Hi,
I am having Darwin installation problems. I downloaded Darwin 2014-1-14 last night (have been running Mach4 without a driver) and attempted to install it.  I am running Windows 7, SP1, 64 Bit.  Darwin Test would not install, reported “an error has occurred, admin rights?, contact support.  I am running as Admin, the only user.  I copied files as the instructions suggested and turned the plug-in on.  Now when Mach 4 loads I get the Darwin error message and when I attempt to configure the plug-in the screen is red.  Can you suggest what I should do next?
Thank you
Charlie

Charlie:

  Sorry, there is nothing you can do. 64-bit systems cannot run Darwin. Microsoft encrypted access 
to the parts of the OS Darwin uses in 64 bit systems..

Art

Hi Art:

My report on V1.15 posted this morning seems to have vaporized. I think my session timed out and I didn't notice.  I guess that's what happens when I'm so long winded.

To summarize, it looks like you've killed all the bugs.
The leds showing the wrong states, homing, crashing, and whatever else you've tackled over the last few days are all fixed here and it seems to be doing everything properly.
Great Work !!  

I presume the issue with CPU loading has been corrected with M4 V1936??
I haven't had a problem even with the earlier versions and my system runs at about zero % as far as I can see. I ran the roadrunner Gcode at warp speed and still only had the odd quick spike up to maybe 15%.

So what were the conditions that folks were seeing high CPU load??

Seems like a lot of folks are asking what the minimum machine requirement is for M4.

Perhaps the developers should come up with a standard test condition.
1. Gcode file for all to execute with dimensions that fit on a small machine so all can execute it.
2. A standardized tool path display setting.
3. A reasonable machine movement speed that everyone can achieve (even if it's slow or a little fast for some folks)

etc. so that folks can evaluate different machines and report back what they are using and their loading. This way a set of features that are good/bad or indifferent for machine hardware can be determined.

Sage

Hello all.... does the combination limit/home switches work for Darwin and if so do I set a separate input signal for each one?

Patton:

  You can set a spearate one, OR just check the box labeled "ETrip" on the home switch signal in Darwin. The switch will then be both a limit
and a home. It will turn off as a limit during homing, or when you reset after hitting it trips an Estop, and it will reengage when you jog off it.

Art

Sage:

 Thx, great to hear its well..

  As to speed troubles or minimum system requirements, I suspect only Darwin would be critical to time, most external motion
devices take waypoints at 1ms per waypoint , so time isnt critical. Darwin takes it at (1/f)*16 seconds or 400us per waypoint at 40khz. This
makes it more critical to refill. I think the guys slayed the dragon though and speed for most should no longer be an issue.

  It does look like its ready for prime time, now only long term cutting tests will tell the tale. Im optimistic.

Thx
Art

I should add that Darwin will probably not do threading. While Mach4 turning will work with Darwin generally, threading I may decide not to implement. If it cant do it pretty much perfectly, Id rather Darwin not try. I may change that view..but currently that's my line of thought. I did leave myself hooks for encoder based threading, Ill wait to see if there really a need in future.

Art

Im Im mixing definitions of threading or you mean we wont be able to make a thread on a lathe using darwin+m4? not even with single pulse as it was with M3?


Pablo

Art I have found the problem with the spindle control on my machine G540 super pid.

but first on my machine I need to do a clean install of Darwin for every new release, that made communication between M4 and Darwin work properly.

what I have found is that if I have a call for 5000 rpm it will do that, but if I have a call for more than that it will run at 28000 rpm.

Tested with road runner changed the spindle speed in G code to 100 it ran at 5400 rpm, then changed speed in the g code to 200 it ran at 6600 rpm there is the answer.

what ever is making the pwm needing to be set to half also is making the speed calls to be in the 00 not 0000.
so it all working properly sort of now well it is I just need to remember to change the speed calls.

Thanks for all your help art.

Pablo:
 
    The old single pulse threading is not something Id want to add to Darwin. This means IF I add threading it would be by encoder only. Im not
opposed to adding it, but Id want to know the  numbers warrant it. Since Darwin takes a license , once M4 is fully released we'll know fairly quickly
how many are running the PP, and through threads such as this it wont be hard to tell how many want threading. If numbers are large enough, Ill
add a threading to the driver. Otherwise , it will be spec'd as having no threading capability.

Thx
Art

Dan:

  You just need to chenge the spindle min and max in the M4 settings. The PWM is ratio'd form those two settings. So..

Set M4's spindle max to 1000, set Spindle min speed to 0.

Command a M3S100 and record the actual speed as Speed1, then command M3S1000 and record this as Speed2.

Then enter into M4 Speed1 as the min speed and Speed2 as the high speed.

This should make it work very close to accurate..

Art