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So Close to it working!
« on: January 03, 2008, 11:14:06 PM »
Hi All,

I am having a tough time getting my Rockcliff router to work.  I running Gecko G203V drives and Keling motors.  When I home my maching axis, the x-axis will continue moving even though the home switch got triggered, it did not move off the switch.  The error message read "Softlimit max< min" this just started to happen.  The other thing that was happening when try to home was that the y-axis is that it would move but never even come close to the switch and then stop and begin homing the other axis. On the z-axis, it was moving in the oppisite direction of the switch.  I am going to post my settings, can some one tell me what is wrong.

Thanks,
skipper

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2008, 12:17:27 AM »
Is this a new set up? Has it ever ran before? You can chnage teh direction of homing for the Z either by changing to home neg. in homing and limits or by changing active high/low state in config, ports and pins, motor outputs. For the Y stopping half way, try putting 2000 in the debounce in the top righ of config/general config. Also, on the program run screen, if the softlimits switch is green around the edges, click on it to disable your soft limits.

Brett

Look at this too to get your axis going in the right direction.

Quote
stick your left hand in front of you, point your thumb up, first finger ahead and second to the right, that is the +ve direction of the three axis (Thumb is z, first is y and second is X)

Also remember that it is the tool direction and not the workpiece/table. so  on a mill, quill going up is Z+ve, table towards you is Y+ve and table to left is x +ve

Hood
« Last Edit: January 04, 2008, 12:19:33 AM by Chaoticone »
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

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Offline jimpinder

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Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2008, 05:49:34 AM »
You are trying the big bang approach - and getting a big bang.

Turn off two of the homes on your Ports and Pins/Inputs and concentrate on one axis at once.

The two axis you have turned off will not move but the DROs will go to zero

The live one should be set up in order.

If you are going to use soft limits, and it looks as though you are, then these limits must a a little outside those set for your referencing. If you manuall watch your axis when it homes it pushes the switch until it clicks - mine then carry on a little because there is over-run on the motors (I don't know why) They then reverse and back off until the switch clicks again. If you are using the same switch as a limit switch, then this is taken care of in the computer program, in that, if you are homing the limmit switch part is disabled until the homing is finished

The limit switch and homing switch should obviously be set up on the same pin number.

So, ensure the inputs are correct under Ports and Pins/Input signals. Are your switches wired so they are normally open - i.e. positive until activated - Active Low, or normally closed - Active High - ensure the appropriate tick in Active Low if needed.

Try it out - jog the axis to the middle of its run, and press the ref all switch. If the axis is moving the wrong way stop it and alter the homing direction on Config/Homing/Limits. The axis should run down to the switch, press it, reverse and stop. The DRO should zero if you have ticked auto zero.

When you have that correct, turn it off (all the other settings will stay) and turn on another axis and set that up until you have each individual axis working correctly.

Then try the big bang !!!



Not me driving the engine - I'm better looking.
Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2008, 07:21:25 PM »
Hi All,

Yes, this is a new set up that has not run yet. I am still trying to get it to home and configuring the settings.

I am not using limit swithes only home switches. Does this mean I do not need the soft limits?  I watched the tutorial video on Mach3 site and just assumed I need to set the soft limits.

My swiches are currently wired to be normally opened.  They are not wired in series, they each have there own input.  Should they be wired in series under one input?

I will try to home one axis at a time.  I've been away for a couple of days but now I am back and hope to get my system running. 
Thanks.
rene

Offline Hood

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Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2008, 08:18:03 PM »
You dont need Softlimits but it is good to have them.
The way you have the switches now is fine, there is no need to group them, that is only done to save inputs. I would say however its best to have NC switches so if a wire breaks and they are NC Mach will see it open and halt with a limit error. The way you have it just now if a wire breaks Mach wont know and neither will you until you run off the end of your axis.


Hood
« Last Edit: January 07, 2008, 06:12:32 AM by Hood »
Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2008, 01:48:52 AM »
Hi All,

So found out a few more things.  I changed my home switches to normally closed and I tried bring on-line one axis at a time. 

The Z-axis seems to home OK.  When homing, it will move towards home, trigger the home switch, and them move off.  The DRO will read  0.000 after it does this.

The Y-axis does not seem right.  When homing, it will move towards home, trigger the home switch, and them move off.  The DRO will read  something like -3.1025 and not 0.000 like the z-axis.  It does seem to home though.

The X-axis is still a problem.  I had to replace the home switch because the machine crushed the one I was using.  When homing, it will move towards the home switch, it will trigger the home switch but not back off.  It will keep on going, that is how the home switch got crushed and destroyed. The other thing I noticed of the x-axis is that when using the jog control, it does not matter if I jog in the + or the - direction, it will always moves towards the home switch.  It will not move away.

The other axis seem to move in the correct direction when jogging.  I am at my wits ends on this, cannot figure out what is wrong.

Thanks,
rene

Offline Hood

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Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2008, 02:08:29 AM »
rene
 Sounds like you may have the pins asigned wrong for the X axis, either that or you have the motor wiring wrong, one other thing to try is change the Dir Low Active setting for that axis as seemingly some drives can be picky about it.
 When your Y axis doesnt change to zero is this definitely not zero if you toggle the Machine Coords button. If its still not zero on machine coords then make sure you have it set to Auto Zero in the Homing and limits page.
Hood

Offline jimpinder

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Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2008, 04:18:58 AM »
Skipper - to avoid a crushing defeat, then, when you have the switch wired up - (you do not need it in place - it can be on a long length of wire) test it by closing it with you finger, or something. If you turn to the diagnostics page, you should see the switch closing - red led will light.

You can try all your switches on this page and make sure they work, before you get things rolling along and crushing things. You can even designate pins as limit switches etc. and see what the effect is.

Once you have the axis working in your hand, so to speak, fasten them all back on the machine and away you go. It sounds as though the x axis switch is not making contact when it closes.
Not me driving the engine - I'm better looking.

Offline Hood

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Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2008, 04:22:56 AM »
Jim all good advice but I think the important thing that rene said was the motor will always travel in the same direction even when trying to jog the other way. I think probably Mach is seeing the switch fine, is reversing but the switch never closes because although Mach has told the axis top reverse it is acrtually still moving in the same direction.
Hood

Offline jimpinder

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Re: So Close to it working!
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2008, 06:49:05 AM »
I think I agree - which is why I am saying test ALL the switches on the diagnostics page before setting anything in motion. It is one of those faults you could find in a few minutes, if you didn't have to communicate over miles of ether - most frustrating !!!
Not me driving the engine - I'm better looking.