Hello Guest it is March 28, 2024, 12:19:05 PM

Author Topic: Help required  (Read 5314 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Help required
« on: June 15, 2013, 04:24:07 AM »
I have been running Mach3 in demo mode for a few weeks on a home converted Mill and its been 100% perfect, This morning i installed the newly purchased license file restarted the PC and ran the Mach3 application, my name appears in the program showing that the license file has been accepted however it keeps asking me to reset the program as if the EM button has been pressed. No matter how many times times you press the on screen button or the one on machine it goes straight into reset.
In the Diagnostics screen the the EM button indication is showing red, everything else appears normal, i tried altering the config setting for the EM button from high to low and vise versa but made no difference. The software is running on a Laptop with all the power save and screen savers etc disabled operating system is win XP. About the only thing i think to do is to completely remove MACH 3 and do a fresh install, i have attached the XML file for the mill and the error log text file in case there is something amiss.

Thanks in advance
Mike

Offline RICH

*
  • *
  •  7,427 7,427
    • View Profile
Re: Help required
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2013, 08:38:34 AM »
Is your Estop hard wired?
If not, then just check EMULATED in ports & pins.

RICH
Re: Help required
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2013, 08:56:11 AM »
The EM stop is hard wired.

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: Help required
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2013, 05:18:21 PM »
Can you attach your xml again as that one is prior to you installing the licence.
Hood
Re: Help required
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2013, 03:14:26 AM »
This should be the correct one.

Mike

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: Help required
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2013, 01:53:58 PM »
Dont see anything wrong with regards the E-Stop in your xml.
What breakout board are you using?
Hood

Offline Hood

*
  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
    • View Profile
Re: Help required
« Reply #7 on: June 17, 2013, 02:58:50 AM »
Do you have a link to the manual for that breakout board?
Hood
Re: Help required
« Reply #8 on: June 17, 2013, 06:26:39 AM »
This may sound illogical -- It certainly does to me, as I do not see why Mach3 would appear to have some effect on hardware, but I had a similar experience with a laptop.
When I installed the license, Mach3 started reporting "external E-Stop requests".
Nothing had changed other than installing the license.

Some of the details are below, but based on conventional wisdom that laptops are not good platforms for the parallel port driver, I replaced the PC and have had no problems since.
The Mach3 licensing process may be having some effect on the parallel port driver that is causing marginal pp cards to no longer work.

Graham

Details:
I ran Mach3 for several weeks in unlicensed mode with the pp driver installed with no issues.
My configuration was as follows:
 IBM ThinkPad Onboard parallel port
 Win XP service pack 3 (a customized install, with no extra drivers, services, bloatware, etc.
 Gecko G540 - Charge pump enabled, EStop connected
 Mach3.043.066 - Charge pump on with Reset

I installed the license and the problems began.

I determined that the G540 was not always seeing the charge pump causing it to issue a "Disable input" (E-Stop), so I disabled the feature on the G540.
Then I found that the PC was not always seeing the E-Stop status at the parallel port.
I measured voltages at the parallel port and found it was a 3.3 volt port with operating at 3.4-3.6v. Gecko specs say >3.3V is OK, so it should have been OK.
A scope showed significant (200mV) high frequency (115kHz) noise levels on the input and outputs of the G540. The signal was still present when all the i/o connections were removed and the PC powered off so I concluded that the noise was coming from within the G540. I sent the G540 back to Gecko but it was returned- No problem found.
I cleaned the hard disk, reinstalled WinXP and Mach3 (with no license) and all was well.
I installed the license and it all began again.
I still feel that the G540 was not performing to spec. My PC signals were clean and within spec but the "noise" apparently from the G540 was sufficient
--------------------
Graham
Re: Help required
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2013, 02:51:07 AM »
Hi
Sorry for the delay in posting, i have been through the manuals but there is no mention of the manufacturer just the third party seller, however i have had a break through. After spending some time on the Mach3 site and the tutorial videos i checked the diagnostics tab and the "Time In Int" was showing in the high "8s", so the software was removed from the pc and placed on another and it dropped to  between "4.1 & 4.4" run a sample cut which took over hour last night and all seemed fine.
why just putting the license in caused this issue im going to put down to coincidence the lap lop was old and basic but it worked, so at the present time time Im still on using a lap top just a high end dell running win 7, i appreciate from all i have read that a proper  pc is the way to go and that's what i will look to source.

Thanks for you input and assistance.

Mike