[millman52]

Ok, I reinstall the new version Mach2.61, made all the changes at the inputs, and now is working correctly, homing. Now I use a sheetcam demo, use a gcode to try the machine, it only starts and go to some place 50 cmts away and doesnt move more, the motors are energized, can notice that but doesn't move. In the screen the cutting continues to the end, then I use the roadrunner gcode sample thet comes with Mach, it worked the same, any idea?

Am I correct your table is Oxy/Fuel?

Do you have a relay imput/output card in your system? If so do you have AC voltage running through any of the relay(s) to power solenoid(s) to turn on/off oxygen for piercing. Or any other AC voltage device?

I had a couple problems with mine kicking off mid cycle when the relay would energise a 110V solenoid. I had a bad wire that just looking at the wire didn't show a problem. It was arcing or creating enough electrical interferance or back feed to shut mine down.

I also know grounding can be an issue. My power supply is housed in a fiberglass box along with my Gecko drivers. The box is electrically isolated from my table. The ground to the electronics is supplied through the 110V AC outlet to the inside of the box.

My table has a seperate safety ground, to prevent electric shock hazard, run back to the ground terminal block in my power center(breaker box).

Then I also have a seperate 7' ground rod drove just outside the building where my torch sits, with a ground wire from the table to the ground rod. Once I have a plasma machine, it will use that same ground rod.

Here is a link to a reply Tom gave me on my problem. I fixed the grounding as recommended by Tom. It was better but still had the problem. As I said earlier I found my problem in a faulty wire.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CandCN...t/message/2987

I don't know if any of this will help as we have different hardware packages. but some of it may apply to you.

[lamicron]

I have also the electonics box isolated from the machine and grounded as you.
Zoltan(from the forum) tells me that maybe i have to much acceleration and speed at the setings, and yes, I rised it yesterday before start, maybe that be the problem.
My cnc is both plasma and oxyfuel, but i dont have yet the solenoid, I was thinking to use a little stepper to make half turn to trigger the oxygen.
I'm going to use a relay to fire the plasma, it is only signal ( the dealer says), because i have a contactor for this issue but only 5 volts to get it on.
Thanks, going to try and let you know
Luis

[millman52]

I have also the electonics box isolated from the machine and grounded as you.
Zoltan(from the forum) tells me that maybe i have to much acceleration and speed at the setings, and yes, I rised it yesterday before start, maybe that be the problem.
My cnc is both plasma and oxyfuel, but i dont have yet the solenoid, I was thinking to use a little stepper to make half turn to trigger the oxygen.
I'm going to use a relay to fire the plasma, it is only signal ( the dealer says), because i have a contactor for this issue but only 5 volts to get it on.
Thanks, going to try and let you know
Luis

Unless you have a 3 line torch like the one mounted on my machine you'll have to use either a stepper actuator or a solenoid actuator on the pierce lever itself.

If you use a stepper though you will have to add a 5th axis.

[lamicron]

You are rigth about the 5th axis.
Now I have another problem, Iget the machine jogging with the arrow keys in the rigth direction after when <i do ref all theZ and y axis runs to the opposite side, then I got to soft limits and change to negative dir, and it ref all the correct way, but it is running negative in the display, when >I upload the gcode it is placed in the negative outside of the table area, sorry for bothering to much I know you have to work,,,,
Thanks
Luis

[millman52]

You are rigth about the 5th axis.
Now I have another problem, Iget the machine jogging with the arrow keys in the rigth direction after when <i do ref all theZ and y axis runs to the opposite side, then I got to soft limits and change to negative dir, and it ref all the correct way, but it is running negative in the display, when >I upload the gcode it is placed in the negative outside of the table area, sorry for bothering to much I know you have to work,,,,
Thanks
Luis

I'm not sure what you have going on there. My home switches are also my ref switches one and the same. You should not have to change direction pins in mach to referance your table.

My table parks X home to the left when facing the side I load the table from. It also moves left when I hit ref XY the back off the home switch to 0. My Y parks to the side I load from also and also moves on to the home switch then just back off to 0 when the ref xy is hit.

You have to have Sheetcam set up the same way as your table. By the G code wanting to run everything to the negative I'd suspect you just do not have Sheetcam configured correctly.

Please don't worry about asking me questions I have gone through or am going through many of the same issues. I'll get back to you when and as soon as I can. I may not know the answer, but at least I'll try not to pretend I do.

[lamicron]

Look where i have the g code neg and outside of the table, also check the coordinate numbers on display that the y negative...

[lamicron]

I think I found it, HOT KEYS!!!, they were wrong, the keyboard is a new one, Sh&/t!!!
Ok, now have this one , i´m using mm, the machine is too slooooow. if I enter the G0 x10 y10 z 10, I cant see it moving but is moving!
Then I input g20 x100 y100 z 100 but still no speed.
i reference all in the rigth way, now have to try to upload the gcodes.
What should I check(cases) in gral config? What do you have there?
Luis

[lamicron]

Now have the machine moving ok, but i think i have wrong numbers in the motors tuning. Ihave this
spur 20 th , 20 pitch, to the gear rack, and pulleys with a gear ratio of 3:1 One turn of the spur over the gear rack is 75.3mm / divided for the ratio 3 will be 25.1 then i take the 2000 steps divide and have 79.68 that i input in the steps per, is it correct? But the machine moves around 4mm in the roadrunner gcode, then <I input 796.8 and the machine works bigger about 50 cmts. Then >I think Im wrong with my maths........ Emailed kelling to ask how many steps are the drivers for and he replies ..:

Selectable resolutions, 1,1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64
Most of people use 1/8 to run the system

dont understand ,

[Greolt]

Lamicron

Microsteps are set on the kelling driver. Probably with dip switches. Check in the docs. Set these to 1/8.

