[Jim Blackwood]

I have the DMC-2160 controller.
We are at the point where we need to get and install CAM software to run the controller. Other than Mach3 and a couple more I can't think of at the moment I don't really know what is available and have no idea what the best choice would be but it seem that to use Mach3 we would need a plug-in to interpret the commands into the Galil language and I've not been able to find that. Is this interpreter available somewhere?

The application is a 4 axis conventional milling machine (Bridgeport), but we would like to interface with Slic3r and Skeinforge software if possible.

We have no particular reason to stich with Mach except that one of our guys has a 3D router running it.

Thanks for any help,

Jim

[Al_The_Man]

I have used Galil for some years now, and rue the fact that they have not come out with a CNC front end for their systems, they usually promote Camsoft as the only front end developer.
The did come out with an operator interface for the now legacy cards which was a breeze to use and set up a system, but did not want to pursue it on later version cards.
Most of the systems I have designed have been dedicated systems where actual G/M code is not used.
Galil offers true closed loop over Mach so Electronic gearing and electronic Cam is possible.
The other advantage with Galil is that surplus or cheaper

[ger21]

The Galil Mach3 plugin is here:
Plugins - Newfangled Solutions

Mach3 is not CAM software, and you're not looking for CAM software. You want control software. I think CamSoft works with Galil. Any option other than Mach3 is going to probably cost at least 10x more than Mach3.

[Al_The_Man]

Maybe Mach have ironed out many of the bugs now, when I last looked at it there were still issues.
BTW, the CAM routine I mentioned is not related to the CAM S/W. but a reproduction of a mechanical CAM follower motion.
Al.

[Jim Blackwood]

That is helpful, I just found and printed out the Galil/Mach3 plug in instructions:
http://www.machsupport.com/wp-conten...alilPlugIn.pdf

1) My guy with the router thinks Slicer will work fine with that because it outputs G-code but a lot of this is new to me.

2) I have 4 AMC analog amps (B25A20ACQ I think), two Parker ZX610 servo motors, a PacSci R34 (plus a spare) and an MPC Penta series brushed motor on a gear reducer to run the knee. My next big bottleneck is finding the plug to hook the power leads to the Penta. Any help there would be great. It's a square 3 pin plug with one flat 1/4" spade terminal and two that look like a similar blade bent into a "U" shape with short legs. Anybody seen something that looks like that?

3) The penta has a smaller square three pin connector on the feedback, so I'm just guessing that's a tachometer but I seem to recall that a tachometer will work with the Galil, anybody know off hand?

4) I bought four optical encoders (600 P/R) 600P R Photoelectric Rotary Encoder Incremental 5 24V AB Two Phases Shaft 6mm | eBay
Plus couplers to adapt them to the Parker and PacSci motors. I'll have to make mounts for them but that doesn't look difficult.
I understand these can be run in quadrature? No clue how to do that but if it gives 2400 pulses per revolution on my .200" lead ballscrews wouldn't that give under one tenth resolution? (How hard is ti to set these up?)

Sorry about all the questions. I'll number them for reference to help with the confusion. You guys are the best, that's why I keep coming back here.

Jim

[Al_The_Man]

600 p/rev encoders are considered a tad low resolution by today's standard, I generally use 2000 min, also Galil provides the 5v required for the encoder, not 24v, The resolution is just entered as a scaling factor.
Tach's are not needed with most of the analogue cards now used in the torque mode or to Galil, as the encoder is the feedback to Galil.
If you have motors with tach's, just remove the brushes and leave off the connections.
If you can post a photo of the plug's it would be easier to definitely identify them.
Al.

[Al_The_Man]

Incidentally Galil multiply's the p/rev x4 so 600p/rev encoders equals 2400p/rev to Galil.
Al.

[Jim Blackwood]

Thanks Al, that's what I was hoping for.

OK, I've attached some photos of the connectors:
First the power connector as I described it with the "U" shaped contacts.
Then a shot of both connectors.
Next a shot of the smaller feedback connector,
and finally a shot of the smaller feedback plug.

The plug for the power connectors should look somewhat similar to the smaller one I think, and it should be something close to 1" square where the smaller one is closer to 5/8" square. The larger one is the one I need.

So is there anything other than a tachometer that this could be using for feedback what with only 3 wires connected to it?

Jim

[keebler303]

Those look like DIN 43650 air solenoid connectors.

Solenoid Connectors & DIN Valve Connectors from Binder-USA
[url=http://www.molex.com/molex/products/family?key=mpm_connectors&channel=PRODUCTS&chanName=family&pageTitle=Introduction]Brad

[Al_The_Man]

You could trace it physically to determine it is the tach, otherwise if you know the main motor DC, then a meter on a pair of the tach leads will show a DC voltage when the shaft is spun, possibly 1 is shield, the other two the DC output which will change polarity when you spin in the opposite direction.
I have never seen the exact connector, you could search Digikey online to see if one shows up.
It looks very similar to Solenoid coil connectors.
Al.

[Jim Blackwood]

Hey, I appreciate all the help!
I ordered that connector, it came in and it was indeed the right one. In the meantime I have completed the mount for the PacSci motor on the quill and have mounted the encoders on the x,y and quill and have mini proxes installed for limits and home switches. We now have Mach3 installed on the PC along with the plug-in for the Galil controller.

Greg has been working on hooking up the motors and amps but he says he can't commutate the motors without Hall sensors. Does this make sense to you guys or are we missing something here? The amps have a test position and Greg says he thinks he should be able to run open loop test and get the motor to rotate.

I don't really understand the purpose of commutation very well. Are we trying to index the encoders to some set position of the armature's rotation? Because I don't think the encoders have any sort of an index pulse.

Jim

[Al_The_Man]

For the B25A20 you normally need hall effect sensors on BLDC motors for these drives.
The drives will error out without, you may get them to run with the dip sw set to 120°, but they should have commutation tracks on the encoder or separate hall effect?
What feedback or device do the motors have?
Al.

[Jim Blackwood]

All the motors are now fitted with these encoders:
600P R Photoelectric Rotary Encoder Incremental 5 24V AB Two Phases Shaft 6mm | eBay
In addition the Parker motors (x,y) have resolvers but I understood those don't work with the amps or with the Galil controller which is why I added the encoders.
If the Galil controller uses the encoder outputs are the hall sensors still needed to run the amps?
It's pretty confusing.

Jim