Hello Guest it is March 28, 2024, 08:06:11 AM

Author Topic: losing probe signals with USB game controller?  (Read 20011 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« on: January 31, 2010, 03:20:25 PM »
Hello,

Does anyone know anything about a bug where probe signals are lost, perhaps while using a game controller as a pendant?

I have ruined two bits now.

I use a touch plate and the blue screen mods to single click a zero Z axis setting.  I ALWAYS touch the plate to the bit to see the green "LED" come on.  After having worked 99% of the time, on two occasions now, after testing the connection, the bit touched the touch plate, and kept on going.  Luckily, I was near the estop, but it ruined the tip of the bit.  The first time, I assumed it was my carelessness, but after the second time, I went in another direction and built a Z Zero setter, as shown at

www.liming.org/cnc  on page 5,

based on the one shown on the cover of the recent Digital Machinist magazine.

Since then, on a thread in CNCZone, I learned that others have reported seeing lost probe signals while using Keygrabber.  I do have a USB Logitech game controller hooked up, but I am using Logitech's key programmer, not keygrabber.  Anyone know about any problems in this area with either keygrabber or Logitech's stuff?

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2010, 04:22:31 AM »
Afraid I dont have an answer but I am wondering, does your probe sometimes move at a crawl and others at the correct speed?
Hood

Offline stirling

*
  • *
  •  2,188 2,188
  • UK
    • View Profile
    • www.razordance.co.uk
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2010, 09:40:35 AM »
I'm wondering (actually have been for a long time now) whether it's maybe time this issue received some attention. The forum is littered with similar reports of the probe not stopping on contact. I KNOW there are issues with issuing a G31 from VB which is why I moved my probing routines code into a dll where they were way more reliable. Even then though I've had probes not stopping in gcode based basic bed o nails and such.

Ian

Offline Tweakie.CNC

*
  • *
  •  9,196 9,196
  • Super Kitty
    • View Profile
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2010, 03:27:21 AM »
I have never had this problem (yet!) - Z axis always stops on probe contact.

I use PCB material for the touch plate and obviously the copper surface has to be kept very clean or else the oxide film becomes an insulator and would cause problems.

Nice machine you have built revwarguy - please post some pics of things you make with it etc we would all be most interested to see them.

Tweakie.
PEACE

Offline Chris.Botha

*
  •  488 488
  • wine me.. dine me.. tram my mill for me...
    • View Profile
    • Digital-Jeweller
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2010, 05:18:58 AM »
I have has this happen twice. I dont use a game controller tho. I use a jog dial if thats usefull info?

I had thought it must have been something i did. I almost killed a $$$$ Omron switch.

Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2010, 09:52:07 AM »
Afraid I dont have an answer but I am wondering, does your probe sometimes move at a crawl and others at the correct speed?
Hood

Hood,

I have that problem.  Do you have it with the SS, or PP?  Mine, with SS, will do that on the first probe after start-up.  I command a G31 at 5 IPM, but it instead moves about 0.0001"/second.  After the first probe completes, it works correctly.

Regards,
Ray L.
Regards,
Ray L.

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2010, 10:42:32 AM »
Ray,
 I don't have the problem, I knew you had it and was wondering if there was a possibility that it was USB related rather than SS specifically.

Hood
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2010, 08:44:52 AM »
I don't know if my problem is related to the game controller or USB or not.  When it only happens once in a while, any hypothesis is hard to test.  I have:

Mach3 latest version, XP SP3, motherboard type parallel port, G540 as the BOB, and a Logitech game controller.  I have seen the failure mode when using either Keygrabber or the latest version of the key aliasing software from Logitech.  Networking and virus checkers are disabled while Mach3 is running.

I can't afford to keep losing bits, so I've gone to a different way to set the Z, the one shown on the cover of this months Digital Machinist.  Is there some way to check on reported bugs and their status or place in the queue for fixing?

Offline Tweakie.CNC

*
  • *
  •  9,196 9,196
  • Super Kitty
    • View Profile
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2010, 09:25:56 AM »
Not certain it is a bug as I have been running the auto tool zero for possibly 12 months now without issue and it has had plenty of use.

Greg has done a lot of work on this correcting possible problems that could occur, depending on the current Mach settings in force when the script is envoked and perhaps the best for me has been the addition of the G90 to this line Code "G90 G31 Z -15 F" &ProbeFeed 'Probing move at ProbeFeed rate.
Other related factors (which have been well discussed on the Zone)  include residue on the tool shank or in the collet, partially insulating the tool from ground and also how good is the earth connection of the spindle shaft through its bearings ?.

There are, I think, so many variables to be considered before assuming it is a bug (setting the Zaxis scale factor to 2 and then using auto tool zero should spell disaster).

Tweakie.
PEACE

Offline budman68

*
  • *
  •  2,352 2,352
    • View Profile
Re: losing probe signals with USB game controller?
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2010, 11:22:09 AM »
Revwarguy, is the controller a wireless controller? Reason I ask is I've heard numerous issues using wireless devices.

I'm in the same boat as Tweakie, with a crude piece of circuit board connected as my probe. I was setup for the touchprobe for over a year (at least) and never ran into an issue. Then I heard about all the G31 issues and was thinking I was just living on borrowed time and ended up following Gregs direction and copied his updated macro into Mach. Knock on wood, still no issues with the touch probing using a Shuttle Pro 2.

Dave
« Last Edit: February 03, 2010, 11:24:12 AM by budman68 »
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Just because I'm a Global Moderator, don't assume that I know anything !

Dave->    ;)