i have been trying to figure out what i thought would be a simple fix.
my cnc router uses a dedicated pc with mach 3 and no online connection. the machine control rig uses an ESS and Gecko drives for the nema 34 steppers. machine has run almost flawlessly for years. ran a job last wednesday and shut down mach(pc) as normal, the next day upon start up and jogging machine, the y-axis and slave were reversing directions at random and erratic behavior...x and z jogged normally. motors checked out and all wiring connections from motors back to geckos too.
the ESS has no yellow light coming on. this light is supposed to come on at power up and stay on always, as it does on my other machine with ESS. i was told by a very reliable source that it could be either a faulty ESS or perhaps a corrupted xml file. i am trying to fix the issue with a very limited amount of experience. has anyone else ever had this issue? thank you in advance, Dan

Hi Dan,

Because other axes are working and the problem is just with the Y axis then perhaps forget the yellow light issue for the time being. Try replacing your .xml with a known good version before going any further.

1) Establish which Profile you are using – This is shown bottom right of the Mach3 screen (it is typically Mach3Mill)

2) Close Mach3

3) In your C:/Mach3 folder rename <your profile>.xml to <your profile>.xml.bak (typically from Mach3Mill.xml to Mach3Mill.xml.bak).

4) In your C:/Mach3/xmlbakups folder select a <your profile>.xb? from a date when your machine was working fine and before any problems started. (typically Mach3Mill.xb?)

5) Copy this file to your C:/Mach3 folder.

6) In your C:/Mach3 folder rename this file <your profile>.xml (typically from Mach3Mill.xb? to Mach3Mill.xml)

7) Restart Mach3 and test.


Tweakie.

ok, i am not very experienced at this but i understand. first, when i open mach 3 on my pc i am always given several choices for profile...i always choose the last which we named smoothstepper, don't ask why because i dont know...someone was 'helping' me. i do not show any profile in the right bottom corner of the mach3 screen. yes, it is a legit copy of mach 3 licensed to SAWoodcrafting(my business name).
moving on, when i open the file for mach3 in the C drive i am not seeing any .xml files. i do see xmlbackups but no file named smoothstepper.xml or mach3mill.xml.    i do see xml document files for these but no .xml file.
i suppose once i locate the proper .xml file i9 can follow your instructions as it makes sense to me. thank you again, dan

Hi Dan,

I have sent you a PM regarding finding your profile and .xml file.

Tweakie.