[Masterdrive]

Hi @ all,

I decided to switch my CNC from a flimsy GRBL controlled one, to a more solid one.
For this, I "dared" to buy a NVEM, but the V2 (newer version, driver seems to be not compatible with V1.1)

My setup is Mach3 + NVEM v2 + 3*DQ542MA + 3*Nema23 + 1.5kW VFD/Spindle

Up till now, I found a couple of problems, and it would be great if someone can double-check with a V1.1 if these are there too (and maybe provide some insight on how to mitigate them)

• the controller will only move at 2/3 (66%) of the specified speed. If F1000 is specified in the g-code, Mach3 will output 666mm/min, if F3000 is specified, Mach3 will output 2000mm/min. This is not related to the motor settings, since its displayed at "unites/mm" in the Feed-Section of Mach3. So the controller moves slower that what is specified. Using a DB25 BOB, I'm able to achieve the specified speed with the same settings.
• DHCP is not working 90% of the time. The controller will not reliably obtain an IP from a DHCP server, regardless which kind of router used. In addition, the LAN-port is not correctly isolated from the power supply, since powering the controller with 24V will also have 24V on the LAN port, basically common ground (which fried a LAN port of my expensive AVM router while trying to use DHCP)
• Slow Zone setting for Soft Limits is not working. The Slow Zone parameter seems to be not recognized at all, which causes the machine to hit the soft limit at full speed, and by doing so exceeding the soft limit since the machine needs more time to slow down.
• When soft-limit is hit with G-Code, coordinate system is messed up: When hitting a softlimit with G-code, the controller will stop the movement as supposed to, but after that the coordinates are no longer correct. Using G-code, it will only allow movement for small increments, always displaying that softlimit is still exceeded, even if not. Using keyboard, movement is ok. The controller will not recover (even when manually zeroing) until complete power cycle or reset and homing again
• Sporadic disconnect, NVEM no longer reachable: after about 90 minutes the NVEM looses connection. Mach3 displays "device not ready", and NVEM is no longer recognized, plugin-config displays "unknown". LAN port still shows activity, LED is flashing. Only a power cycle of the NVEM does fix this. Then, even without restarting Mach3, all is working again
• Single block mode is not displaying correctly: When using single block mode, the selected line is not displayed. The line cursor is jumping through the g-code, not highlighting the current line or the next which is executed.
• Probe command G31 not working as supposed to. When using G31 to probe a surface for autolevelling, the controller will hang after 5 - 10 G31 commands, not executing any more G-code. Sometimes it's even skipping lines of G-code which are after the G31 commands. NVEM will only recover after a reset, only working for a couple of G31 again. In addition, for some G31 probing commands, even when probe is hit (digitize LED lit in Mache) the probing cycle will not stop until the maximum depth is hit
• G31 probe command not working at all.The Mach3 G31 probe command is not executed correctly.The controller will move the axis specified in the G31 command, but will not report back the coordinates at which probe was triggered.So there is no probing functionality, since offset cannot be set. This might be the worst problem so far.

Rather long post... but replies are appreciated never the less :-)

Thx & regards,
David

[mic83]

Hi everyone, i saw that i'm not the only one with the over ride and limit switch problem, i also saw that Miky's4u2 have a beta plugin to resolve this issu but i'm not able to download it, is there anybody out there that could sent it to me it seem to be the: Beta NVEM Driver _P (Released 23/05/2017).

Thanks

[Bepo]

Hi there. One newbie question. This is my first cnc build, so last night I decided just to connect all 4 steppers to drivers and controler. Controler is ethernet NVEM Novusun. So i managed to get it all to work last night. But this morning nothing seems to work. Last night I have setup static IP so i think the problem is not related to it. I am conectig directly with crossover cable. So now when i click reset and try to jog it just says device not ready. By the way controler is v2 with the latest plugin novusun nvem ver 3.0b. Thx

[Masterdrive]

Hi Bepo,

have you tried power-cycling the NVEM while being connected to the PC (Mach3 running, or not)?

