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Poll

Do you use a Charge Pump with Mach (either parallel port OR external)?

Yes
2 (20%)
No
8 (80%)
'Dont be so bloody personal' LOL
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 10

Author Topic: Do you use a Charge Pump?  (Read 3255 times)

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Do you use a Charge Pump?
« on: March 21, 2019, 01:56:48 AM »
Hi All,
just trying to get a feel for the numbers of people who use a charge pump to 'safe' their machine.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

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

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2019, 02:34:24 AM »
I have never found the need to use the charge pump.
PEACE
Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2019, 02:37:58 AM »
Hi Tweakie,
ditto.

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

Offline reuelt

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Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2019, 06:44:56 AM »
Why use the CHARGE PUMPS.
Mach3 outputs a constant pulse train of approximately 12.5 kHZ (5kHz for laser) on one or both of the parallel ports whenever it is running correctly. This signal will not be there if the Mach3 has not been loaded, is in EStop mode or if the pulse train generator fails in some way.

If your  MACH3 parallel port kernel speed is set at 25,000Hz, it is unlikely that the charge pump will work correctly since the pulse freq could be only about 2K instead of 12.5K.

The purpose of the Charge Pump is mainly SAFETY but may also protect material, tools and even the machine from accidental damage.

A good Break Out board (BOB) with a “Charge Pump Circuit” will stop all motors + Spindle + pumps etc UNLESS the capacitor(s) had been CHARGED PUMPED UP by the pulse train(s) of 12.5KHz from MACH3. That means that nothing will move when Windows Powers Up, or Shutdown or when Mach3 program is frozen - since that (CHARGE PUMPED) capacitor(s) will discharged quickly to 0 volts and all motors get disabled.

People who invested in the Gecko G540 motion controller and use the default XML from Gecko are likely to have the CHRGE PUMP working correctly on MACH3 already.

Cheap BOB that do not have a CHARGE PUMP CIRCUIT often have an “enable pin”.  An enable pin will not be as good as the CHARGE PUMP but is better than everything ALWAYS ON.  If you use the enable pin, an EStop mode will allow you to manually move the axis by manual cranking/rotating. It will also cool down the motors when EStop button is pressed or limit switch is activated.

If on booting up Windows and MACH3 is not running and you have not press RESET YET but, you find that the spindle is already spinning or pumps already pumping or Stepper motors already activated, you can do something about it...by getting the CHARGE PUMP(s) working.

If External Motion Controllers cannot support charge pump correctly on all the ports they claim to support, there is a danger that MACH4 could turn out to be less SAFE than MACH3 with two Parallel Ports. So feedback to the vendors.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2019, 06:49:22 AM by reuelt »
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Offline olf20

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Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2019, 07:18:50 AM »
Have never used it.
Watching.
olf20 / Bob
Mach3, Atlas Knee Mill, 4th Axis, VcarvePro, ESS, Super PID.
Been Heating with corn since 1998

Offline ger21

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Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2019, 11:56:05 AM »
I use it in conjunction with a Safety Relay as part of my Estop circuit.
You can't power up the system until the control software is running, and if the software or PC goes out, the system is powered down automatically.
Gerry

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Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2019, 01:50:50 PM »
Hi...I believe the original intention of Mach was to indicate when the system was either booting up or closing down and motion can be inhibited during this period.
My experience has always been to use any watchdog timer/charge pump signal output in the E-STOP string, this inhibits or shuts off any power devices, motors, drives etc.
This allows for the eventuality of a PC crash or shut down and when powering up/down to disable the rest of the system.
Obviously there is no point in drives obliviously controlling motors when the brain (PC) is dead.
Especially in such systems as Mach where the controll loop is either open (steppers) or not closed back to the servo controller.

Offline RICH

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Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2019, 05:04:53 AM »
Never used a charge pump.
RICH
Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2019, 05:26:34 AM »
Hi All,
kool...we are starting to get some numbers.

I think we all know what a  charge pump is and what its supposed to do but what I wanted to know was how
many can be bothered with it.

I hope more people will vote.....the more who vote the more illuminating is the result.

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

Offline MN300

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Re: Do you use a Charge Pump?
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2019, 07:24:44 AM »
A related question is whether people have an E-Stop circuit that breaks power to motors and lasers rather than just the control wiring?