[1Jumper10]

Attachment 337660[IMG][/IMG]

This is the y-axis home switch. I've had it mounted for a few days now, thought I would share a pic.

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[1Jumper10]

Attachment 338252
Today I'm running a test. Last night, on my machine I cut some 3D numbers. I generated them with a Windows 10 program call 3D Builder. It's an easy way to generate 3D objects and it outputs in STL format. I used Estlcam to generate the G-Code for the file it's cutting in the picture. I used a quarter inch ball nose bit for roughing and then 1/8 inch ball nose bit for the finishing pass. I went with a very small step over about 1% I think, and it generated huge G-Code file. The file was about 129000 lines of g code. Way Overkill but I figured it would be a good test for both machines. The machine time on my router with Nema 23 stepper Motors was right at seven and a half hours.

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[1Jumper10]

The numbers I cut with my stepper motor router are underneath the numbers that the servo router is cutting in the picture. It's hard to tell any difference in the final finish between the two routers.

Servo router is about 1/3 of the way done with the file right now and it's been cutting for 1 hour and 49 minutes.

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[1Jumper10]

I can already tell the servo router is going to be significantly faster. It's not surprising. But I wanted to see how accurate the servo router was compared to stepper Motors. It appears that it's at least as accurate as stepper Motors, and I would even say looks like it's a little more accurate. It's definitely faster.

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[1Jumper10]

Attachment 338254



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[1Jumper10]

Well at about the half way point, Windows 10 wanted to apply an update and restart the computer. I delayed the restart but I wasnt able to get the UCCNC window to come back. The router kept running and I think it would have finished just fine but since I had lost the ability to monitor the program I terminated the run. It looks like it would have finished the same file that took my stepper motor machine 7,1/2 hours in a little over 5 hours.

I did notice that I could see tool marks on the file cut on my router (stepper's) that weren't there on the file cut with the servo router. Its subtle and probably not noticeable except in a direct side by side comparison.

[Black Forest]

Well at about the half way point, Windows 10 wanted to apply an update and restart the computer. I delayed the restart but I wasnt able to get the UCCNC window to come back. The router kept running and I think it would have finished just fine but since I had lost the ability to monitor the program I terminated the run. It looks like it would have finished the same file that took my stepper motor machine 7,1/2 hours in a little over 5 hours.

I did notice that I could see tool marks on the file cut on my router (stepper's) that weren't there on the file cut with the servo router. Its subtle and probably not noticeable except in a direct side by side comparison.

You should optimize Windows10 so only what is needed is running and definitely turn off automatic updates.

[A_Camera]

Well at about the half way point, Windows 10 wanted to apply an update and restart the computer. I delayed the restart but I wasnt able to get the UCCNC window to come back. The router kept running and I think it would have finished just fine but since I had lost the ability to monitor the program I terminated the run. It looks like it would have finished the same file that took my stepper motor machine 7,1/2 hours in a little over 5 hours.

I did notice that I could see tool marks on the file cut on my router (stepper's) that weren't there on the file cut with the servo router. Its subtle and probably not noticeable except in a direct side by side comparison.

What do you mean by that? I mean, I understand you delayed the restart, but why didn't you get the UCCNC back on working and just continued where it stopped? Also, what you mean by the "router kept running"? Did the spindle kept running or all the motions also? How can that happen if UCCNC was not working?

[A_Camera]

You should optimize Windows10 so only what is needed is running and definitely turn off automatic updates.

I don't think you can turn off automatic updates in W10, at least not completely. You can delay the updates in you run W10 Pro but I don't know any way of turning it off completely and only using manually initiated updates.

[Black Forest]

I don't think you can turn off automatic updates in W10, at least not completely. You can delay the updates in you run W10 Pro but I don't know any way of turning it off completely and only using manually initiated updates.

It is possible to turn off the automatic updates and only when you check for updates are they downloaded and installed.

[1Jumper10]

What you mean by that? I mean, I understand you delayed the restart, but why didn't you get the UCCNC back on working and just continued where it stopped? Also, what you mean by the "router kept running"? Did the spindle kept running or all the motions also? How can that happen if UCCNC was not working?

I mean that when the restart request popped up, it popped up over the UCCNC window. When i closed it, the UCCNC window never re-populated. It was just a grayed out frame. The program continued to run. I tried minimizing and expanding but I couldn't get it back.
I looked for a way to disable automatic updates but, like you said, there doesnt appear to be a way in Windows 10. But since it uses Wi-Fi to connect i just set it to airplane mode.
The computer is a little fanless model dedicated to just the router. My friends son configured it and i asked him to disable all the unnecessary extras. With the exception of this little problem its been very reliable.

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[1Jumper10]

To clarify, the router never stopped. It continued to run even when the UCCNC window was grayed out. To stop it, i hit the e stop switch and it stopped.

