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Author Topic: Need help getting my stepper motors to run smoothly  (Read 875 times)

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Need help getting my stepper motors to run smoothly
« on: January 30, 2020, 05:58:33 PM »
I have built a cnc router and i am at the point where i am trying to get Mach3 to make the stepper motors run. I am using windows xp. I first got the motors to move but very jerky. This is in all of the motors. X,Y & Z. No matter how i set them in the motor tuning nothing changes. Run the driver test and it was very erratic. So i went through the optimization.txt file and did most of the steps. The only one i didn't do was set computer to standard PC vs ACPI PC. Everything else i did. I even had the hard drive reformatted when i reinstalled Xp. After all the optimization i rebooted the computer then went right into mach3 mill. Pushed the arrow buttons and had nice smooth movement. Boy was i excited to think i had it figured out. Well after about 20 to 30 seconds it went back to jerky motion. This repeats every time i reboot the computer. If i reboot and let it sit a minute then open Mach3 the movement will be jerky. I think i must be something in the computer but I've run out of ideas and cant seem to find anything online to help me out more than what i have already done. Any help would be appreciated. I'm using Sain Smart TB6560 motor driver, parallel port breakout board,with nema 23 270 Oz stepper motors.
Re: Need help getting my stepper motors to run smoothly
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2020, 06:19:28 PM »
Hi,
some PC's just don't run Machs parallel port at all well whereas another PC does, without any real
difference between the PCs.

It sounds like you have another process/service/application starting up that is robbing Machs parallel port the
quasi-continuous CPU service it requires. Maybe with the Task Manager you might identify competing processes/services.

The other alternative is to use an external motion controller like an Ethernet SmoothStepper or UC300. Such a device relieves
the PC CPU from realtime operation for which PC's are most definitely not suited. Don't be tempted by cheap Chinese made controllers,
they don't work properly and you won't get any help from them. Stick to the well known and respected European and US manufacturers.

Another advantage of an external controller is now just about any PC will work well, including laptops, 64 bit OS's like Windows 10.

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