Messages

31

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 12, 2006, 08:18:55 PM »

Hi,
No I haven't optimised XP for Mach3. How do you do that?
I have a Rage 128 Pro Ultra GL AGP on my computer.
I will let you know about the 5 volts on the USB in a bit when I check it, I just got home.
Thanks,
Greg

32

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 12, 2006, 12:59:37 AM »

Hi guys,
I happend again, it lost it's location after I brought down the acceleration and velocity. It ran two programs fine and the last more detailed program it messed up on, the cutter path that I was running was very large I don't know if that has anything to do with it, it took about 3 minutes to load into Mach. 

Also my computer has been acting weird lately, I had it crash twice using while using Mach, it just froze up it only made the beep sound when I clicked on things but nothing responded.  The only way that I could do anything was to hit the reset button on the computer, Cltr+Alt+Del didn't even work.  Also when I started Mach and cleared the reset button the machine took off with out me moving it or commanding it to do so, I hit ESC and it stopped and ran normal after.

I also notice that the machine did another weird thing, I moved the machine manually and it sounded normal and then the motor slowed down and the tone of the motor dropped to a low rumble and didn't move any more even while I held the jog feed button down.

Here is a question for you Mach guru's . 
In the Mach manual chapter 4.4.2 Logic signals part way through it says:
"For an output signal to do anything, some current will have to flow in the circuit connected to it.  When it is "hi" current will flow out of the computer.  When it is "lo" current will flow into the computer.  The more current you have flowing in, the harder it is to keep the voltage near zero so the nearer to the permitted limit of 0.8 volts "lo" will become.  Similarly, current flowing out of a "hi" will make the voltages be lower and nearer to the 2.4 volts lower limit.  So with too much current the difference between "lo" and "hi" will be even less than 1.6 volts and things will become unreliable.  Finally, it's worth noting you are allowed roughly 20 times more current flowing into a ""lo" than you are allowed flowing out of a "hi".  So this means that it is best to assign logic 1 to be a "lo" signal.  Fairly obviously this is a active lo logic. The main practical disavantage of it is that the device connected to the parallel port has to have a 5 volt supply to it. this sometimes  take from the PC game port socket or from a power supply device that is connected."

Is it possible that this could have something to do with my problem? What if my USB that gives my machine it's 5 volts is not giving it 5 volts could that cause my machine to loose steps?

Thanks,
Greg

33

General Mach Discussion / Re: Settings or machine problem

« on: December 08, 2006, 11:49:59 PM »

Hi,
I talked to Chaoticone and he gave me some great advice, we talked quite a bit about many possible problems and I think we have a good handle on what the problem is.  We will have to see, I have to run some more programs to see if it has stops freezing up and missing steps.


Thanks for the help


Greg

34

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 08, 2006, 11:44:52 PM »

Hi,
I wasn't running a program I was just manually jogging the machine up and down in the Z. 
I got some good advice about acceleration and velocity and it seems to be working. I will run some more programs and see what happens.  I was told that the machine could handle what I was trying to run it at so I backed it off a bit and we will see if that helps the problem.
Thanks,
Greg

35

General Mach Discussion / Re: Settings or machine problem

« on: December 08, 2006, 07:48:53 PM »

Hi,
The voltage for the stepper drivers while running is 35.2v. its the same while idle.

If I am running it to fast why does the K2 website say I can run it at 150 ipm?

This is a very weird problem because it will run just fine for one program and not for an other, what should I set my velocity and acceleration at?  I have dropped it very low before and it still kept messing up?

Thanks,
Greg

36

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 08, 2006, 07:42:29 PM »

Hi,
I have been busy so I didn't have time to post earlier, thanks for the help. 

I when the power is off I can move all three leadscrews by hand.

The way the machine is designed is the stepper motor is connected to the lead screw with a coupling that has a plastic piece that is sandwiched between two aluminum pieces they have key shape in it. They are fastend with set screws to the lead screw, then there is a bearing that fits into a aluminum piece that has four screws holding it in place. Travelling on the lead screw is the antivibration nut it is mounted in aluminum plate that has three screws holding that in. Then the leadscrew ends with  another bearing held in another aluminum block and has a threaded end with a lock nut on it.

That was a description of the X axis it is my length of the table, the Y axis is the same but the Z is a bit different it has no thread on the end or lock nut it just has a stop.

The other thing is that the voltage on my stepper drivers are all the same at 35.2v so what does that mean? What is the max feed that I should run machine at?

Thanks,
Greg

37

General Mach Discussion / Re: Settings or machine problem

« on: December 05, 2006, 11:25:30 PM »

Hi,
Can you tell me what to check on the gecko driver in this picture, I mean I want you to tell me where put the one end of the multimeter, Put it  here on (blank) and the other end on (blank) and you should get this voltage. 
Thanks,
Greg

38

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 05, 2006, 11:01:01 PM »

Hi,
This is not a video of the machine freezing up while contouring, it's of me manual jogging the machine in the Z axis.  I just finished a program and was bringing the machine over for me to change tools, and I moved it up in the Z and it locked up. This is not the same as when it locks up while contouring, this one made a whole lot more noise and sounds like it binding or under some sort of load, while contouring it doesn't.

Notice when I take the camera over to the computer to show the feeds and I have it at 240% is because in the program my default feed rate was 50 ipm but I wanted to run it how I feel it should run and not baby it because it screws up, besides that's why I am making the video in the first place.       I forgot that half way through the program that there is a feed rate so it slowed down so I just cranked the override to 240% to run it how I want.  I don't normally do that I usually have the feed I want in the program and might adjust 10-20%.

I will make another video to catch it messing up while contouring, figure when I want it to mess up it wont

This is the link to the video:

http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o50/greg_boo/?action=view&current=LockupintheZaxis.flv

Thanks
Greg

39

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 05, 2006, 02:56:41 PM »

Hi John,
I will make a video of the problem and have it posted tonight.

The moan is not loud but just loud enough to get your attention. I would say it happens for a few seconds. For example I will be contouring something and its moving in the X+ direction, it will lock up and the numbers on the screen will keep moving, and until it switches directions and goes in the X- direction. Then it will start moving again and will be out of location what ever the distance it was from the location it locked up at to the location it switched directions. Like I said before it will freeze in all axis, when it freezes in the X the Z doesn't keep going up and down, it stops too. If I am cutting with all three axis contouring on a 45 they all stop moving and the numbers keep going on the screen. It doesn't happen too often when cutting with all three.

This will happen on any axis at any given time, I was running a make shift drilling program and it messed up there to, so not only when I'm contouring. Which is what I do most of the time.

Back to the moan noise, its not very loud and it doesn't sound like it has a load on it, caused from binding. I'll get it on video so you can see it.

I am going to test the voltage and let you know.

Thanks,
Greg

40

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 05, 2006, 11:02:29 AM »

Hi,
Enhanced pluse was not enabled, CV is on and backlash comp is turned to off.  I ran a simple program last night it was plunging a 1/2 endmill, instead of running a can cycle I wrote it in g-code. There was alot of switching from G0 to G1 in it. It losts it's location 3 times in that program all in the z this time. I had to slow the feeds down and take out the G0 to get it to work. I was using M98 with a sub program and I would repeat to get the desired amount of holes.  For that program I had Enhanced pulse enabled.  I don't think the cables are shielded. I have to go talk to you tonight.
Thanks for your time.
Greg