As I've mentioned 2 posts above yours, the "device not ready" is something I've experienced too, after a random time, the NVEM will stop responding, but not being disconnected (different message in Mach3)

Sporadic disconnect, NVEM no longer reachable: after about 90 minutes the NVEM looses connection. Mach3 displays "device not ready", and NVEM is no longer recognized, plugin-config displays "unknown". LAN port still shows activity, LED is flashing. Only a power cycle of the NVEM does fix this. Then, even without restarting Mach3, all is working again

NVEM V2 does have some benefits compared to V1.1 (soft-limits working at least somehow, etc.) but there a lot of other hiccups

Would be great if you could also have a look at my "defect-list" to see if those apply to your setup too.

Regards,
David.

BTW: you won't necessarily need a crossover LAN cable if your port supports Auto-MDI-X (Gigabit support it for sure) and CAT6 cable

[Schifty1]

HI Guys,
Just to add to the mix of issues with the NEVM, On the MACH3 diagnostic page, my PULSE FREQUENCY shows as "EXTERNAL" and I get no response from any of the steppers or the spindle. Does anyone know how to change this to the 25K+ that it should be???? Changing the frequency on the ports & pins screen has no effect.
Thanks in advance for your help in solving this.
Regards Jeff

[Masterdrive]

Hi Jeff,

the "EXTERNAL" is ok if you're using the NVEM.
This just indicates, that the external motion controller (for example the NVEM) will take care of generating the pulses, and Mach3 won't have to send them via parallel port.
This also means, that whatever you set as frequency in the config is ignored, and the motion controller will use its own frequency.

For the steppers, just some stupid questions/remarks:
Have you enabled the needed axis in the ports&pin config (green check-mark, what you set as dir and step is ignored, since this will also be handled by the NVEM)
Have you configured your axis in the motor tuning config?
Are the coordinates changing in the DROs? If not, are they if you switch to default printer port (Fuction Cfgs => Reset Device Sel)

Regards,
David

[Schifty1]

HI David,
Thanks for helping me.
In ports & Pins, 3 axis are enabled along with the spindle. Step port & Dir Port are set to 1's.
None of the axis change when putting in G code on the diagnostics screen.
On the Motor tuning screen. slide bars make blue line disappear off screen, and do not come back unless you press the axis button., 2 lines on the axis screens (one positive slope, one negative slope) and only one on the spindle. If I try and change the Step Pulse (currently @ 5), the pgrm crashes.
Does this mean that the SW on the stepper driver are wrong??? They are set for (2.8 Amps, Full current, 128 Microsteps) The drivers are M542H units. The Spindle driver is NVBDH+
At one point (in the beginning of the debug), I loaded the V2.0 DLL and was able to get the normal motor movement profile.
Thanks again for your help.
Regards Jeff

[Masterdrive]

Hi Jeff,

then we need to take this one step-by-step.
Since you've posted to this thread, we can safely assume that you own a NVEM motion controller.
If you have a V1.1, you'll need to copy the latest plugin ("NVEM_F.dll" latest official, there is a Beta-P version via PM to miky4u2) to the Mach3 plugin folder.
If you own a V2 (has a sticker with "V2" on it), the plugin is called "Novosun_NVEM.dll")
Both can be downloaded from manufacturer site.
When starting Mach3, make sure the correct plugin is selected (for V1.1 its called "NVEM_F-Novusun-PlugIn-Ver-2.0a", for V2 it's called "Novusun_NVEM-Novusun-PlugIn-Ver-3.0b"

If you don't get the plugin selection prompt when starting Mach3, re-enable this by clicking "Function Cfgs => Reset Device Sel" within Mach3 menu.

If you've come so far, without errors in the Mach3 log ("History" button lower left corner) then try hitting the arrow-keys on your keyboard and see what happens.
And then post back

Regards,
David

[Schifty1]

HI David,
I was using the V2.0a DLL, but went and found your NVEM_F copy. It works the same as described above.
I also tried the "driver test" pgm that's in the MACH3 dir. It says "no driver sensed installed. Run driver test".
The activity light at the ethernet port is flashing (so that should be working). The machine is directly connected to the computer ethernet port which is set to 192.168.31 20.
I just tried pushing the E-Stop button and got nothing on the diag screen. E-Stop setup as enabled, port 1, pin 1, active low., no hot key.
Starting to think that something is wrong with the controller. Any way to test that??
Thanks once more for sticking with me.
Regards Jeff

[Masterdrive]

HI Jeff,

fist: do you get a message in the Mach3 status log like "NVEM connected...." or something like that after starting Mach3?
If not, then either the IP which is set does not work, or a firewall might block the connection to the NVEM.
You might try setting a different IP, with proper subnet.
(my V2 version uses 192.168.1.0/17, not 192.168.31.0/16 with 255.255.255.0 subnet mask)

The LEDs on the NVEMs network socket will flash if a cable is connected (on both ends ), even if no connection could be established.
The chances are high that your NVEM is just "not connected", since you're getting no response at all, neither motor nor inputs.

