[SCzEngrgGroup]

Isn't this a stepper machine?

If you're looking to permanently switch to metric you might find some pointers on this thread...
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/novako...on-metric.html
As I recall the thread quickly changed from "how to do it" to "why you shouldn't" though, so it might not have everything you need.

No "conversion" is necessary. The machine is perfectly capable of working in Imperial or Metric, regardless of which system was used to configure it. Changing the entire configuration (steps per, velocity, accel, etc.) from one system to the other is a waste of time, and will make absolutely no difference whatsoever in any aspect of performance. Use G20/G21 to select which system you want to work in, and you're done. If you ALWAYS want to work in Metric, add G21 to the setup string. If you ALWAYS want to work in Imperial, add G20 to the setup string. If you sometimes work in Metric, sometimes in Imperial, just make sure your G-code files always contain either G20 or G21, as required by that file. That's all you need to do.

Regards,
Ray L.

[treyjugson]

Isn't this a stepper machine?

If you're looking to permanently switch to metric you might find some pointers on this thread...
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/novako...on-metric.html
As I recall the thread quickly changed from "how to do it" to "why you shouldn't" though, so it might not have everything you need.

Very good thread hirudin, you gave some helpful info. it's a metric world out there and mach 3 gives the option for setting everything metric for a reason no doubt.

[Hirudin]

Thanks!

SCzEngrgGroup,
Do the settings of Mach3 change from imperial to metric when you add "G21" to the init string?

Would you say there might be an advantage to using the same measurement system in the Mach3 settings that you use in your everyday life?

[treyjugson]

I think there might be a big advantage to a guy that is used to everything metric having all his settings in mach 3 metric as well, if he has to troubleshoot and go into the settings i bet he'd rather not have to convert from imperial all the time.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Thanks!

SCzEngrgGroup,
Do the settings of Mach3 change from imperial to metric when you add "G21" to the init string?

Would you say there might be an advantage to using the same measurement system in the Mach3 settings that you use in your everyday life?

No, as I said, there is no absolutely functional advantage whatsoever. The configuration settings remain in whichever units they were originally configured for. G20/G21 re-scale all coordinates from the units used in configuration to the units used in the g-code. This is an exact conversion (1 inch == exactly 25.4mm), so there is no loss of precision (other than the infinitesimal rounding and precision error introduced by the floating point math used in Mach3 to do the conversion, and that error is several orders of magnitude too small to be even worth thinking about). The only time you'll ever see the "native" units is if you go in to change them, and I don't know why you'd ever do that, once the machine is setup and working properly.

There is one thing to check - I haven't used Mach3 in ages, so I don't recall.... The tool table (tool lengths, etc.) may always be in "native" units, regardless of G20/G21 settings. That could be a reason for making the change, if you really want them to be in one units or the other.

Regards,
Ray L.

[treyjugson]

so who sets the settings? is it set by novakon and locked out or are users able to change the settings to their preference. i read people running different rapid rates so they must be able to adjust it therefore a guy might prefer mm/sec to ipm if that's what he uses for his cam and so forth. i would think a canadian based company would use metric as default.

[Hirudin]

The settings are all user-adjustable. Seems like keeping all those settings in a single measurement system would be preferable. Of course, some people would prefer to save three precious minutes. To each their own I guess.

[FineLineAuto]

Hello Daniel,

We would like to echo and add to what Ray has stated. The stand wiring can be connected as indicated in the attached picture. The Blue set of wires are used for the spray down pump and are connected to the 220VAC terminals and is controlled from the switch on the front of the stand.The red wires are connected through the SSR and the 220VAC terminal also as indicated. The SSR is activated via the flood control in Mach3.

The hum in the X axis can be controlled by adjusting the "position feed back gain" parameter P009 on the servo driver. You can lower this (maybe in increments of 5) until the hum goes away. The default factory setting is 40 and we may have made some adjustments to this already before it was shipped. We would have lowered it to just above the threshold. The X axis seems to be the only axis usually needing adjustment.

