Messages

21

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 04:49:46 PM »

Hi,
the C25 has port 1 pins 2-9 configured as outputs. This is the normal state of affairs, these are the step and direction outputs to your
drivers. Port 2 pins 2-9 are ALL INPUTS. This again is normal from the days of the parallel port.

A single parallel port was always chronically short of inputs for things like limit and home switches. Thus it is common to have the second
port configured with pins 2-9 as inputs. The C25 adopts this convention.

The C10 breakout board can for instance be configured with pins 2-9 as input OR outputs. If you really want to use the third port of your
ESS then I would recommend the C10, it has buffers to offer some protection to the much more expensive ESS and you can configure
the ESS/BoB with more inputs OR outputs as you require.

Back to the issue at hand.

May I suggest that you measure the output voltages of the C25 port   pins 2-9. You need then to set up some code in Mach4 to toggle those
outputs.

Craig

Port 2 pins 2-9 can't be outputs on the C25?

22

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 04:28:50 PM »

Hi,
you still haven't answered the question....are you using the ESS pins direct?

If you are as I have said its not recommended, any slight bobble on your part can fry the FPGA.

More importantly the ESS has pull-up resistors not pull-down like the C25. I have attached a pic of the input circuit of the ESS.
If you are using the ESS input direct (contrary to advice) then the pin needs to be pulled low, ie 0V.

Craig

Moved it to port1pin13 and that seems to have fixed that problem.  Thank you for helping with that part.   But none of the outputs are working, and for some reason port2pin9's light is one and it's showing an output of 2.45v constantly.

23

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 04:03:56 PM »

Hi,
is it port3 pin13 of the ESS? From your description you have blown that input.

You have all those buffered inputs on the C25, why not use one of them? That's what they're for.

Craig

It's own 5v output killed that input?  Wow, that really doesn't bode well for this board's reliability.  I guess that will be next step, although seeing as none of the outputs on the C25 are working either I don't have much hope. 

24

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 03:51:20 PM »

Hi,
so if the input port3 pin 13 is to be held high switch must be closed. If you open the switch the input goes low.
That's what is intended is it not?

Craig

Right now I'd be happy if it did anything.  If set to active low Mach4 always shows the E-Stop not active, whether it is closed or not.  And if set to active high then it always shows it active, again whether it is closed or not.  Even tried using a straight jumper to connect and disconnect the pins, which has no effect whatsoever.  It's as if the input is not acting like an input at all and is just sending to Mach4 whatever it is set to be active at, regardless of the signal being physically sent to the pin. 

25

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 02:45:14 PM »

Hi,
so did you measure the voltage?

Craig

Yep,  full 5v.

26

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 11:11:16 AM »

Are the jumpers on the ESS set to power the Bob?

I have a C25 and it is only port 1 and 2  not 3 so how are you connecting to port 3 pin 26 and port 3 pin 13 ?

All jumpers, for all three ports, are installed.  Using JST connectors to just those two pins.  That's why I chose pin 13 because it's right across from 26 so I can use a 1x2 connector. 

27

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 06, 2018, 11:08:48 AM »

Hi,
section 3.1 page2 shows a representative circuit diagram of an input pin. Note the that input has a 220Ohm resistor and a LED to ground. You will require
a input able to source 20mA in order to be sure that the input is genuinely logic high. Your normally open switch will have to be CLOSED in order to pull the input
pin high. Is this what you intended? To Estop Mach you would have the switch contacts open.......

Make sure your choice of source for the 5V for your Estop switch is correct and  can source sufficient current. Do you have a multimeter?
If so measure the voltage at the 5V source and then again at the input pin with the switch closed, it should be 4.1V or more.

Craig

The 5v being used is the board 5v from port3pin26 which the documentation shows should do at least 24mA and I have tested and shows 5v.  Also it doesn't seem to matter how the switch is wired.  If the input is set to active low then Mach4 always shows the E-Stop clear, regardless of the switch.  And if it is set to active high then Mach4 always shows the E-Stop active, again no matter the position of the switch.   

28

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 05, 2018, 02:57:00 PM »

Hi,
what breakout board are you using?

Craig

The C25

29

Mach4 General Discussion / ESS Inputs and Outputs not doing anything

« on: July 05, 2018, 02:07:58 PM »

In the process of switching over to the ESS and I am having some trouble getting things setup. Trying to get the E-Stop and Enable signals going first. Have the E-Stop going from port3pin26 for the 5v to port3pin13 through a normally open switch. Have the pin13 set to active low and have Mach4 pointing to that pin in it's control menu. The problem is pushing the switch does nothing and Mach4 always shows the E-Stop clear, and if I set pin 13 to low Mach4 always shows the E-Stop tripped. As far as the enable signals go there doesn't seem to be any output.

30

Mach4 General Discussion / ESS + Mach4 + Clearpath = Motor error input goes where?

« on: May 31, 2018, 10:25:07 PM »

Just got a ESS to replace a pokeys57cnc but now I can't seem to figure out how to setup to motor feedback from the Clearpaths.  I have found examples of how to wire everything up and get it set up in Mach3 to stop the system if the motors error out but I can't seem to find out how to do this in Mach4 with the ESS.  The pokeys57cnc had dedicated motor error inputs to handle this and I don't want to run the machine without having this setup in case the motors have an issue.  Any help would be much appreciated.