Messages

151

General Mach Discussion / Re: Troubleshooting Limits

« on: March 07, 2011, 10:40:14 PM »

Was there any more documentation like a suggested connection diagram? The schematic does not show the terminal strips only little circles showing the signals go to some other point (which is not on the schematic as far as I can see).

Are you saying that everything works ok and the lights all light correctly EXCEPT the only problem is the light does not come on for X on the dianostic screen.

Also please confirm that X is connected to 13 like your scanned diagram.

BTW you can remove those capacitors. Since you are using the inputs with normally closed switches to ground they won't be of much use anyway. I can't tell from your picture. Maybe sometihng is wrong there.

Make sure JP5 is jumpered. That will supply the 5v pullups to all of the inputs.

The simplest way to troubleshoot this would be to remove ALL the wiring from the input connections. And I mean all of it from all of the terminal strips that have anything to do with the inputs and limits.
 Then take a single short piece of test wire from ground to ONE of the inputs only and connect it. See if the light comes on for that input and test it on and off and see if it triggers mach properly.
Do this for each input one at a time. See what you get.

I also notice pin 10 is labelled as an E-stop input . Do you have an E-Stop connected somewhere else and is E-stop programmed into Mach?



Sage

152

General Mach Discussion / Re: Troubleshooting Limits

« on: March 07, 2011, 09:57:21 PM »

Kolias:

I see you successfully ditched Tweakie and me by starting a new thread. Didn't like our help?  

Do you have a link to the documentation for the BOB you have all the limit wiring connected to. In particualr the information THEY supplied on how to connect the limit switches to the terminal strip. I'd like to read it.

The only thing I can think of at the moment is you are using the input connections incorrectly.


Sage

153

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 06, 2011, 09:04:32 AM »

If the code you have works for you that's good. I'm not familiar with the VB code programming too much.
Just be aware that if it's like some of the earlier codes, If you should ever use G91 mode somewhere in your milling operation and leave it there,  when you do a tool zero setting it might try to put the tool through the table. Can't say for sure.
 The newer programs save current settings, do the tool setting with the correct parameters and then put the old ones back.

Sage

154

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 05, 2011, 11:42:01 PM »

Also. If it's working that's good. TO explaing whay the settings need to be apparently reversed - It may be that your BOB has some logic in the line which reverses the level of the signals. Perhaps an optical isolator or a transistor switch or something. That's not very nice of the manufacturer to throw that curve at you but I guess it's something you'll just have to remember. Keep good notes and diagrams. Trust me, in a couple of months when you forget everything and you have problems, a good record of how it's all supposed to be is priceless.

Sage

155

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 05, 2011, 11:35:58 PM »

Good. I hope it all works out.
I'm curious what VB script (program) you finally used. The one in your instructions, the One Tweakie posted or the one I linked to.??

If you haven't already, you might want to use the one I linked to (it's halfway down the page). A lot of issues were found and corrected with some of the simpler programs. I found a bug the hard way in that if you happened to be in G91 mode  (incremental mode) when you run one of the early tool zero programs the tool would jam itself into the table. That problem was corrected and so were quite a few others. Just remember the one I linked to has it's plate thickness and return measurement in millimeters. Tha't easily changed. All of the development on the auto zero system was done by the gentleman on CNC zone. He frequents that forum and answers questions for people regularly.

Sage

156

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 05, 2011, 12:34:53 PM »

Nicolas:

See if this makes sense to you. There is more than one way to do this. I think I understand what inputs you have available.
This should work for you. It's not much different that what you started with. All the switches a NORALLY CLOSED.
It just re-organizes it a bit to free up input 13.

The A-home signal could also be put in the series string with the rest of them freeing up input 12 as well.
But  it's a bit more logical to have it separate.

All the grounds can be from thesame terminal. I just show them separate so the diagram doesn't get too messy.

You'll need to do the programming in MAch to have all the limts set up for pin 13and A-home on 12. Set them all for ACTIVE HIGH.

test them all on the diagnostics screen. The lights should be normally OFF and come on when you activate any switch.

Got to go out for a while. Hope you can figre this out.

Sage

157

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 05, 2011, 11:35:46 AM »

Good: Continue on. Perhaps it would save you some time if you made a diagram FIRST and post it here on what you plan to do. Basically like Tweakie's diagram but label the switches (blue boxes.) for ALL your switches AND the touch plate. No sense doing it all over later.

Sage

158

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 05, 2011, 11:28:05 AM »

Unfortunalty the XML is key to the signals getting to mach properly. If it changed then you'll need to put it back the way it NEEDS to be to work for each input.


Sage

159

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 05, 2011, 11:25:31 AM »

Tweakie:
It might be expediant to draw a complete connection drawing like you just did for ALL the inputs along with the settings for mach. Where you have the word "Switch" insert "X-limit" "Y-limit"  etc. etc.

Sage

160

General Mach Discussion / Re: AutoZero Plate for Z Axis

« on: March 05, 2011, 11:08:43 AM »

Tweakie:

Boy I,m glad you seem to have a clue what he's doing. He's digging into too many things at once for me to keep track.

Kolias:
They key to good troubleshooting is to NOT introduce too many changes at once. I'm not sure what happened with the XML thing but you need to start over, think about what you need, for each input idividually and together an make it so. One small step at a time.
Im thoroughly confused now.

I'll try to digest what you've done and see if I can help further.

Sage