Hello everybody,
It’s the first time for me in this forum, I've try to search everywhere here, but seems there are no post for this issue, i hope this is the correct section to post this kind of problem, but if not, I would ask to moderators to move this post in the correct section.
I would also apologise form my English, I’m Italian.
My cnc was build from myself some years ago, and it has work well up to now, i don't have an inverter, I have always used a spindle controlling his velocity by hand, by the Mach3 only the on/off switch on M3, and for me this is enough. Last month I bought a Chinese laser diode, the s9 by sculpfun, and it need the PWM control, so I've found a problem that after many many test an attempts I think is due to a bug, but I cant be sure if this bug is on Mach3, on the controller board firmware or elsewhere, to be honest, I can't be sure t is a bug, may be also a my mistake.
The configuration:
Windows XP  but also tried with win7 32 bit, same result.
Mach3 version R3.043
Controller board Leafboy77 3 axis also known as AKZ250
In Mach3 config. Spindle signal is on PWM, and is selected as Laser
The problem:
PWM Signal not working as aspected
Description
If In Mach3 config. Spindle signal is on PWM, and is selected as Laser
Connecting an oscilloscope to the PWM pin on leafboy77 I can see that don’t come out any signal, The pul-up resistor is of 1 Kohm, and pull-up the out at 5 volt.
If I move the spindle signal bar on mach3 nothing change, and the PWM signal remain at 100% on at 5 Volts, but if I move the bar of feed rate, the PWM signal do what I aspect it do.  Unfortunately it do what i aspect it do but also feed rate do what feed rate have to do moving this bar, so seem that i can't change the PWM signal without changing at same time the feed rate.
If in Mach3 PWM signal is selected, but I don’t select Laser
PWM signal is totally absent, either by changing the feed rate bar or by moving the spindle bar.
A second problem happen when, in the first case (laser selected) PWM is over 50-60% on, in this condition the movement of the axis are wrong, totally casually, and also Z axis start moving and it, in the g-code list it is never mentioned.
I think that the fact the changing the feed rate, the pwm change means that PWM is controllable, and the problem may be in the code of the bars in Mach3 or in the protocol between mach3 and AK250, but also in this last case may be fixed changing the programming of these two bars. Unfortunately i'm not able to do this, and I'm here for this reason: asking help to do this.
Last note, in the “motor pin config panel" the last motor is spindle, obviously it is enabled and the pinout is irrelevant, I can put any number, 9 11 14, nothing change in the result.
a very big thank in advance for for all those who will help me.
Attilius