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IndustryArena Forum > CNC Electronics > SmoothStepper Motion Control > uss sends dir and step signals to other axis while jogging in 1 axis
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    8

    uss sends dir and step signals to other axis while jogging in 1 axis

    Hi all,

    I attach a copy of the email I send to Warp9 about the issues I have with the USS. I believe its resolution will be helpful to all users:


    Dear Sir,


    I am sending you this email to help troubleshoot the problem I have with ss.



    The main reproducible problem (in both port1 & 2 of smoothstepper, tested in both my desktop pc and laptop, with latest driver and plugin (2.08.30 and v17fd and Mach3Version3.043.066) and earlier versions (2.08.14 and v17f and Mach3Version3.043.050) is=


    (SS just plugged in the usb and powered by it, without anything else connected apart from the oscilloscope probe on pin 8 (z dir out) of port1 and oscilloscope ground to a ground pin)


    Start Mach3 with the proxxon mill profile, (xml attached), press tab after hitting reset (I inverted input logic temporarily on the estop pin to allow using the smoothstepper without my estop signal just by utilising its pullup resistor of its input), to show the jog window. Press Jog Mode once to select step. Press z- and the scope shows +5V. Then press jog Mode once again to select continuous mode. Then press x+,x-,y+ or y-. The Z dir will change and the scope will register 0v.


    Also the Z dir output will change from 0 to 5V even if you do not press z - in the initial step. Just press whatever axis in whatever dir you want.



    Also, I encountered other problems that I was not able to reproduce them like the above which involve registered step signals sent by ss when no motion (jog or g-code execution) takes place. A variation of this that has also occurred is that while my mill was executing g code, one or 2 axis did not move properly as if their corresponding dir and step signals where corrupted to the point they even seize to move. (Just to let you know that my stepper drivers are optically isolated from smooth stepper, and at that time the spindle was off as I was performing air-cuts to test my h/w. Also, I have registered the signals came from ss and there was not any induced noise from the ustepping choppers. Having read in the forums that people had problems with induced noise on the usb cable that caused ss to perform erratically puzzled me since I have not seen any corrupt com message by the ss which would show up if that was the case since it performs double crc. Finally, the past 8 years these stepper drivers worked flawlessly, (without the ss, just by opto-isolation to the parallel port).



    I would be grateful for your feedback and in case you want further info please do not hesitate to contact me.




    ************ I THINK I RESOLVED IT *****************

    I found out at this webpage =https://allcnc4you.wordpress.com/tag/smoothstepper/

    that its outputs ar OC (open collector) as thinking that if such a cause existed would fit into the cause of the problem.

    I THINK THIS IS IT! I'LL CHECK IT AND UPDATE!!!
    (Haven't seen in the Warp9 manual whether the outputs are OC and thought that since they both sink-source 32mA whouldn't be OC outputs)



    George

    Attached Files Attached Files

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    8

    Unhappy Re: uss sends dir and step signals to other axis while jogging in 1 axis

    Well,
    I was wrong since the link was not saying what I thought but that the BOB 4 the ss accepts oc encoder signals. Also, a 10kohm pull up on any scoped ss pins did not produce the anticipated result...

    Thus, still desperate................

    I think I will set up my old desktop since I have a bad feeling this is difficult to troubleshoot...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    8

    Re: uss sends dir and step signals to other axis while jogging in 1 axis

    Well, good news.

    Confirmed that USS sends wrong dir signals, BUT ONLY when the respective driver is NOT receiving step signals.(Confirmed by Greg at Warp9 too).

    Also, the step signals are NOT issued by the SS, but were caused within the ustepping driver by excess noise on the 5V logic bus. (Checked it with oscilloscope-both the absence of step signals from USS during the unintended ustepping driver steps and the spikes on the 5V supply at the chopper's frequency).
    (My original non-noisy measurements were taken with a lower voltage ustepping power supply and I had assumed that although changed to a ps with double the voltage, the noise would not be a problem, well I was wrong).

    Thats all,

    yioryos

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