If unplugging the sensors does not stop the E-stop triggers, try unplugging the N.O. soft stop plug from the BOB and see if it false triggers. The E-stop button will still control the hard stop since it will cut off the driver power via the power relay. This will indicate if the triggers are originating from the E-Stop cabling.

Regards,
Novakon Team

Make sure you follow the write to EPROM procedure in the drive manual otherwise the setting won't save. But me yesterday when I was changing a wrong parameter on my servo drive.


Nate
Fine Line Automation
Home - Fine Line Automation

[MBViklund]

So I had some things done yesterday. Changed mach from inches to mm. The only settings I think I have to change is the motor tuning, takes anybody 5 minutes to do. I set the limit switches to only act as homing switches and nothing else and tuned my soft limits. (They are also displayed in system units, metric is easier for me :-) Found out what I was doing wrong with the homing as well. I was using G28 to home, while I should have used the ref all button. Stupid mistake from not knowing enough and not seeing the button.

Tried changing setting P009 in the servo driver. It was set at 40, stepped it down in increments of 5 but the sound was still there at 10. So i never bothered saving the changes in the EPROM. Did not know that the smallest step actually was 0.0254mm. Will have to check that setting.

Filled the tank with coolant and tested the pumps. They worked so everything is good.

Installed machSTDmill screenset. I like the way everything is lined up and looks. It includes alot of scripts for probing which atleast looks good. But I have not tested doing anything with it yet... Made a copy of the original mach folder in case I want to go back.

Hopefully I will get my probes working today. Then I am going to make something.

Will Order the capacitor today ray. :-)

[hayes]

MSM is fantastic for probing. I can't imagine doing any work without it now.

[FineLineAuto]

MSM is fantastic for probing. I can't imagine doing any work without it now.

I second that. I use MSM with the wildhorse probe. Very good combo.


Nate
Fine Line Automation
Home - Fine Line Automation

[Kenny Duval]

Make that 3 for the MSM package.

[kvom]

You might have to change the jog increments as well.

[UniqueMachining]

4 for MSM. Could'nt imagine using the standard Mach screen set.
Probing is the only way to go. Used to use a warbler but the probing functions make it so much quicker.

John

[MBViklund]

So I got to test the probing stuff in MSM yesterday. So far i really like it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho479aDqNpE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhxcKB0HXD0

In the video where i'm probing the hole you can hear what the x-axis sounds like. I can't get rid of it by changeing the values in the servo drive. It could be a combination of mechanical rubbing and the frequency of the motors. If i touch the end of the screw the sound goes away instantly. Sometimes when i move the table and stop the screw continues to make a sound until touched or if i move the table. Any Ideas?

[engnerdan]

So I recently had a noise very similar. Now my machine is is nothing like yours for motors or controls, so yours might be different than mine as for the cause.

For me, both times it was caused by a jammed circuit of balls in the ball nut. Some background, there are 5 "circuits" of ball bearings that recirculate inside each ball nut. If this is what is causing it, it is nearly impossible to positively diagnose because there is no way to see inside the ball nut while it is in use. In my case I had 2 different causes of the jamming, 1 was a broken ball nut caused by a crash during some tuning a while back and the second was caused by some dirt/debris that got into the ball nut. The second one fixed its self by chance, I left the machine sitting for a while with the lube pump on. Eventually enough lube was pushed through the bearing to clear the debris. In my cases what was happening is the ball screw is having to slide over the ball bearings in the ball nut, instead of the ball bearings rotating smoothly. This seems to cause a resonance in the ball screw, much like running your finger around the rim of a whine glass makes the glass ring.

When you turn the handwheels/knobs for the X and Y axis is there a noticeable difference in resistance? Is your lube system primed of all the air and do you have plenty of lube on the ways of the X and Y?

[SCzEngrgGroup]

In the video where i'm probing the hole you can hear what the x-axis sounds like. I can't get rid of it by changeing the values in the servo drive. It could be a combination of mechanical rubbing and the frequency of the motors. If i touch the end of the screw the sound goes away instantly. Sometimes when i move the table and stop the screw continues to make a sound until touched or if i move the table. Any Ideas?

