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Author Topic: Newbie with an intermittent slave axis direction reverse  (Read 2683 times)

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Newbie with an intermittent slave axis direction reverse
« on: October 15, 2013, 08:01:28 AM »
Hello All!

Glad to be here. After years with a Techno Da Vinci machine, with a sealed in German steel controller, it's liberating to find Mach 3 which came with my older K2 5050 craigslist purchase.(it's HUGE in comparison)

All is wonderful, except, when jogging or running a long gcode, the machine racks as the Y axis goes one way and the A axis another. The machine homes properly (most of the time), jogs ok most of the time and runs the code until the occasional y axis code sends the axis heading in opposite directions.

Wires and connections look ok, and the guy who  sold it to me, said it ran well.  So where does the newbie begin? US Digital encoders? Gecko Servo Drives? The ever mysterious Parallel port on an old laptop?

Thanks,
MitchellT

 

Offline ger21

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Re: Newbie with an intermittent slave axis direction reverse
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2013, 08:31:54 AM »
Sounds like the dir pin voltage on the parallel port may be fluctuating (or marginal). Laptop use with Mach3 is not supported. I'd try another PC to see if it helps.
Gerry

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Offline BR549

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Re: Newbie with an intermittent slave axis direction reverse
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2013, 09:56:44 AM »
ALSO Double check or replace the Cable that controls that drive. I just had the same problem here on a plasma cutter where I would loose the dir control on one slaved axis and it would ONLY run in one direction "sometimes".  After much investigation the CABLE ended up being the problem.

Just a thought, (;-) TP
Re: Newbie with an intermittent slave axis direction reverse
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2013, 11:44:50 AM »
Gents, Thanks for the helpful suggestions...

ger21....I went into the way back machine, found an xp machine with a parallel port, and it worked great....for a while. Then the old behavior ensued. Bummer.

BR549, Cable looks good, but at this point...I am willing to try it.

I will post as either I lose it completely , or prevail.

MitchellT