Then do the calculation with 1600 steps per motor rev. Should be about 63.745 steps per mm.

Then set the motor velocity and acceleration. If you have not done this yet just start at about 1000 velocity and 500 acceleration. You can tweak this up after you get going.

Greg

[lamicron]

Thanks Greg, in the current wich one will i have to choose? i did not find any info about.
Luis

[millman52]

Thanks Greg, in the current wich one will i have to choose? i did not find any info about.
Luis

Luis, sorry I haven't had a chance today to check posts.. I was literally covered in the shop today.

I don't understand your question in this post, Please re phrase.

[lamicron]

Hi Millman, problem resolved, thanks, i've seen your post at mach forum, you're having troubles with the flotating head? Is this any device with a microswitch that you use in the z ?
Other question, when cutting anything , you jog to the position jog down the z and then regnerate the toolpath, after that you press the cycle start button, thats it? Because I choose the z heith to material but it is not enough travel down,
Luis

[millman52]

Hi Millman, problem resolved, thanks, i've seen your post at mach forum, you're having troubles with the flotating head? Is this any device with a microswitch that you use in the z ?
Other question, when cutting anything , you jog to the position jog down the z and then regnerate the toolpath, after that you press the cycle start button, thats it? Because I choose the z heith to material but it is not enough travel down,
Luis

I don't really have the Z axis all figured out yet myself. I Don't have a home switch on the Z. Still thinking on a couple possibilities of mounting it to keep it out of the heat of the Oxy/Fuel torch.

I have several 4' X 8' sheets of parts drawn saved in sheetcam. I placed a pair of index tabs on my table so I can quickly line up a full sheet of metal on the table & the ends/edges are in the same exact location. I know then in sheetcam exactly what the distance from 0,0 that X & Y need to move to be on the edge of the plate.

[lamicron]

Hi Millman, Ok, machine working, really smooth, thats very nice, but, .... i still cant get the gcodes from sheetcam, do you have some gcodes to cut? Im using to from mach, roadrunner and crosses, buit need something like chain gears, or any mechanical part.
Here the photos of the cable carrier, we finish the molds,very artisanal , now start to make it , i think i'll get it for the weekend.
Luis

[millman52]

I can't load a file with .tap "G code" to the board here. send me a PM with your email & I'll try tosend you a generated file email.

[lamicron]

Hi , have a problem, dont know where to conect the plasma, input or output, and what to check in the settings.
Also have noticed that when the energy is shut down th mach loose all the settings, is there any way to lock the settings?.............Help!
Thanks
Luis

[millman52]

Hi , have a problem, dont know where to conect the plasma, input or output, and what to check in the settings.
Also have noticed that when the energy is shut down th mach loose all the settings, is there any way to lock the settings?.............Help!
Thanks
Luis

I haven't hooked a plasma to my table as yet. If you are asking about the trigger wires to control the pierce-cut . There has to be a relay switch somewhere that hooks to.

In my case with the MP1000 THC there is a small PC board that mounts in or near the plasma machine that controls the cut cycle. There is a DB9 serial cable from the THC box to the PC card.

Are you saying every time you turn your computer off you are loosing your Mach settings? Mine must save automatically. I know that in some of the config settings you must answer "save settings" Then re-start Mach before they become effective.

Sometimes on exiting Mach I get a small pop up that aske if I want to save fixture. I answer yes there.

[lamicron]

Ye sI hve saved it but one of the guys trow away the wire and shut down the energy, and then again I had to reset everything.
Ok, you have the thc, but I only have one free output, #1 the other wire will go to the ground pin? And in the setings where do I have to set it, spindle , pwm, ????
I have made a few grawing with the machine, if i im port from corel as plt the parts become bigger, I haven't import from autocad yet.

Luis

[Weldtutor]

I had to reset everything.
And in the setings where do I have to set it, spindle , pwm, ????
I have made a few grawing with the machine, if i im port from corel as plt the parts become bigger, I haven't import from autocad yet.

Luis

Luis, hope I'm not interfering here.
Perhaps your set-up would be better in the discussion area?

-To "save" in Mach, touch the "OK" before leaving a screen that you have made changes on.

-As Millman answered, yes the torch trigger wires need to connect to the relay to "start" the plasma arc.

Settings 1 & 2 below, work for me.

-1 Check these: CONFIG, PORTS & PINS, OUTPUT SIGNALS
to be set as: output 1 checked, port 2, pin 14, active low X

-2 Next: CONFIG, PORTS & PINS, SPINDLE SETUP, RELAY CONTROL
to be set as: DISABLE SPINDLE RELAYS [CHECK] in the box before the word disable.

-Since you have Autocad try a simple circle, square, or doughnut DXF to put through Sheetcam to test your machine.
WT

[lamicron]

THANKS!!! WT< , You are not interfering, you are saving me!!! Ok, but where will I conect the realay to output pin #1 and ground (the next pin to it?)? I dont have port 2 nor pin 14 ...? I'm using a Keling board....only have pins 1, 17,16,12 anyone will be ??
Luis