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Author Topic: Vista, Mach3 Help!  (Read 3217 times)

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Offline CT

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Vista, Mach3 Help!
« on: May 27, 2008, 04:48:19 PM »
I am new to this stuff like many other folks and hoping to get some input as to why I cannot get mach3 which appears to be functioning according to the tutorials so far, will not run the motors on this initial start up. Someone has advised that I check to make sure the port I installed is working and to use parmon which is what I plan to do if I can figure it out, also he had me check to see if a printer would work to see if it was getting that far. Finally was able to get that to work but, still no response to the mill. My mill is a retrofitted Questech Micromill with PMDX 122 & 150's. Motors work if I use the test mode buttons on the boards, leds are showing to be normal "All is well and active".

I purchased a new HP PC/Vista with only usb ports, I was told to install this moschip parallel port, which I did along with the drivers and they too seem to be working according to Vista, I am lost and need some help! Thanks in advance for any help. Colin

Offline Hood

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Re: Vista, Mach3 Help!
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2008, 05:23:58 PM »
Have you got the correct port address set in Mach? If its a PCI port you will need to look and see what its address is in Control Panel , System, Hardware,  Device Manager then Ports. Look at the resources tab of your port and the first four digits will be what you enter in the Ports and Pins  for Port 1 address.
Hood

Offline CT

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Re: Vista, Mach3 Help!
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2008, 08:46:30 PM »
Thanks Hood,

I did do that and have not had any luck there as well. One thing I do know is, in the diagnostics page where the port pin status is , it shows which ones are green and I guess active. Does this help? Colin

Offline CT

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Re: Vista, Mach3 Help!
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2008, 09:08:31 PM »
Could port direction be causing my problem?...What is port direction and how can I check it?

Offline Hood

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Re: Vista, Mach3 Help!
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2008, 05:13:21 PM »
Do you have a voltmeter? if yes then put the positive lead to one of the direction pins on your port and the negative to a ground pin, jog that axis one way then the other and see if the voltage toggles 5v to 0v when you change direction.
Hood

Offline CT

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Re: Vista, Mach3 Help!
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2008, 08:29:40 PM »
Have you got the correct port address set in Mach? If its a PCI port you will need to look and see what its address is in Control Panel , System, Hardware, Device Manager then Ports. Look at the resources tab of your port and the first four digits will be what you enter in the Ports and Pins for Port 1 address.
Hood

Hi Hood,

Yes, I Think so, I have entered the port address example: B800 is what it is telling me in the resource folder. I even tried the other addresses as well. I just keep running into the same thing (No motor movement). Does it make a difference where the DIP switches are positioned on my driver boards are? I left them set where they were when I got them from PMDX? After looking at the spec.s, I know they will be changed but, did not think those changes would affect my current problem of no movement. Those changes it looks like are as follows: Motor current rating (I will be increasing this), Driver response to Step Input ( Set on eighth steps now?) Motors are oriental, pk-266-e2.0a,reduced current is disabled, step polarity is open or up (acting on the risingedge). It took a couple of try's to get all the start up settings for mach3 to get me to this point of just being able to get the motors to move. Just have not been able to get past this point.