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SmoothStepper USB / Re: Smooth Stepper "External EStop Requested" after "Tool Path Display" Motion !
« on: June 18, 2011, 02:13:26 PM »
Hi guys,
Jeff hit the nail on the head. It didn't occur to me for a while but then I remembered that the watchdog timer is probably causing the problem. Here is how you can figure it out. Watch the blinking red LED when you manipulate the toolpath. If it stops blinking, that means Mach is no longer communicating with the SmoothStepper. Each time the red LED blinks, the plugin is sending a message and the board is responding. I believe Mach4 will solve this problem since it will give lower priority to the graphics and more priority to the communications with the external device. Increasing the Watchdog Timeout setting in the SmoothStepper's Config is about all you can do for now, besides letting go of the toolpath more often. I think it depends a lot upon the graphics because it doesn't do it on my computer.
Greg
Jeff hit the nail on the head. It didn't occur to me for a while but then I remembered that the watchdog timer is probably causing the problem. Here is how you can figure it out. Watch the blinking red LED when you manipulate the toolpath. If it stops blinking, that means Mach is no longer communicating with the SmoothStepper. Each time the red LED blinks, the plugin is sending a message and the board is responding. I believe Mach4 will solve this problem since it will give lower priority to the graphics and more priority to the communications with the external device. Increasing the Watchdog Timeout setting in the SmoothStepper's Config is about all you can do for now, besides letting go of the toolpath more often. I think it depends a lot upon the graphics because it doesn't do it on my computer.
Greg