Yes, signal goes Encoder -> Drive -> Controller

Will check those parameters now....

pn0016 & 17 set to 1

I have reached my conclusion this is encoder related.

Why?

Setting "open loop" in plugin config removes the encoder loop from the controller and i can request 0 to 3000rpm FWD and REV from Mach3 MDI input using the usual M3s3000 or M4s3000 and it works perfectly, it will also allow direct M4-M4 swaps and will slow down, stop, reverse and speed up ok.

So my conclusion so far is *********e encoder or bad signalling.

I'm digging the 'scope out to have a look-see whats coming out of the drive, not sure it will make much sense to me but i'm gussing to look out for a TTL level square-wave from ground to each A+ & A- with the two being inverted?

Two pics below, one is A channel the other is B channel, both crap in my view

Will now try and get signal as it comes from the drive socket but will take a while. 

This was captured with motor turning at 100rpm

Its a crap cable, signal was clean at the drive socket, changed the cable and plug and things seem better

Still can't use any i or d values in the pid but the p is now up around 12000 which is similar to other axes.

Adding any i makes it over shoot and creep back.

Ah well its a bit of a success i guess, thanks for the help so far.

happy to hear that you have figured it out.

would be interested witch Setup you are planning for lathemill?

At the moment i just have a QC tool post mounted on the quill using the bracket i made for a high-speed spindle (no longer used), the lathe is just a 5C shaft mounted with some deep-groove bearings in some 1" alu tooling plate blocks which i can clamp down to the table when needed. It has a 750W AC servo at 1:1 on it so plenty of power for a small shaft hopefully.

I can't do mill-turn because the quill is holding the tooling and a Bridgeport has no Z axis apart from the quill so i can't use a gang tooling bar at the same time. It's a bit of a limited lathe as such but hopefully will do what i wanted and means i don't have to try and shoe-horn another machine in

Getting there...

Mashed a few tips, learnt a few things

Made this little test, concentric diameters, came out well but diameter was +0.3mm so my X zero setting must off by 0.15mm??

Need to get some tooling now.

Also need to figure out how to reset it after removing the spindle and tool mount??

I guess the the tool-table offsets will remain ok as long as i don't alter the tooling, so will it be a simple as resetting X on the master tool and away we go??

If you have accurate homing, which you should with an IP-A, then I would use Home position as the "master tool", that way all your tool offsets are from the X (Z on mill)   home position. It means if you need to replace a tool  which would have been the master tool then you do not need to set up every other tool again.
As long as your tool holder is repeatable then the tool tables offsets will be as before.

Makes sense, just

Trouble i have (I think) is that the spindle is an attachment with no fixed abode - it will have to come off for milling etc so

I have stored and added a button to send the knee and Y axis to a preset location so thats two axes out of the way but X & Z still happen....

If you have accurate homing, which you should with an IP-A, then I would use Home position as the "master tool", that way all your tool offsets are from the X (Z on mill)   home position. It means if you need to replace a tool  which would have been the master tool then you do not need to set up every other tool again.
As long as your tool holder is repeatable then the tool tables offsets will be as before.

Can you elaborate a bit more on this if you get the time??

I do have index-homing but can't get my head round how this method works