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Author Topic: Newbie Needs Help!!!  (Read 20446 times)

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Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #20 on: July 23, 2006, 09:35:29 PM »
The enable output is on the ports and pins output tab. if you set the pin to be 14 and the port to one every time you have the machine enabled the output will turn on.
Hope that helps
Brian
Fixing problems one post at a time ;)

www.newfangledsolutions.com
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Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #21 on: July 23, 2006, 11:39:31 PM »
Brian,

Still can't get drivers enabled. Not sure of the terminology, when you say "every time you have the machine enabled the output will turn on" my question continues to be how do you "enable the output"??? Does this mean start the g-code running or what??? I have configured the enable on the ports & pins output signal screen. Used enable1, enable is checked, port #1, pin # 14, and active low checked.

Another point I need to have clarified; does MACH have a Parallel Port Reference for the DB26F pin allocation. Couldn't find one in the documentation. Using one from PMinMO but would rather use one from MACH3!!!!

aggie
Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #22 on: July 24, 2006, 01:24:38 AM »
When the reset button is blinking the machine (computer) is not enabled therefore the drives should not be enabled.  I beleive this is a safety feature.  HTH

Regards,
Sid
Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #23 on: July 24, 2006, 07:16:48 AM »
Sorry about that, it works the way that Sid explained.

I don't understand the "Parallel Port Reference for the DB26F pin allocation" ... the Port number is set on the first tab of the ports ans pins dialog.

Fixing problems one post at a time ;)

www.newfangledsolutions.com
www.machsupport.com
Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #24 on: July 24, 2006, 10:03:25 AM »
Sid and Brian,

Appreciate your sticking with me on this. Feel like I am at one of the communication classes the company used to send us to back in the 80's.

Start back over, when I go to the diagnostic screen I have a red light under "enable 1" on the outputs. In my world a red light means a problem which must be corrected, not sure if that is true in MACH3 because I also have 3 red lights under Ref A, B, & C and have been told don't pay any attention to them. Should the "enable 1" red light go off when the drivers are enabled?? This is what I have been trying to do, unsuccessfully! It stay on all the time, g-code running, etc. Of course the steppers aren't spinning.

Sid, reset button is not blinking, had to get it green before the g-code would run.

Brian, used the term "parallel Port Reference for the DB26F Allocation" since that was what Phil titled the page, thought it was a common term. It is a chart that shows the purpose of each pin on the parallel port DB26F plug. Why I question it is he shows pin 2 as X Dir, pin 3 as X Step, pin 4 as Y Dir, pin 5 as Y Step, pin 6 as Z Dir, pin 7 as Z step, pin 12 as X,Y,Z Home, pin 13 and 15 as X,Y,Z + limits, and pin 18-25 as ground. But in the MACH# documentation 5.4  on page 5.3 shows X Y Z Dir pins as 3,5,7 and X Y Z Step pins as 2,4,6?

aggie
Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #25 on: July 24, 2006, 10:33:49 AM »
Can you jog your motors?  I thoughyt you said you could.  Have you loaded your G-code by going to the "Program Run Screen" and then clicked the "Cycle Start Button"?

The red Enable 1 LED should not be a problem, it is just a red LED (instead of a green LED).  It shows the same thing as the reset button (i.e. when the reset button blinks the enable 1 LED should NOT be lit, when the Reset button is Steady, the enable 1 LED SHOULD be lit up RED).  When the machine is enabled, MACH will respond to MOVEMENT commands when disabled it will not.  BTW- active low is not really a normal way to configure the enable pin- who set it that way?  Manufactureres recco,emdation?


Furthermore, this enabled status can be connected to an output pin in the DB25 connector in order to energize/deenergize other peices of equipment (i.e. the driver boards which control the motors)

This enable is like the main circuit breaker on your house with a remote control.  It is a switch that shuts off all the subsystems.  How you implement this 'switching is kinda up to you.

Most ppl  define a pin which will carry this enable signal and connect it to their driver board.  That way, when you push the reset button, the computer will no longer respond to movement command requests and your driver boards will also deenergize creating a safe "parked" situation in which to do something like (load a new part on the table for cutting or maybe change the cutter on your router).

The pin configuation in the mach manual doesn't have anything to do with your machine, it is just an example.  Every user must configure Mach to work with the driver boards they are using.  YOU need to tell mach what pins are controlling what axis as defined by your driver board.  This info usually comes in the manual of your machine/driver board
Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #26 on: July 24, 2006, 11:38:23 AM »
Sid,

Appreciate your prompt reply.

Yes, I can jog the dro's on the screen. Have never got the stepper motor to move, lock up or anything using MACH3. Feel they are OK as when I physically enable the THSTEP25 driver board by grounding the enable terminal they do lock up.

Not being scarcastic just specfic, I load the g-code by going to File, then Load g-code. I then run the g-code by going to the "Program Run Screen" and clicking "Cycle Start Button.."

Your description on the red led may solve part of my question. I have been asking over and over agian how to make the red led go out which I equated with having the motors enabled. If I understand your description, when the red led is on the motors are enabled. I would have thought they would turn green or turn off, to me red means a problem?

Question on my understaning of active low. In the driver set up instructions it says "you may now bring Enable Low, applying power to the stepper motors," and when I hard wire the enable to ground the stepper locks up. I interpreted this as active low, should it be active high? I am using THS Engineering THIS25 driver boards.

Understand your description of pin allocation now. In my case the drivers don't descide, the interface board does. All the driver board want is either a low or high. The interface board then sends it to a pin.

Am going to move everything from my old computer to my internet one (2.4 cpu) and take readings directly from the computer connection (in case I have a cord problem."

Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #27 on: July 24, 2006, 01:35:56 PM »
Hey Guys,
Forgive me for jumping in and if this doesn't apply, please disregard.  Unfortunately, my only experience is with Servo's but in my setup useing g320's, if I do not get my 5v reference voltage from the mach computer, my system will not function either.  The reference ground for the step and direction is not there.  Everything appears normal but the motors would not spin.  Could this be happening here???
Bill

Hood

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Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #28 on: July 24, 2006, 03:25:57 PM »
Do you have a link to the breakout board (interface board) you are using?
Hood

Hood

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Re: Newbie Needs Help!!!
« Reply #29 on: July 24, 2006, 03:29:15 PM »
I think you need to connect the enable to an output pin on the parallel port (via breakout board) and set this pin number in Mach, this should then enable the drives.
Hood