This is really a new/old topic. I've read a bunch of entries, and here, I'm following along with an entry that Chip made in October '06.
I think I have this set up correctly. My display is in degrees that roll over from 360 back to 0. I can jog the A-axis, and it responds to a "Go to 0,0" command.
My set-up is a test board so there is no load on the steppers. I have 5 motors as follows: X, Y, Z, A (rotational), & B (Slave to Y). The slave axis works perfectly. When I run a pattern, I would expect that the A-axis would orient to be tangential to the X-Y position. However it never moves. Trying to figure out what I've missed.
Below, I'm following what Chip posted last year:
I've done this
General Config - checked A-Axis is Angular, checked - Rot 360 rollover, checked - Ang Short Rot an G0.
I've done this
ToolPath Configuration - checked - A Rotations, Enable, use Diameter for Feedrate. Also, I set the Axis of Rotation to Z-Axis (I've tried all three)
For the next one, I don't know what Chip means by "rotational set-up 360 deg., but my SPI for rotational is 50 and it is 1600 for all other axes.
Motor Tuning, My A Rotational set-up 360 deg., set-up X,Y,Z, 40000 step's, 10.002 vel, A 1 Deg.=, 400.2 step's, 2500 vel, 144072 = 360 1 turn 144072 dev by 360 = 400.2
Re-Start, Mach3 - Did it!
I'm not sure what the rest here has to do with basic set-up, but I did this as well.
Loaded Tooth1.txt Gcode file, No Rotational View Shows in Tool Path Window's, just linear view..
Regen Tool Path, Still No Rotational View, Gcode Shows Run Through, Jog A axis shows Degree Mode in Display.
Setting's Page, set Rotation Diameters A axis to 1.0000, Re-Gen ToolPath, OK, Now it shows Rotational View.
Default Start-up and Create New Profile or Closing Mach3 with a value of 0.0000 in the Setting's Page, Rotation Diameters on re-start will Default back to Linear View as it is now.
Help would be greatly appreciated!