Linuxcnc to Mach3

Hi,

just got my self a Boxford 125tcl. all up and running with Linux cnc. problem is that I don't know Linux, so as my other cnc stuff is Mach i though i would convert it over.

I got the pin's etc from Linux (.HAL file) and put them into mach . This has worked for the X,Z, Tool changer and for M3 spindle but M4 is not working.
The info i got from Linuxcnc for the spindle is

step=pin 14
CW=pin 16
CCW= pin 1

put this into mach....

Mach3
spindle step=pin14
CW output #1 / output#1=pin16 port 1
CCW output#2 / output#2=pin1 port 1

this, i have entered in to Mach, but it seems its not turning on pin 1 to trigger the relay on the BOB. I have changed CCW to pin 16. and when you enter M4 the spindle will start but goes CW.
think i may of missed something with in the Linux settings.

the boxford has all its original electronics, but has a C11 and a C6 board. i'm using a usb smooth stepper.

unless i can get it going CCW its a bit of a paper weight at the mo.

any help with this would be great.

have you used a meter to check pin1 status when it should be on?

no meter check, but if you lift the lid of the lathe (turns on safety switch) you can hear the c11 relays click and the spindle doesn't come on. the pin 16 relay clicks. pin1 relay doesn't.

can do the meter check tomorrow just to be on the safe side.

tried some things today..

just for ease I told mach3 the coolant (m8) is output 2 pin 1 the same as the CCW trigger. but before I did this I told it was output 1. so when you turn on the coolant you can hear the relay for pin16 come on. change it over to pin 1 and nothing happens.

in mach3's diagnostics page, output 1 and 2 light up when called for. that would suggest mach is doing what's its told but the SS is not sending it to the C11.


now thinking it may be something with the smooth stepper, I'm booting up the pc that the lathe came with, with W7 so I can use the parallel port on it. this will take out the SS. if it works it's the SS, if it doesn't...…… back to square one.

confirmed..

just got the other pc going, installed mach. took the machturn file of the other pc. typed M4 s1000 in the MDI line. and the chuck started going CCW.

so all is well using the parallel port but not with the SS.

any ideas?

Maybe you are missing some settings in the plugin?

I am am sure you have to setup the spindle in the Smoothstepper plugin configuration.

However, you said you were just changing over from LinuxCNC to Mach 3. Last time I checked Smooth Stepper was not supported by LinuxCNC. Did you add the SS or is there now LinuxCNC support for the Smoothstepper?

The lathe was running on Linux through the PP. I then got another pc (laptop) with mach3 on it and added the SS.
Because of the problems, I then put a blank Hdd in the linux PC and put windows on it. Then run the lathe through the PP.

With mach and the SS, cant get CCW from the spindle. with mach through the PP (no SS) i can get CCW to work. latter today i will put the SS on the PP PC to see if it's a laptop thing.

as for the SS plug in. I can only see one bit that sets up the spindle and thats the PWM or step/dir options.