[LowryIndustries]

First, I have posted a fairly complete set of manuals for the Bridgeport Boss6.
Then, I need HELP!

Here are the manuals I have posted. In my experience, most of not all of these manuals were virtually impossible to obtain until now.
These manuals are in zip format.

R2E4 CNC
EZ-FILE
Bridgeport Series I CNC Program Entries Descriptions
Series II CNC Programming Manual
Series I Programming Manual
Series II CNC Operating Manual
Series II CNC Maintanance Manual with full schematics
NC-Programming-Sheet
Bridgeport-BOSS-G-Codes
SERIES-1-CNC-PROGRAMING-MANUAL-Untitled


I NEED HELP WITH MACH3 TALKING THROUGH DAREK'S BOB.
For the life of me cannot get Darek Ashburn's Hillbilly BOB to work with my bridgeport. I have tried everything and am completely stumped.

I have a Bridgeport Series II CNC, which works just fine. Everything on it is good and it runs without a hitch.

That is, until I hook up the Mach 3. Then it becomes a paperweight. No jog, no nothing.

I think the problem has to do with the inputs. None of the input lights come on. Ever. I have no idea if this is normal or what.
Also, when trying to run a program I get to the message "“Spindle Start Requested” in m3.m1s, and nothing happens afterward. The next line is SystemWaitFor(Input2) and it simply hangs there. Waiting for an Input2 which it never receives?

I also don't know what to look for to see if the NOT E-STOPPED signal has been sent.
Then, does pressing the Emergency Stop on the mill do something? How do I reset the software?

I have gone through everything including rechecking the wiring, and no go. I have followed the instruction in the document "USING MACH3 WITH BRIDGEPORT STEPPER DRIVES" including creating the new macros, but still nothing.
I have checked the Bios to ensure the parallel port is properly configured. Apparently it is, with the port set to ECP+EPP, and the IO range is also correct.
I checked the parallel port cable and it is good on all lines.
I cannot for the life of me figure out why I am not getting any input from the mill at all.

I have a series of pictures here which should help. (The Bridgeport was fully running when these pics were taken.)
http://www.lowryindustries.com/i_nee...ith_mach_3.htm

Info on the BOB can be had here.
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=646.0

Hopefully someone will have a suggestion.
I need HELP!!

[ViperTX]

First thing is check your printer cable and make sure the input pins are to one with the output pins.

When you hit the EStop on Mach3 does anything (LED) change on the BOB?

Does the Bridgeport have it's own EStop? What happens if you hit it?

Can you manually trigger the Z-axis switch on the Bridgeport?

Are you sure you have power at the Bridgeport?

I noticed that all your stepper motor outputs are off and you haven't assigned any pins/ports.

Paul

[LowryIndustries]

Thank you Paul for helping!

I thought about the printer cable being the problem, so I bought the naked D25 ends and wire, and made my own printer cable. So I know this isn't the problem.

When I hit the EStop in Mach3, the EStop stops blinking so that seems to work but I do not notice any change in the LED's on the BOB.

When I press ESTOP on the Bridgeport, I notice no change in Mach3 or the LED's on the BOB.

The bridgeport is powered. The display comes up and I can start the spindle manually.

For some reason, the Mach3 doesn't seem able to see that the spindle is started, but it also won't jog either.

[ViperTX]

Okay, so there is a problem with the wiring (probably a ground).

Let's start with the EStop on the BP is it a NC or NO.

Turn off all the power and use an ohm-meter to trace the signal to the BOB.

If the wires track all the way to the BOB and you can see change when you bump the EStop on the BP, then the Input side of the BOB must not be powered up.

Paul

[ViperTX]

Are you using the opto-isolated inputs, if you are then you a current limiting resistor to VCC to make the input to the opto-isolator work.

Paul

[LowryIndustries]

Thank you again for your help.

I am going to do two things.

First, contact the board maker to be sure I have the wires correctly interfaced with the Bridgeport. The documentation is very sketchy at best.

I am wondering if I was supposed to bypass the BOSS ZDI card and wire the BOB directly to the wiring harness. I don't know, and hopefully I will learn soon.

Second, the EStop is not NC, but there is apparently a line which indicates if it has been pressed or not.

So, I am going to have to learn more about how this board is wired to the Bridgeport, and go from there!