[eabrust]

Hi,

Can folks confirm the controllers they are using with this? (or if they're just using direct drive parallel port) - I'm using the CDXHXTech mach 3 MK4-V card (this one CNC Mach3 motion control card-MKX-V Products ???????????) and it doesn't work properly - mostly, using any of the probe routines in this wizard just pops up an error, but sometimes, randomly (maybe 1 in 8 times?), it seems to work, and other times it starts the routine but doesn't complete it properly - eg doesn't back off as specified.

I tried ProbeIt as well - and that also doesn't work properly. Again - randomly, it will seem to work ok (a bit more than 1/2 the time), but when it doesn't work the results are much more dangerous - the prope will suddenly take off at full rapid speed in a random direction. It bent a prope tip this way, it ignored a soft limit and was heading for full rapid end-stop crash before I stopped it.

Using a probe to automatically position work pieces would be so useful though, so I'm looking for a USB controller that properly supports the Mach3 GCodes needed - either for this wizard or the ProbeIt one - does it exist?

I don't want to go the gecko route, I've already got some decent drivers that I'm running at 52V and 4.5amps.

cheers,
Kevin.

Hi Kevin

this should apply to any Mach3 probing wizard addon:

Known to work for X/Y/Z probing: parallel port, CNCDrive devices (UC100, UC300, etc), Smoothstepper, CSLabs CSMIO, PDMX devices.

Likely to work (haven't confirmed): PoKeys devices.

Almost 100% guaranteed to NOT work: Any device that likely came out of China (such as your device, dead giveaway being the webpage you link to). They may work for tool touch (z probe only), but as soon as you throw a G31 x### y### at them (even manually via MDI command), they misbehave badly and randomly.


Sorry to hear you bent a tip testing ProbeIt, but the manual and the webpage for ProbeIt does provide a warning about using chinese controllers, and lists some of the known good devices.

regards
Eric