Hello Guest it is March 28, 2024, 03:51:16 PM

Author Topic: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues  (Read 24913 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« on: September 19, 2006, 03:25:11 PM »
Hello all   I gotta say I love the MACH3 software, I have been using it for 10 months now and functionally it is great.  There has been some strange issue since day one that I cannot solve, and the crap software that MAX sends out doesn't cause these problems, so somehow there is a conflict with MACH3 in m,y setup.  Speaking to MAXNC will get you no where.

When I power up the machine daily, using MACH3, I have to reboot the machine at least 5 times to get it to finally run.  The first thing I do when powering up is test some x or y jog, and and if it works I then try to ref home. In most cases, once I ref home, it stops working right after the ref, occassionally it pops the breaker.   then I restart the machine again a few times till x or y will move, then ref home again, until finally it will run.  This goes on daily for 10 months now!  I have been through the optimized text  twice in detail.  I am using the max driver that says ART version on it.  There are times during cutting when I finish a code the thing will not do another part, just  hangs up and needs to be rebooted, but once it is cutting, it usually finishes that part.  I would rather deal with this headache than use their horrendous "dos like" software.  I have been through the motor tuning a thousand times trying every variation.  I have the minimmum inputs and outputs turned on, Below is my setup as is, if anyone here has been fortunate to get this combo of great softwre and soso machine to work, I would appreciate any help.

Maxnc clmode Ena

25000


MOTOR OUTS

X ENA   6 7  DIRLOW x  STEP x STEPPORT 1  DIRPORT 1
Y ENA   4 5  DIRLOW x  STEP x STEPPORT 1  DIRPORT 1
Z ENA   8 9  DIRLOW x  STEP x STEPPORT 1  DIRPORT 1
SPIN    1 0  dIRLOW x  sTEP Ena   STEP 1  dIR 0                          'spindle is now off due to blown pwm, motor is switched manually

INPUTS

x HOME  Ena  port 1  pin12  actlow X  Emu X
y HOME  Ena  port 1  pin12  actlow X  Emu X
z HOME  Ena  port 1  pin12  actlow X  Emu X


input#1 Ena Port 1   Pin 10   X      X
Estop   Ena port 0   pin 0    X      X

 
OUTPUTS

Output#1    Port 1  Pin 1     Actlow Ena                  'disabled now
Output#16   Port 1  Pin 16    Actlow X
Output#17   Port 1  Pin 17    Actlow Ena

ENCODER/MPG   

ALL 0, X

sPINDLE

disable spin rel   Ena
Flood mist  Ena
Use Spind Motor out  Ena
PWM  Ena
pwm base freq  40
min 25%

spin speed av  ena  p0.25  1  0.3

Offline Chip

*
  • *
  •  2,055 2,055
  • Gainesville Florida USA
    • View Profile
Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2006, 03:56:44 PM »
Hi, Originator

The pop's breaker, maybe one axis is bottoming out just before the home switch actuates or intermittent switch, try-ed moving them.

What ver of Mach3 ?

Computer speed, memory ?

More info needed, Chip
Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2006, 04:15:53 PM »
Thanks Chip

d1.90.036 is the engine
MACH3 1.0.0.1
Speed of cpu is 1.7
approx 800m ram

The breaker is not daily, but often.  The swiches are all fine,  the unit stops at random places, not always at ref home but it is coincidental though, one thought is the low homing speed preceeding the stop. I would notice abind on the motors if the switches were not funcioning.  The breaker usually pops while sitting still, never in motion.

Let me know what else you want to know.

Thanks


 
Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2006, 06:42:34 PM »
Here are a few more details:

1. Sometimes on reboot one or more motor will jog at very low speed.
2. Sometimes on ref home a motor sounds like it is gurgling or grinding although there is no load
3. today I have rebooted the machine at least 50 times just to get through a part.  At variouis times it will just stop moving.  I have replaced the cable but no difference.
4. Sometimes after machine  reboot, I can attempt to jog, and it will only jog a few rev's before stopping movement.  Then reboort is required.  Sometimes on reboot, if  have tried to jog prior to fully booting up, it will jump, then stall. 
5.  I have tried lower and higher accel speeds in tuning
6.  I have tried various delays in tuning
« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 06:48:00 PM by originator »
Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #4 on: September 19, 2006, 07:47:23 PM »
Could you please run a driver test and tell me what you see in the graph? DriverTest.exe is under the Mach3 directory
Fixing problems one post at a time ;)

www.newfangledsolutions.com
www.machsupport.com

Offline chad

*
  • *
  •  361 361
  • When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
    • View Profile
Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #5 on: September 19, 2006, 07:54:09 PM »
Couple of things.
Popping breaker: is this in your main breaker panel or is it on the driver box?

If it is on the main panel make sure that it isn't a GFI or short detecting type. These don't respond well to machines. Also find out what else is on that breaker circuit and try to unplug anything not needed while cutting. If at all possible plug in to another wall outlet on another breaker.

As for your computer this could be any number of things. Ram going bad, Power supply going bad, Cpu getting to hot. And just plain Windows xp.

I would recommend that you backup what you need from that machine and do a format and a reinstall of windows xp. I know this sucks but it is sometimes the only to get things working again. Don't forget to back up your mach .XML file. After you have done that load mach before anything else and give it a go (don't do the optimisation yet) . If you are still having problems with constant crashing post back and we will start looking at hardware.

CHad
 
Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #6 on: September 19, 2006, 08:05:42 PM »
Breaker is on machine controller, a lttle pop-out button  sorry about that detail left out.    The breaker popping is not as frequent and less important in terms of inconvenience, although likely they are inter-related problems.  The machine usually stops working when not in motion, only rarely does it stop in the middlwe of a cut.  Usually it is just sittig there idle, you go to jog and it is dead, although whining still from the servos.

I have reinstalled windows prior.  The PC never crashes ever, just the machie stops moving and the machine needs reboot. 

Driver test in a few minutes when part is done.

Thanks

Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2006, 09:31:05 PM »
Driver test:

Approx 25k
CPu  1506
Apic 11442

37 *********xx
45 *********xx

graph shows steady level of low noise with spikes here and there




Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #8 on: September 20, 2006, 08:20:56 AM »
Run msconfig and turn off any startup items... that will make it so you have a nice clean version of windows running.
Fixing problems one post at a time ;)

www.newfangledsolutions.com
www.machsupport.com
Re: MAXNC10CL and MACH3 issues
« Reply #9 on: September 20, 2006, 03:21:17 PM »
I just turned off everything in the list.  It still took powering up the machine around 20 times to finally connect and jog.  Once it jogged for a second and stopped,  then after a few more power cycles it finally ran jogged for a bit without stopping.

Yesterday alone I restarted the machine around 250 times just to get through the day.  Usually once it is going good, it will go the day until powering off, but this is a closed loop system and very noisy when not in use, so I must power it on and off thoughout the day as needed.  Once it goes, you can usually make it through a part, once you turn it off, it is black magic and chanting to get   to run again.  Sometimes it takes 15 mintues to come back.

With no exageration, I have lost easily 4 weeks in the last 10 months on this problem.  Something is confilicting that is causing it to lose or not make connection on start up, and occassionally it loses it after startup.    I have tried new cables, I have been through the machines controller board for lose connections, plus the factory has been through the board as well.  I have turned off everything that can be turned off on the PC. 

The owner of the machine company says not to use Mach software, but I have to find way to make this work as theirs is a big hassle.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2006, 03:42:54 PM by originator »