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Now I am puzzled. I ran the same gcode 3 times (the one that was loosing so many steps). Once with sherline off and 2 for pw. Was slightly off, maybe 1 mm. Ran same again with screen off, same result. Ran same again with pw 5 and sherline mode, SAME result.
That must be mechanical, but clearly I got rid of almost all of that mechanical issue because it's so much closer and consistent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arbo
I can relate to your frustration. Since you been running your machine successfully for so long I would rule out Mach settings, although I would keep the PW at 5 like Carveone suggested. When I had my issues's due to the large file bug in Mach3 that shutting display off fixed, my lost steps was very random and on different axis, so I think you can rule that out as well. I think I read in one of your post that your losing the steps on the X axis, at least you have it narrowed down to where to look for mechanical
problems.
Good Luck,
Dan
+1Quote:
Since you been running your machine successfully for so long I would rule out Mach settings, although I would keep the PW at 5 like Carveone suggested
2 is the minimum. 5 gives you a little safety margin, and doesn't affect performance.
Sherline is only really needed when the machine will not run smoothly at all.
If your running near the edge of your machine's performance capabilities, it doesn't take much to cause lost steps. Lack of lubrication, or even very minimal binding can cause problems.
I'd even try reducing accel and velocity maybe 10%.
Come to think of it, for each of those tests I had jacked up my drive speeds just so it didn't take as long. Will run one at 'normal' speeds and see how it comes out.Quote:
Originally Posted by ger21
If your cranking up the Feedrate Override, that can cause problems, especially if you get near 200%. It's best to program for higher feedrates and dial it down.
In general I always just set the feedrate right when generating the gcode... on occasion i crank it down a little depending on what it is doing. But yeah I have only cranked it up for this testing.Quote:
Originally Posted by ger21
and when i run the code with 5 pw at normal speed.... works perfectly.
I did the test that Ger21 is recommending (taskbar/cpu performance) and seen the cpu usage was pinned at 100% when gcode file was loaded into Mach. So I just recently upgrade also and found a great deal on ebay and extremely happy with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arbo
Here's the link.
Fast Dell Desktop Computer PC Core 2 Duo 3 0GHz 4GB 160GB Windows 7 Pro WiFi | eBay
Well the new tiny pc i am building may not 'fix' any issues, but it will most likely help things run better. And free up a good bit of space in a corner when I get the monitor mounted to the wall and the new pc too.
Glad to see that your machine is running better now.
I disappeared over the weekend due to getting married. I'll have her sanding and finishing my projects for me in no time. (yeah, good luck with that) ....
Got married? Congratulations.Quote:
Originally Posted by CarveOne
Hey, btw, I will be out that way end of sept, beggining of Oct, if you are around that first weekend in oct maybe I can run out and see what new stuff you have been making.
Hey arbo what's up? Wish you lived close to me to help me with my machine. I haven't finished yet because of lack of funds. I should finish sooner or later.
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I'll probably be around during that time frame. You're welcome to drop by. The old white and brown double wide you saw a few years ago was replaced early this year with a brand new one. I'll be going to Jim McGrew's Aspire Camp in Columbia, SC May 18 -21. It has been a very busy year so far.
Jerseydog, how close to complete are you?
CareveOne, yeah, I can't believe it's may already. It's crazy. Will get in touch when I get out there, see if you are around. No doubt I can see some of the stuff you are up to and get inspired.
Hey arbo I'm working on the cooling system just need 2 more fans to complete enclosure. I posted on my build the enclosure I decided to make. All I need will be to run power to the machine. But so many things have came up that has slowed my progress down.
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All of my projects can be found by searching the vectric.com forums. My latest two Paradise boxes are my most elaborate efforts, but will be delivered to my great neice Zoey and to a lady in Florida named Svetlana. Search by those names and you should be able to find them. I made two different Celtic swords and two versions of a dagger also. I have a Celtic themed battle shield project that hasn't been cut yet, and some cigar box guitars.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arbo
Should get the MB for the new smaller PC tomorrow which means loading up a hd and making sure all works, kinda excited. Hung a monitor on the wall and got a trackball to replace the mouse, so I can have a smaller footprint for the computer area. Am wondering about those smoothsteppers and if it's worth the 200 bucks if everything else works fine already, and if it's just a plug and play into the g540.
So much info, and so much that contradicts. I guess I can run win 7 32 bit on the new machine, and have mach 3 work fine with the PP. If I want to do the ESS, that would work on it, but would probably want to go to win 7 64 bit.
I found this 'dry' lube today while tooling around home depot. I know some people talking about lubricating different parts, but all that I have ever found is 'wet' lube, and with all the dust this creates, to me, that's just a recipe for disaster.
Figured I'd give it a shot. My 'shop' is small so I have glued and painted on the x rails of my machine just due to a lack of space. So I went over them with some fine sandpaper to clean off all the gunk, then used this stuff I found. It goes on, then as it dries leaves a residue. I simply wiped that off, and man, those rails are smooth. Think I am gonna go through the machine today after some more cleaning out there, replace bearings where needed, and hit up all my cold rolled with this stuff. Maybe even my threaded rod, not sure about that yet.
It's pretty simple, really.Quote:
So much info, and so much that contradicts. I guess I can run win 7 32 bit on the new machine, and have mach 3 work fine with the PP. If I want to do the ESS, that would work on it, but would probably want to go to win 7 64 bit.
Mach3 will run on any OS from XP forward. You can use a motion controller with any OS.
If you want to use the parallel port, you can only use 32 bit versions of XP, Vista, or 7.
As far as how well Mach3 runs with the parallel port, it can vary greatly from PC to PC. Newer PC's actually appear to be more problematic, but I don't have any personal experience. I'm still running a Pentium III.
Yeah I am setting up the new one, went with win7 32 bit. Figure that way I can keep with the PP, and add a ESS down the road. Just got it loaded, copying stuff to usb to take over and install now, like mach 3 and my backup license and xml. will see how it works.