Hello,
I have a desktop taig mill using the standard parallel port driven stepper motors. No encoders. The PC is a 1Ghz box, XP-SP2 with no extraneous software running in the background. I have Bob-CAD to generate g-code files for a part I'm trying to make. I have the acceleration & velocities on the 3 axis slowed way down - 25IPM. The Mach3 test program (can't recall the exact name) indicates the computer / pulse generator is fine. I'm running the latest Mach3 (V3.043). The slides are not binding and Mach3 can run full travel in manual mode at fast/slow/med speeds. I do not have backlash compensation on.
The problem is that when I run the g-code file, after some number of lines, I get "Limit switch hit" error. It is not reproducible. If I re-run the file, it fails at some different line. I understand the limit swich error is because the system is somehow losing track of where it is, losing a pulse or something like that. All the moves are relatively short. Some are 2 axis, some are single axis. This occurs without doing any cutting. I have the Z stage up and just want to see if all the moves will be completed.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to remedy this? Is there a control of the acceptible error band for the stepper motors? Also, is there anything like a standard test g-code file that exercises system and verifies correct operation?
Thanks for any input.
- Dave