Hello Guest it is March 19, 2024, 05:02:52 AM

Author Topic: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue  (Read 5147 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2019, 02:04:30 PM »
Hi,
can you confirm with a multimeter the power supply to the BoB?

Craig
'I enjoy sex at 73.....I live at 71 so its not too far to walk.'
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2019, 08:31:54 PM »
Craig,
I'm not 100% sure if I'm checking this correctly.  From what I can tell from the PMDX manual power is applied through the USB connector (J12)...when I put my meter across the USB it appears to short the BoB out....meaning all the LEDs go dark when I connect my meter.  I've attached a picture of my BoB

reuelt,
I tried both Active High and Active Low (restarting Mach after each setting change) and it doesn't make a difference. 

"Failure is not an option, but the option exists"
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2019, 09:47:50 PM »
Hi,

Quote
)...when I put my meter across the USB it appears to short the BoB out....meaning all the LEDs go dark when I connect my meter.

That doesn't sound correct to me.

Can you use your meter to measure some other known good voltage source? Please confirm that the leads are plugged in
to the meter to measure voltage (high impedance input) not to measure current (low impedance input).

Is it possible that the USB cable or the USB port into which it is plugged is faulty? Looking at the pic of your BoB
there is a regular DC input jack adjacent to the USB socket. Do you have a supply that could be plugged in there
to try it?

It also looks like from the pic that the LEDs associated with each output are working? Is that correct? It is those
LEDs I would expect to change state when you run the MDI codes I posted earlier.

I notice also that you have wires running from the step/dir pins (pairs 2&3, 4&5, 6&7) but I don't see any enable
wire/wires hooked up. Can you post a pic of your stepper driver? I'm just guessing that they have an enable input
which you are not energizing.

Craig
'I enjoy sex at 73.....I live at 71 so its not too far to walk.'
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #13 on: March 19, 2019, 10:13:33 PM »
Craig,
Thanks for the quick response. Answers to your questions below.

Can you use your meter to measure some other known good voltage source? Please confirm that the leads are plugged in
to the meter to measure voltage (high impedance input) not to measure current (low impedance input).
- I am able to measure 120VAC across an outlet....I don't have anything to test 24VDC, but I'll be using my meter tomorrow on some low voltage stuff.  I'll verify
 - The leads are in the Voltage socket...not the current socket


Is it possible that the USB cable or the USB port into which it is plugged is faulty? Looking at the pic of your BoB
there is a regular DC input jack adjacent to the USB socket. Do you have a supply that could be plugged in there
to try it?
- I suppose anything is possible, but I wouldn't think so
 - I don't have a power supply that would plug into the round DC power port, but I have a power supply I could wire in to some terminals...I'll have to read through the manual...I thought I saw a couple terminals you could use in lieu of. 


It also looks like from the pic that the LEDs associated with each output are working? Is that correct? It is those
LEDs I would expect to change state when you run the MDI codes I posted earlier.
- It would appear so, but when we ran the MDI codes no lights flickered and no motors spun...only the DRO values changed. 

I notice also that you have wires running from the step/dir pins (pairs 2&3, 4&5, 6&7) but I don't see any enable
wire/wires hooked up. Can you post a pic of your stepper driver? I'm just guessing that they have an enable input
which you are not energizing.
- Picture attached for reference. 
"Failure is not an option, but the option exists"
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2019, 10:55:38 PM »
Hi,

Ok, not familiar with that stepper drive but I see from the pic of your BoB you have four wires going to each drive,
two of which are Com and the other two presumably Step and Direction. I would have thought that you would need
at least two more wires, one for yet another Com and the remaining wire an Enable.

Do you have any documentation for the driver?

Craig
'I enjoy sex at 73.....I live at 71 so its not too far to walk.'
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #15 on: March 19, 2019, 11:02:59 PM »
Hi,
I notice also on the pic of the BoB that the three terminal TO220 IC just North of the DC input socket is a 7805?
Can you confirm, the reflected light in the pic makes it difficult to read the part number.

If that is the case then any voltage supply 12V,15V or so would probably work as it will pass through the 7805 voltage
regulator to end up 5V on the board. Can you probe with your meter between one of the terminals labeled 5V and 0V?
I would expect the USB input would be 15V but critically any 5V terminal should be 5V.

Craig
'I enjoy sex at 73.....I live at 71 so its not too far to walk.'

Offline reuelt

*
  •  520 520
    • View Profile
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #16 on: March 19, 2019, 11:10:03 PM »

reuelt,
I tried both Active High and Active Low (restarting Mach after each setting change) and it doesn't make a difference. 


From pic of your PMDX-122, it is the earlier version that does not use a CHARGE PUMP.
The jumper in the middle is already set to ALWAYS ENABLE so you do not need to enable signal from MACH3. Sorry, I only have manual for later version.
Try to supply 5V power though the DC socket and not the USB. Just for testing you can use 4 NI-MH batteries in series that will give 4.8 volts to 5.2 volts.
If USB power is used, the board cannot give INPUT signals to MACH3 because USB power being from the PC cannot (not allowed) to supply power to the OPTO ISOLATOR buffer Chips used for the input signals.
"the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #17 on: March 19, 2019, 11:16:57 PM »
Craig,
Yes, it reads 7805AC.  I just found the power supply that I have and it's a 24VDC...I'm assuming that would not work for this application? 

I'll see if I can download the manual from Yako's website if we don't have the manuals in the shop (We've had all the other manuals thus far). 

The crappy part about this whole debacle is that the machine worked perfectly, before someone decided to try and license something that didn't need to be licensed. Lol.  Theoretically, I wouldn't think any software installs would hose anything up, but stranger things have happened.

Also, I did contact the previous owner of the machine and he said he MIGHT have a backup for the XML file he had on that machine.  If he does indeed have it, I'll give that a try as well and advise. 
"Failure is not an option, but the option exists"
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #18 on: March 19, 2019, 11:23:07 PM »

No problem reuelt,
Any input is appreciated.  As far as the USB power...it was working that way when we got it so it was just left that way.  Can you elaborate as to what inputs you would be referring too?  Would the E-Stop be considered an input in said case?
« Last Edit: March 19, 2019, 11:24:50 PM by Tuffluck13 »
"Failure is not an option, but the option exists"
Re: Mach3 / PMDX-122 Issue
« Reply #19 on: March 19, 2019, 11:24:28 PM »
Hi,
just found this pic on the net for your driver. The inputs named MF+ and MF- are the equivalent of an
enable as shown in the pic attached.

Those drivers require an enable signal.

reuelt commented:

Quote
Try to supply 5V power though the DC socket and not the USB. Just for testing you can use 4 NI-MH batteries in series that will give 4.8 volts to 5.2 volts.

I'm not sure that is correct. If my guess about the 7805 IC is correct then you would need a minimum of 8V for the
regulator to work. The difference is called the dropout voltage.

Craig
'I enjoy sex at 73.....I live at 71 so its not too far to walk.'