Troubleshooting - Cycle Start - problem

This problem I'm having has me pulling my pubic hairs out

I "" THINK "" my mach 3 setting are correct.

The machine seems to do everything but completely running any of the mach 3 demo g-code programs. The machine jogs and keeps inside my set soft limits and calibrated itself.

I'm trying to complete my 1st g-code program dry run. I jog each axis to it's center location, zero out the DRO's, then jog to a different location, load up the demo g-code demos, hit Cycle Start.

The machine starts the spindle and travels to the set start location. Then stops - even the spindle turns off. If I don't jog away from the start point, the spindle does a quick down movement and the machine stops.

The DRO's and tool path keeps moving and when it finishing the program the spindle moves back to it's safe position.

I made sure I don't have the offline button activated.

I'm stumped

Watch out on a bigger hair, you might pop your eyes :)

OK, you have a machine and you are using Mach3, AND have some problems.

I also have a machine and am using Mach3 and have NO problems.

You know, I have a crystal ball, but it has not arrived from polishing (yet) so I (we) can't help you 'cause I (we) can't "see" your hardware: parallel port or external motion controller (make and model), and other relevant information that would help me (us) to help you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZASto

Watch out on a bigger hair, you might pop your eyes :)

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I should be ok aboot not shooting my eye's out. I grew up watching A Christmas Story :: That has been a very good " learn from others mistakes " PSA



Confused :: Can't edit my post with updates. Is it because it was moved ¿?

Yeah - sorry aboot not adding - Damn-its - parts info. The older I get, the faster the internet life is getting faster and faster. lol

The little guy is a chinacnczone / chinacnc-router steel 6090 with a 4 axis USB MKS4-V?4 axis motion card and 220v MK100 invert and 2.2kW spindle.

Being ran by an ancient 2005 Dell OptiPlex GX520 that I upgraded to PCI-e by solder in a PCI-e connector from a non-functioning paper copy machine :: Feel pretty Smug aboot that accomplishment :: Next I'm going to try solder in the missing ram connectors and see it will also auto-detect them, Will allow me to go from 4Gig of RAM to More


Update findings. It turns out the machine is moving, just tiny - tiny movements and very slow.

Also - when I load the roadrunner program, the tool path windows shows it very - very tiny. ¿ Probably a symptom of my issue. ?

So as I stared blankly at the mach 3 display, I decided to play with the axis scaling settings.

The +100% was too big "" Displayed the tool path off the table ""
The +25% was to small "" Still displayed tiny - tiny ""
The +55% was about just right "" the tool path displayed big enough too see and small enough to stay on the table ""

Using the +55% scaling and bumping the feed rate to 3000 - makes it able to see Damn-it moving like he kinda should.

I have mach 3 setup in mm - Maybe my problem or not - Figured it would be the best option, since the machine was designed and built with metric designers and metric parts. I don't want to run the chance of confusing - Damn-it - or running the possibility of giving - Damn-it - any inferiority complex. It is only about a month old.

Not having any luck finding any more or detailed technical documents of the Damn-its parts. just the normal "" Just enough to entice, but not enough to answer wanted questions. Why is it, that the offshore manufactures never fully document their products, seems like they think a picture of the settings is enough, but nothing about what they are ?¿ or why you would want to use them.

I will keep searching for the fix. Unless somebody slaps me with a "" you dumbass - uncheck that box check box ""

For a roadrunner, you should edit the roadrunner.tap and add G20 at the beginning of the file as the G-code is in Inches and your machine is set in metric units.

Code:

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G20 <-- this one
F60.000000
G0 X0.000000 Y0.000000 Z0.200000
M3
S60.000000
G43H5
G0 X0.000000 Y0.000000 Z0.200000

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Without G20 your preview, as well as the motion will be 25.4 times smaller. :)

Is there any message on the screen when the spindle stops?

The only messages were -- Flashing in red -- what ever was the 1st line in the g-code.

1 of the tests I did was edit the Roadrunner g-code by deleting and saving the 1st line of code -- then the next line and the next line -- That didn't seem to be going anywhere. That's when I started playing with the Scaling DRO's.

ZASto pegged it. Adding the G20 to the 1st line of g-code did the trick.

Listening to ZASto and also reading and watching youtube videos. Adding the G20 to the 1st line temporarily set Damn-it to Imperial Inches that made him correctly scale the output file.


Mr. nutz has a video Change between Inches and millimeters on your CNC - CNCnutz Episode 245 Even tho he lives upside down in Australia - he was able to make me understand the G20 and G21 codes and how to convert between the 2.

Here is a link to it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfhD1FHhG9A


Now I know I have different ways to change the g-code.

1. Add the G20 / G21 codes to the g-code.

2. Use the scaling buttons and setting the scaling to 25.4% -- Since 25.4mm = 1in

3. load the file in a post processor to change the units of measurement.

4. ? Change Damn-its native units of measurement and re-calibrate his speed per.



Another question I have is.... I setup Damn-it to use the "" generic brand of measurement "" Because he is built with metric parts.
Will I encounter any Gotcha ya's or pitfalls if I retrain him to use the correct way of measurement -- Imperial __ ?

I'm guessing I will need to re-setup and calibrate his steps per, speed and velocity. Right ?
Or does the fact that he has the handicapped disability of being designed and built with the "2nd rate" metric sized parts and will never be able to output g-code in 1:1 ?

You should not use scaling buttons.
Only right thing is to inform Mach3 about measurement system used in G-code (G20 or G21).
All demo G-codes supplied with Mach3 are in imperial units, and some do not have a designation of units in code itself.

Would the mod change the title to solved.. Thank you