[Jeliassen]

Hello, first time working with a CNC at the USF campus and I'm running into a few issues.

We are currently using Mach 3 to send to our home built machine.
The machine is set up with either:
NEMA 23 CNC Electronics | CNCRouterParts
or
NEMA 34 CNC Electronics | CNCRouterParts
Not certain of which off hand.

The first issue was that the speed on the machine when trying to make it travel would need to be multiplied such as if I want the machine to move at 15 ipm I needed to have the F as 400
I spoke with mach 3 to try and resolve this and they said I needed to purchase a Order smooth stepper. This is because we currently have a 64 bit system that is using a virtual machine (the virtual machine is 32 bit) and we are communicating through parallel port. So we are making the transfer to the 64 bit side and no longer communicating through parallel port when the smooth stepper arrives. They also mentioned bumping the Hz down from 45000 Hz to 25000 Hz in the setup as well but to run a driver test before this is done.

The next issue is that when I zero the y axis at the corner of a part and say for it to move G00 Y60 and then G00 Y0 the tool has shifted off of zero. I've already set the steps per in the mach 3. Additionally, the shift is incremental, as in, it increases as the tool moves over and over.

I wasn't sure if this was the right location for the issues I've encountered.


What I personally know is g-code, cad/cam programs, and a little about computers. I don't really know much about setting a machine up.

[wizard]

Sorry iPad crashed my first response so you get the short and sweet. 1. You need to properly setup each axis in Mach. 2. Setting up Mach properly requires you to know the mechanical system and to do the caculations to get you to a starting point with Mach.

In a nut shell you need to setup Mach for this specific piece of hardware.

[Jeliassen]

I'm not certain how that could be applicable when If I say travel to y ___ then come back to 0 if it's shifted that wouldn't translate from Mach 3 would it? It's using absolute coordinates so even if I set zero in the middle of a part it should travel back to that location not a different 00 location. I could be missing something however.

[SignTorch]

15 ipm is so close to 400 mm per minute - that sounds like it might be a metric/imperial units issue

nema 23 motors usually have a 1/4" shaft and nema 34 motors usually have a 1/2" shaft

stepper motors can lose position by missing steps - they lose power at higher speeds and they miss steps when overloaded or overdriven - or a loose pulley or shaft coupler can also cause position loss - or the machine could be binding in some places - or a loose wire, connector, or plug can cause position problems

first make sure the machine moves freely all over - then put alignment marks on all pulleys and couplers so you can see if they slip - then try doing test operation(s) at low speed and low acceleration and work your way up to determine a reliable maximum operating speed

[awerby]

The first thing you need to do is either switch operating systems, switch computers, or get that Smoothstepper. 64-bit operating systems aren't supported by Mach3 in parallel port mode, so it's probably not going to work right no matter what you adjust. The cheapest fix is to downgrade to an old computer (with a 32-bit OS and a parallel port), clean it of all unnecessary stuff (like Windows Update) and dedicate it to running the router. If you've already ordered a Smoothstepper, wait until it arrives to set up your machine, and write back if you run into any issues.