I am experiencing a tremendous number of errors with the PMDX-424 USB card. Packet loss, configuration errors, device config errors etc. This USB card does not seem to operate well at all.

On a test cut I set up as a preproduction run, after executing around two hundred lines of code the system produced yet another fault – “internal device error – device not configured”.  I cannot resume work from this point and must restart Mach4.



I have contacted Steve at PMDX for advice.

What else could I do to help resolve these errors?

Hi,
is the PMDX board USB connected?

USB is inclined to drop out with electrical noise. Try running the program but without the spindle running. The spindle is usually the electrically
noisy item in any setup. If the program runs without the spindle running the the spindle noise is the issue.

Most people start by trying to protect signal lines from noise with shielding and the likes, rather than try to reduce the noise source. A line reactor and/or
a good EMI filter on the spindle input AC line may help, as would good EMI filters on the AC input to the PC and any power supplies to the PMDX and/or breakout boards.

Finally try protecting the USB cable from noise.  A few things may help:
1) Use the shortest USB cable you can
2) Use the best quality cable you can
3) Install two, or better three split core ferrite rings approx equally spaced along the cable length.

Craig