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Author Topic: Physical buttons for plasma  (Read 155105 times)

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Offline stirling

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #50 on: January 20, 2016, 12:04:47 PM »
Hi Rob - Not sure if I'm misreading what you're saying here but Mach3's THC loop is WAY faster than 10Hz. I've tested it (Mach3) to 2KHz with my THC and it keeps up no problem at all. The scope traces are on here somewhere for the last time someone came out with this 10Hz thing. I'll find them and re-post if it helps.

Ian

Offline Hood

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #51 on: January 20, 2016, 12:17:45 PM »
Ian, I looked at your THC but  seemed it was only for Hypertherm cutters, did I get that right?

Hood

Offline BR549

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #52 on: January 20, 2016, 01:23:12 PM »
An outside controller MUST do all the THC functions internally.  IF you are to do teh analog monitoring as well it must sample at a rate to provide usable data at the max feedrate you will be cutting at.
One of the nice things about teh Controller doing ALL teh functions is it is easy to update teh variables for the THC function on the fly( set volts, Antidive,Cornerlockout, THCdelay,etc). You already have a Com link to the controller so no other outside com link is needed. Also easy for the controller to update teh User Displayed values such as Arc Volts.

Offline BR549

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #53 on: January 20, 2016, 01:38:47 PM »
The one thing about teh CSlabs version that I do not care for is it requires you to adjust the Set volts via a Manual pot.   THAT should be an adjustment you make via software not not manually via hardware.

(;-) TP

Offline stirling

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #54 on: January 20, 2016, 01:43:52 PM »
Ian, I looked at your THC but  seemed it was only for Hypertherm cutters, did I get that right?

Hood

Yep - correct - well I suppose yep(ish) - any plasma that has an interface providing a 50:1 scaled voltage, a TTL arcok and a "dry contact" trigger should work in theory but it's not easy to get the specs. At the time I designed it I was only aware of HT doing this. One guy reckoned it works with a Thermal Dynamics but I couldn't get much out of him so I lost interest and just say Hypertherm only for a quiet life.  ;D

Ian
Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #55 on: January 20, 2016, 02:42:20 PM »
The one thing about teh CSlabs version that I do not care for is it requires you to adjust the Set volts via a Manual pot.   THAT should be an adjustment you make via software not not manually via hardware.

(;-) TP

Thanks for that I hadn't noticed....not very dynamic if you were to include something in the gcode (#parameter=?)

The best one I've seen is still the neuron THC http://neuroncnc.com/
Rob

Albert Einstein ― “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”

Offline BR549

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #56 on: January 20, 2016, 03:12:13 PM »
HAve you seen Stirlings unit ?  RazorDance
Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #57 on: January 20, 2016, 04:20:15 PM »
HAve you seen Stirlings unit ?  RazorDance

I have seen it before, what put me off for my application was no voltage divider option or extra  (ie I had to provide a voltage divider... Or buy a bigger and newer plasma than my current older hypertherm).... I'm now waiting to take delivery of a hypertherm 65 (without CPC...to be added, plus fancy a fiddle with the rs485 interface but it would require a modbus rtu <> serial (ascii) bridge (arduino mega?))) Hence makes the razordance one more appealing for me, but no mention of mach4, hence concerned about future compatibility, website seemed a bit static so wasn't sure if it was still being supported (sorry sterling)

I'm in the UK and did seriously consider it.

Whether the neuron is worth £530 / $800... That is another matter. 

If the plugin sourcecode was available from razordance via maybe small fee and maybe NDA, now we are talking...just amazes me how much time people spend developing something, selling it, market share drops off, and they discontinue the product line but never release the sourcecode for those that may be interested (I'm thinking one man band developers here not volume sellers who reuse the code for newer products etc... Guys who come up with one off really good ideas)

One of the things that never seems to be covered is a better way to enable THC via gcode without feedrate hesitation, or instant torch firing or disabling without hesitation.  It's been my observation that every time an mcode is run motion hesitates so you end up with a divot... Except for m10/m11

Not sure what happens with #parameters added to gcode

Always learning
« Last Edit: January 20, 2016, 04:24:48 PM by robertspark »
Rob

Albert Einstein ― “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”
Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #58 on: January 20, 2016, 05:08:46 PM »
Hi Rob - Not sure if I'm misreading what you're saying here but Mach3's THC loop is WAY faster than 10Hz. I've tested it (Mach3) to 2KHz with my THC and it keeps up no problem at all. The scope traces are on here somewhere for the last time someone came out with this 10Hz thing. I'll find them and re-post if it helps.

Ian



Sorry Ian, missed this one.

I wasn't sure how mach3 was using Brian's torch height controller plugin, and if it was using the 10hz loop speed of brains or macropump or if it was able to use the 40hz fast loop of mach3 or if it was able to tie into the kernal (parallel port) loop speed of 25khz (or above whatever its set at)

The documentation has always been sparse on using it.

It has never been an option for me as I have never used a motion controller with an analogue input (16 bit I think is what is required), hence the only way I could get an analogue input into Mach was modbus... Which I did not believe had a very fast loop speed, hence back down to 10hz...

Did consider the uc300.. Which has analogue input support... But again no mention of the future with mach4 support.... So went the ESS route... But obviously without analogue input support... Can't win them all...

Rob

Albert Einstein ― “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”
Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #59 on: January 21, 2016, 01:28:13 PM »
Wow, instantly gone quiet on here, I genuinely hope I have not offended, if I have I appologise.
One persons comments, viewpoint and observations were not intended that way.
Rob
Rob

Albert Einstein ― “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”