Check if you can see some valid information in the NVEM plugin config settings screen... like number of maximum supported axis correctly displayed, and version number of the NVEM.
If there are a lot of "-" (minus), then you're not connected.

Regards,
David

[Schifty1]

HI David,
Changed the IP to 192.168.1.17. Then to 192.168.1.50 Same results. I have never gotten the device connected msg. The computer is directly connected (straight cable) to the NVEM unit. Do you know what addr I can ping the NVEM at??
I am running the NVEM at 12 volts, and saw someplace that maybe I should be running it at 24 volts. I can try that next.
When I go to the Plugin Control & Activation screen, and click on config next to the V2.0a. it open dialog about DDREAM buffer =200; jog buffer=200 and nothing else
Otherwise, sounds like this NVEM is not working, and maybe I should look at getting the V2 unit.
Regards Jeff

[Masterdrive]

Hi Jeff,

NVEM should run 12-32V, even if it is sometimes referenced as 18-32V.
The microcontroller will start running at 9V (not reliable)
If setting an IP (for the V1.1 version, the 192.168.31.10 and up should do) does not get a connection, it might be firewall or cable related.
I've already mentioned, that newer LAN ports do work with default and crossover cables, maybe yours is not.

From what I know, you can't ping the NVEM, since ping is a software implementation and is not supported by NVEM microcontroller... I was not able to ping my NVEM, even though it is connected.

For the plugin config screen, that was my miss... I've messed up the differences between V1.1 and V2 screen.

Try setting a "31" IP again, disable windows firewall, maybe try a different PC or laptop (just for connection testing), different network cable, other PSU...
but honestly, don't buy a V2
If I'd known about the problems and limitations of these controllers beforehand, I would have never even considered it.
If I'm not able to somehow negotiate for an updated driver of the V2, I will discard it, because G31 (probe), in detail multi-point probing for auto-leveling is what I need.

If you want to have a multi purpose controller like the NVEM, the AKZ250 (now also being sold as E-CUT or something like that) are better, but USB, and also have some limitations, but at least they have some basic functionality.
If you really want to have a stable controller, SmoothStepper (200$) or the UC400ETH (140$) are something for you.

Regards,
David

[Schifty1]

HI David,
It looks like the UC400ETH could be a good alternative. Found it for $160 on Amazon. Where did you see it for $140?
The HBB2 breakout board is $50 which is pricey, might wind up building my own.
I am not a fan of USB controllers, but other than the AKZ250 do you know of one that works?
Thanks
Regards Jeff

[Masterdrive]

Hi Jeff,

it was on E**y, a reseller located in Europe... but shipping to the US will take about 35$
The original board manufacturer is from Hungary.
HBB2 BOB is kind of wasted money in my opinion... if I want Opto-isolation for the inputs, even a cheap Chinese BOB for 5$ will do (or some DIP sized Optos I could solder myself)
And the wire length from the controller to the stepper drivers isn't that long that I would need RJ45 and LAN cable

For USB controllers:
I received negative feedback for DDREAM/DDUM boards, but not tested them myself
I had been running the AKZ250 for nearly 2 years without any problems (the G31 problem aside, which is pretty common for USB controllers), but then the board had some unfortunate "accident" with some aluminum chippings since the board is unprotected, that's also why I thought the NVEM would be a good choice
The UC100 is a basic USB to parallel adapter, which works... but you are bound to the parallel port limitations, so max 5 inputs (the UC400ETH maps LAN to two parallel ports, so 10 inputs in total)
Aside those mentioned, I have no dedicated information on other controllers...

I'm currently considering the UC300ETH (5 parallel ports, 3 of them bi-directional) or the Ethernet Smoothstepper
Both of them have confirmed G31 capabilities, the UC300ETH even has analog output, which would be useful for my VFD, the ESS can use a BOB which does this (cheap Chinese one which I already have)
But both of them are "slightly more pricy"
So this has to wait until it is confirmed that there will be no updated driver for the V2 in a foreseeable future.

