Hello Guest it is March 28, 2024, 11:43:08 AM

Author Topic: motion controllers working with Mach3  (Read 7061 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline dresda

*
  •  220 220
    • View Profile
motion controllers working with Mach3
« on: January 23, 2013, 03:35:57 PM »
Anything other that Vital systems DSPMC that would work with mach3.

Offline mc

*
  •  382 382
    • View Profile
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2013, 07:29:53 PM »
CS-Lab CSMIO, and Dynomotion KFlop are two higher end controllers that work with Mach.

Offline ger21

*
  • *
  •  6,295 6,295
    • View Profile
    • The CNC Woodworker
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2013, 08:57:26 PM »
Centipede too, from KSI Labs.
Gerry

2010 Screenset
http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

JointCAM Dovetail and Box Joint software
http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html

Offline dresda

*
  •  220 220
    • View Profile
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2013, 09:43:41 PM »
I guess I should add +-10v analogue

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2013, 03:46:17 AM »
Galil, Kflop/Kanalog combo, CSMIO/IP-A are the three that I know of, other than DSPMC,  that can supply +-10V to analogue amps.
 
The CSMIO uses full encoder feedback for lathe threading which means it can follow the spindle precisely even if the spindle is grossly underpowered and slows to almost a standstill, in fact it will even continue after a full stop of the spindle but in real terms that could never happen as a stalled spindle could never restart. It does however have issues, it will delay the pull-out at the end of the thread thus cutting an annular groove (if there is not already one there) For some threads this may be acceptable but for others not.
 It is a Mach issue in the way the info is fed out to the plugin and it seems nothing can be done at this time, although I recently discovered a different version of Mach did things much better and the pull-out was almost instant. I have not found out what the changes have been as yet.
  The Galil also had this exact same issue when trying to use full encoder feedback (ie  axis to spindle sync ) and they reverted to the standard single Index feedback and that works well, by all reports, as long as your spindle is not grossly underpowered.
 I do not know how the Kflop/Kanalog combo does things but I do know for rigid tapping with it you have to do extras in your code but single point threading I think is just standard, so again would presume as long as your spindle is adequate there will be no issues.


Now MPG, I do not know if multiple MPG's can be used on any of the above. The CSMIO uses an external module for MPG and it is the nicest motion I have seen on a controller but it can only use one MPG. It may be possible to connect MPGs via normal inputs but I have never tried and not likely to as I have no need for that.

Rufi had mentioned to you that Mach Rev4 will be needed for this with the DSPMC and I do know that things will be done very differently with it as it has been designed around the hardware interface instead of the parallel port interface, this will mean that anything the parallel port can do an external controller should be capable of and of course the things that the external controllers do , at the moment,  better than the parallel port willl also continue.

Hood
« Last Edit: January 24, 2013, 03:49:34 AM by Hood »

Offline mc

*
  •  382 382
    • View Profile
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2013, 07:12:08 AM »
All I can find about KFlop and lathe threading, is it uses the KFlop's coordinated motion functions and can handle spindle speed fluctuations (both speed up and slow down).
I can't find anything on MPGs and Mach3, but if you were to contact Dynomotion, I'm sure they'd give you a quick answer (I've yet to see a single problem go unasnwered on their yahoo list!)

Offline BR549

*
  •  6,965 6,965
    • View Profile
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2013, 09:46:29 AM »
With outside controllers the same issue always shows up. CAN the "controller" do the Gcode functions correctly. A lot of times there are conflicts as to the software commands and the hardware doing it correctly. IF there is a conflict THEN in comes the work araoung fixes to get it to work instead of redesigning the hardware or software to correctly do the job.

IT is an OLD story with CNC and PCs. THE best combos are when the same people that build the hardware also build the software to match. In this case though you have what you have. As to a turn key thing I don't think there is one yet.

IF I were to build a turn center it would be Kflop based as TOM is very handy with programming and HIS  hardware.  NOW does it have a perfect interface with MACH3 ????? 

(;-) TP
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2013, 11:15:20 AM »
All I can find about KFlop and lathe threading, is it uses the KFlop's coordinated motion functions and can handle spindle speed fluctuations (both speed up and slow down).
I can't find anything on MPGs and Mach3, but if you were to contact Dynomotion, I'm sure they'd give you a quick answer (I've yet to see a single problem go unasnwered on their yahoo list!)

KFlop can handle as many MPGs as you want - MPG functionality, as with virtually everything on KFlop other than coordinated motion, is defined *entirely* by user programming, so how many MPGs you have, and what they do, is entirely up to you.

Regards,
Ray L
Regards,
Ray L.

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2013, 01:22:52 PM »
KFlop can handle as many MPGs as you want - MPG functionality, as with virtually everything on KFlop other than coordinated motion, is defined *entirely* by user programming, so how many MPGs you have, and what they do, is entirely up to you.

Regards,
Ray L

So you have to be able to code to get it done?
Hood
Re: motion controllers working with Mach3
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2013, 01:31:06 PM »
KFlop can handle as many MPGs as you want - MPG functionality, as with virtually everything on KFlop other than coordinated motion, is defined *entirely* by user programming, so how many MPGs you have, and what they do, is entirely up to you.

Regards,
Ray L

So you have to be able to code to get it done?
Hood


Hood,

'Fraid so.  KFlop's greatest strength, and its greatest weakness, is its almost infinite configurability through writing C code for the DSP.  The KMotion libraries support the basic motion commands, G-code interpretation, etc.  But most "peripheral" functions - homing, limits, probing, pendants, MPGs, spindle speed control, etc. all require programming.  Most of it is quite simple, and there is a fair amount of sample code to start with, and outstanding support from Tom Kerekes, even for "newbies", but some of it can take some time.  I probably have a couple days time in my pendant/MPG code.  But, it does *exactly* what I want, and does it flawlessly.

Regards,
Ray L.
Regards,
Ray L.