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[A_Camera]

To clarify, the router never stopped. It continued to run even when the UCCNC window was grayed out. To stop it, i hit the e stop switch and it stopped.

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...but if the UCCNC window is greyed out it just mean the "focus" of Windows is on something else. It means that you just have to click on the UCCNC window area somewhere and you get back the focus. Because it is certainly so that if the steppers are running and the motion is as it supposed to be than UCCNC still has the control, so "greyed out" means only that windows focus is on something else, like if you start another software which puts a window over your UCCNC.

[1Jumper10]

Tried it. Didnt work.
Its been my experience with a Windows 7 laptop that when an update is waiting to be applied it gets a little buggy. I think a similar thing happened today with Windows 10.

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[A_Camera]

Tried it. Didnt work.
Its been my experience with a Windows 7 laptop that when an update is waiting to be applied it gets a little buggy. I think a similar thing happened today with Windows 10.

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Not "buggy" but perhaps your laptop is not really up to the task to do all that at the same time. Disconnect it from the internet, wifi is a NONO, turn off BT and every other connection not necessary for the UCCNC. Make sure your USB is never going to sleep and has high priority.

Of course, you PC may be "buggy", I have no idea what programs you are running, but "buggy" for me means there is a bug (error in software) somewhere. Every PC can be overloaded, some easier than others, and that is not something I call a bug.

[jajohnsen]

Hi, what a great build and inspiration!

How did you end up configuring the y axis gantry motors!

[1Jumper10]

Thanks jajohnsen.

Basically I didn't. At least not as well as I'd prefer. It wasn't until the machine was built and I was starting to auto tune the servo's that I was informed by Teknic tech support (I found it first in their FAQ section) that it was not possible to auto tune a dual driven gantry. Their solution was after successfully auto-tuning the X axis (the assembly that carries the Z across the gantry. added for clarity. Our European brothers refer to it as the Y), was to load that configuration file into each of the Y axis motors and set the RAS limit to its highest setting and if it cut rounded corners that were supposed to be square then reduce this setting by one step. I wasn't satisfied with that answer but there wasn't much I could do at that point. I loaded the configuration files from the X into the Y motors but I set the RAS setting to only two or 3 from its lowest value. RAS is for Regressive Auto Spline. Its unit is milliseconds and I think its an allowable range for settling time or error. I could be wrong, if so maybe someone can explain it. Anyway, I've noticed when using the machine that the status lights on the Y motors will occasionally flash 3 times which is an over current error code. Theyre not being stressed at all and when I log in to look at the trend it looks like there are brief spikes in current that exceed the limit I've set which is 50% of max. I think, this is a result of the fudged tuning method that I had to use. Other than that they work fine. No surging or run aways and nice and quiet.

The right way to build a dual driven gantry with ClearPath servo's is to completely build the gantry first. When the Z axis and the X axis (the gantry), are completely done, weigh the whole thing on an accurate scale. Then build the Y axis to the point that the motors are installed and ready for auto tuning but the gantry is not installed. Take the weight of the gantry and divide it in half. Rig up an artificial load(half the weight of the gantry) on one servo. Something like a wooden box with the appropriate amount of sand or similar dense ballast (avoid stuff that vibrates) and let the motor autotune with that load. Save the resulting configuration file and load that into the opposite side motor. That should emulate the inertia of the gantry that each Y axis motor sees when the gantry is installed. I'm working on my third machine and it will also use ClearPath servo's and that is how I'm going to go about it. Sorry for the long post.

[jajohnsen]

Thank you for the explanation and thanks for the clarification of the different with the naming on the y and x axis for us vs europe. I'm in norway, and have been alittle confused for what is the x and y axis after visiting european forums and us. Now i know that it's not me

[dokwine]

Hi 1J10,
Glad to hear you're sticking with the Clearpath motors. Any changes in sizing for your new build? Mine have arrived, just need to get the controller cabinet together 1st (linuxCNC and Mesa for me).

You have decided against using cables to drive both sides of the gantry with one motor for tuning? It seemed that method might stand a chance of picking up the linear bearing load and some of the system harmonics where the sandbox method would not.

Great post as always,
Thx.

[1Jumper10]

The cutting area size is going to be the same: 4ft x 6ft. But the Z axiz travel will be 8" which is 2" longer than this build. I'm going to use all steel for the framework, no aluminum extrusion. I picked up 3, NEMA34 ,10:1 planetary gearboxes off of Ebay for a good price. I got helical gear rack and pinion components along with new-old-stock, giant 35mm Hiwin linear bearings from Automation overstock. I would have preferred 20 or 25mm but they were out. I got a Thomson linear actuator also from Ebay for the Z-axis. I picked up 10"x6"x 3/16'" rectangular steel tube and some other steel that will become the gantry. So, I've got almost all the major components together or at least decided upon what they will be, but its too cold here now to work much on it. I'll start another thread when I get underway a little more. I've got some interesting ideas for a rigid, relatively light gantry.