 2.5A and the stepper is from them as well.

I have a new stepper (bigger but it should do to check the driver) so I can try that but I'll have to order a new driver to check that and it's money wasted if it turns out to be ok.
I don't want to go through the hassle of using one of my other drivers as they need resetting for the Amps and are a pain to get to.

Does anyone have any suggestions to try before I buy a new driver? I'll try another set of pinouts tonight just to make sure.

Thanks
Steve

158
General Mach Discussion / Re: Twin Steppers on slave axis
« on: September 19, 2008, 04:46:39 AM »
I can't see 2 steppers fixed together working unless they are syncronised.
I've been told that steppers can be slightly out on micro steps but will always be correct on a step
If 1 is only 1/2 degree out of step from the other then they will fight each other all the time, they would have to be completly in step.
I think someone already said to try unlocking one pulley and power both steppers up and then lock the pulley back up.

Steve

159
General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Quill Feed Mechanism
« on: September 18, 2008, 05:00:21 AM »
Good point RC, I always try to think of the most complicated way to do something ;)
Having taken the cover off the head again I noticed the lug for the depth stop has been machined off so I'll have to make a jig and drill and tap the head in a few places, luckly it's quite easy to remove the quill because the rack and pinion feed is not there and it's all machined on the front.

Steve

160
General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Quill Feed Mechanism
« on: September 17, 2008, 11:38:49 AM »
Just the post I needed :)
I was working on the quill last night and was thinking it needed a better way of operation the quill feed.
My mill is similar in style but smaller, it's a Denford Easimill, I think they were a converted medium sized mill.
Denford fitted a very basic feed setup that is a thick plate clamped to the bottom of the quill with a leg sticking off to the side that the ball screw fixes into, the ball nut is in a bearing and is turned by a reduction drive from the stepper.
Problem is that this lump goes up and down with the quill so it often gets in the way on jobs, also I think it's putting extra stress into the ball screw assembly.

I was working on the quill as I have found the Z was not very accurate, it would climb while cutting. After a bit of investigation I found the inner spindle was floating by about 2mm! Yes that was 2mm not 0.2mm.
When I looked into it I found that the bottom screwed ring that is meant to lock the bottom bearing had come undone, I've no idea how this is normally locked but there is a threaded hole next to it that may have had a grub screw for locking it, so I've used this for now. Not very happy with this arrangement as you are relying on a grub screw tightening on to the delicate thread tops.

So I think I'll have a look tonight at altering the feed method and if possible alter it to something like Hoods.

Steve

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