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Author Topic: Resolved: Ugly Circles pt 2: Troubleshooting for a beginner  (Read 8789 times)

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Re: Resolved: Ugly Circles pt 2: Troubleshooting for a beginner
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2007, 10:39:30 AM »
Just posting to say thanks to all those who offered help ('specially the Chaoticone!) and to followup with the resolution on the extreme offchance another noob comes along and has the same problems. I've sorted out a ton of issues reading posts where you all have pointed towards resolution. Solved another little thing today as a matter of fact.

Anyway, we put in a board from a different manufacturer. Saw the same thing...and other worse problems. Finally put in 3 cards/controllers...one for each axis from yet another vendor. Got the same exact results. Tried using KCam instead of Mach. Same problems (magnified).

When my brother dialed down a current setting on the board (we're not totally sure specifically what he did yet) it dramatically improved. We attempted to do the same thing on board 2 as it had pots to do that. But it didn't work. The first board just had an elaborate system of resistors and capacitors that weren't very adjustable. Anyway, the setting we dropped was actually set to a much lower setting than the board manufacturer said to put it at.

Either way we're pretty sure that it was a torque thing. That seams to be totally consistent with everything we experienced. Loud motors...almost sounding like they are straining under certain conditions. As we fiddled with it more and more the problems were isolated to times when the motors were accelerating or decelerating. And...that would explain why the higher feed rates (less torque) seamed to mitigate it some. Lowering that current clearly shifted us dramatically into a place where we could find a sweet spot on that curve.   

Apparently we just couldn't find a good spot on the motor tuning curve with that setting where it was.

The better news...we were able to adjust the resolution for microsteps and move from 250 steps/inch to 500...further improving our cut.

We're in business now.

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Resolved: Ugly Circles pt 2: Troubleshooting for a beginner
« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2007, 04:15:04 PM »
Your welcome, you did it all though. Glad you are running. Keep us posted.

Brett
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!
Re: Resolved: Ugly Circles pt 2: Troubleshooting for a beginner
« Reply #12 on: March 14, 2007, 05:37:34 PM »
Your welcome, you did it all though. Glad you are running. Keep us posted.

Brett

"were running"

I think we have a problem with one of the controller cards now. Whenever the thing moves Y- it refuses to move X+. You can see Mach is giving it the signal and it starts to move...and then stops.

We flipped the pins on the inputs and the same problem manifest itself then in the other axis. Flipped those back and then flipped the output wires to the motors....same problem in that other axis. So it's not the motors. Same results on KCam.

We're starting to learn how to troubleshoot.

Good thing Sr. knows where there's a supply of these things at the electrical junk dealer. He was talking about buying them all and dealing them on Ebay. He's clearly bored in his retirement.

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Resolved: Ugly Circles pt 2: Troubleshooting for a beginner
« Reply #13 on: March 14, 2007, 06:21:58 PM »
Quote
We're in business now.

I'm sorry, I thought you were runing. Can you post your XML file for us to look at?

Brett
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!