Regards,
David

[Schifty1]

HI David,
One last ditch effort with the NVEM.. Getting a crossover Ethernet cable tomorrow. If that doesn't do anything, then it's the 400ETH. Since this is my 1st CNC venture, I believe that the 10 inputs should suffice. I like the 12 volt input since I have the power supply already in the electronics bay. I found this (https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Axis-CNC-...53.m2749.l2649) breakout board on ebay which should do the trick for me to start. There are others, but from China which will take another month to get here.
I did look at the ESS, but liked the versatility of the 300/400 better. Both solutions are supporting the MACH4, but that doesn't appear to be as popular as the MACH3.
In any case, I'll let you know how things turnout.
Regards Jeff

[OlfCNC]

HI David,
One last ditch effort with the NVEM.. Getting a crossover Ethernet cable tomorrow. If that doesn't do anything, then it's the 400ETH. Since this is my 1st CNC venture, I believe that the 10 inputs should suffice. I like the 12 volt input since I have the power supply already in the electronics bay. I found this (https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Axis-CNC-...53.m2749.l2649) breakout board on ebay which should do the trick for me to start. There are others, but from China which will take another month to get here.
I did look at the ESS, but liked the versatility of the 300/400 better. Both solutions are supporting the MACH4, but that doesn't appear to be as popular as the MACH3.
In any case, I'll let you know how things turnout.
Regards Jeff

You guys should take support into consideration when buying complex electronics like a motion controller, not only the price.
I understand that price counts, but when a bug ruins your workpieces the cheap price of the controller will be not cheap anymore.
Things are worse when there is nobody to report those bugs and there is no hope that those bugs will be ever fixed.
I have a UC400ETH and reported a bug once to the manufacturer and they fixed it in 3 days.
A prime example for no support is that NVEM or whoever they are does not seem to even have a website and they already released a V2 controller instead of fixing the bugs in version 1. They just got rid of the old controllers and old customers forcing people to buy the new one which seems to still have problems.

Mach3 is popular, it is popular, because it is old as dirt so the userbase is large, but it is no more developed for years now, so any bugs you may find in the software itself will never be corrected and unless the developers of the motion controller find a work around for the bug then it will be never fixed.
The UC400ETH is nice, because it support not only Mach3 and Mach4, but also their own software the UCCNC. That software is developed by the same company so compatibility is guaranteed and they can fix bugs.

[Schifty1]

Hi All,
Just to complete this discussion.
I am SCRAPPING the NVEM do to lack of support, (sent emails to 3 different sites) with more than a week between them. NO response.
No connection method worked. Tried multiple addr's listed in manuals 192.168.31.10-50; 192.168.1.10-50. Tried both router & direct connect methods.
Tried different DLL (v2.0a & 3.0b),
I NEVER got the NVEM to connect to the computer............
MACH3 crashes when exiting Motor Tuning. with either DLL loaded. etc. etc.....

I bought a UC400ETH (CNCDrive) from Amazon, one day delivery. Also wrote to CNCDrive support asking about a wireless connection. Got a response in less than 12 hours. Very detailed, and to the point. Bottom line, wireless not recommended because the latency could exceed 20 ms which will screw up the system.
The UC400ETH needs a BOB which you can get for ~ $9.00.
I'll let you know how this configuration goes, but based on the level of support and their response time, I do not expect any issues.

Regards Jeff

[kindlar]

On CMD type NETSTST -R. You can see IP's in your LAN.For example.

0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.101 25
127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
127.0.0.1 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
127.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 On-link 192.168.0.101 281
192.168.0.101 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.0.101 281
192.168.0.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.0.101 281
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 On-link 192.168.0.101 281
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
255 .255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.0.101 281

one of them is NVEM's IP, e.g. 192.168.1.1 then change your IP to 192.168.1.11 . Ping to NVEM ping 192.168.1.1.
When there is a response, the connection works. When you turn on the macha3 green adiode on the network card will blink.

sorry for my English

[Schifty1]

HI Kindlar,
NETSTST -R is NOT recognized as an internal or external command in my Windows 10 cmd prompt.
Any other suggestions??
Thanks Jeff

[kindlar]

sorry, netstat -r