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Author Topic: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help  (Read 9356 times)

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Offline TT350

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Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« on: June 02, 2008, 06:23:33 PM »
This is a question about Mach 3 and my Tormach.  I have a program that has 4 tool changes in it and I'm using M commands to control the coolant.  In between one of the tool changes I manually turned the coolant on so I could aim the nozzle for that particular tool.  Then I switched the coolant switch back to auto and pressed cycle start.  The machine started to move and did not turn on the spindle.  The next time I done this a couple of parts later, I hit cycle start and the spindle started as it should and the tool run through the program but the part was about .050 shorter than it needed to be.  I have noticed strange things like this in the past but I never could figure out what was going on.  If I mess with the coolant switch in the middle of a program this thing develops a hiccup.  If I leave the coolant switch set to auto everything runs as smooth as glass.  Is there a software update that I need to download?  Or do you have other people with similar problems that haven't figured out that messing with the coolant switch has caused this.  I know it sounds strange but this is the only thing that I'm doing different while running the program and every time I mess with the coolant switch in them middle of the program something odd like this happens.  When I say I'm messing with the coolant switch - this is while the machine is setting idle in the middle of a tool change. 
 
Thanks for your time.
Have a good one.
Chris

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2008, 08:12:39 PM »
I wonder if it could be noisy switch that is causing you problems?
Hood

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2008, 08:28:17 PM »
Is the coolant switch controlling a relay? An icecube relay? Just thinking if it is a snubber may help you out some.

Brett
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Offline TT350

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2008, 09:30:16 PM »
Ya I think it is controlled by a relay.

What is a snubber?

Offline Chaoticone

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;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2008, 02:21:41 AM »
Instead of using the switch to operate it try using the MDI line and see if it still causes problems.
Hood

Offline TT350

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2008, 08:05:20 AM »
The relays are on a board so would I put the diode in line with the switch?

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2008, 08:11:41 AM »
Is the relay used when the coolant is controlled via Gcode?
Do your problems happen when the coolant is switched On/Off via code or is it just when you use the switch? To confirm this can you try switching the coolant On/Off like before but use the MDI line rather than the switch and see if the problem persists?


Hood

Offline TT350

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2008, 08:23:13 AM »
The relay controls the pump ether way but i only notice the problem when I use the switch.
« Last Edit: June 03, 2008, 08:26:22 AM by TT350 »

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach 3 hiccups - Please Help
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2008, 08:30:38 AM »
Try it with MDI when you would normally use the switch, that way you will know for sure its the switch. What to do is when you are doing your toolchange as mentioned in your first post then instead of using the switch turn the coolant on by typeing M8 into the MDI line, then to turn off again type M9. If the problem doesnnt happen then it looks like the switch itself may be the problem.
Hood