First step is to figure out if the problem is mechanical, or electrical. Does the axis move smoothly, and quietly, when you turn the knob on the left end of the ballscrew, with the drives powered down? Is there any discernable backlash? You might want to check to make sure the ballscrew is secured to it's mount. The mounting screws can be reached without doing any disassembly using these: 7 Pc 3/8 in. Drive Metric Long Reach Hex Bit Socket Set

Mine has made odd noises on occasion. In every case it was due to that knob just slightly touching the bearing block it rides against. Removing the knob (it's held on with a singe Philips screw in the center), and putting a little grease between it and the bearing block made the noise go away.

Regards,
Ray L.

[MBViklund]

Now I have been out checking the mill. As I said before I felt like the X axis was grinding a bit. So I removed the servo from the screw but the grinding was still there. So I decided to tear everything apart to see what was the issue. Removed the right side bearing first and was then able to puch the table to clear the ballnut. Luckily the ballnut was fine. Even though the ballscrew had a lot of metal dust on it. Looks like it comes from when it was ground. Cleaned the screw up with wd40 and used the lubing system to puch fresh oil in to the nut.

Checked the bearing on the right side and there was the issue. Could clearly feel it kind of grinding, like a over tensioned bearing does. Loosened the nut that tightens the bearings but it felt the same way. Used a plastic mallet trying to get the whole assembly of the screw but it would not go all the way. So I pushed it back in again. When it was back in place the bearings felt ok! Tightened the nut again and still ok. So mounted the mill back together and tested. Sound gone! Could still hear some whining from the motor. This time it worked to adjust the driver.

My conclusion is that one or both bearings must have been out of alignment in the bearing housing. It seems fine now but I don't know if the bearings was damaged from this. I'm not very impressed...

I still have a problem with estop and have to reseting mach to be able to run. Seems to be happening more often when I go really slow in X or y. I have disconnected the e stop on the spindle completely and it still happens. The limit switches are only set to be home switches.

I also noticed that the table locks it self when going to the right. I can move it freely to the right side untill I have about 3 cm of the gibs showing. Then I feel it locks. See attached picture. The steel measuring thing (can't remember the English word for it) is liying across the gibs on both sides. Is it correct that the gib adjusting triangular bar is the highest point? Does not feel right?

The table is moving freely to the left. I almost feel like it is a little bit to much play.


One USB port on the outside is not working. Have not tested if it is the port on the mother board is damaged. Hope it is only the cable.Attachment 265186

[Kenny Duval]

2 points off for not holding your phone the correct way when shooting video. No soup for you.

[Novakon]

Hello Brian,

We are very concerned about the situation with the ball screw and bearing. The debris on the screw is not acceptable and we have taken issue with the factory already. Specifically with the bearings...do you think the screw end or housing had any burrs on it prevent proper alignment? The fit of the bearing on the shaft of the screw and inside of the mount should be "finger tight" and not require it to be hammered into position. If it was tight and not allowed to seat properly during assembly is an issue we need to resolve this with the factory. This can be resolved easily if this is the case here. Your opinion will help us greatly. We will send out new bearing to replace the suspect bearings.

The GIB should be below the slide. The picture is not clear so if you still can take a profile picture would be greatly helpful. The GIBs are held into position by a couple of set screws on the saddle GIB adjustor. These don't tighten the GIB but only prevent linear movement. It is possible that movement in a linear direction might cause some binding or lifting of the GIB.

In regards to the E-stop triggers... the servo drivers also generate reset signals to the BOB. If this is the source of the triggers, you can remove the axes and test one at a time. For example, unplug the servo power connectors on the Y and Z drivers to test the X axis. Also unplug the communication lines to prevent triggering the BOB E-stop. Run the axis as you have and see if the problem occurs. Do the same for the other axes until you can isolate where it is coming from.

If the USB extension cable is faulty, just let us know and we will get another one out to you.

The homing function was working without issue before it was shipped. For it to hangup during the homing sequence, would indicate a problem with Mach3. The version loaded and tested was version 66. Some users have used version 62 and said it was better. You might load this version and try it.

Regards,
Novakon Team