[ku3kyc]

I'm trying to shortcut my research a bit. I have an existing 3-axis 24"x36" setup that has run well for 5 years or so. But my Gateway PC running Windows XP finally bit the dust. I need to upgrade my motion card from a parallel port to USB and WIndows 10. Anyone have a good suggestion, preferably a very inexpensive solution.

Current setup:
3-axis gantry type homemade machine
Longs Motor 23HS9430 NEMA23 motors
Longs DM542A motor drivers
Mach3
Windows 10 laptop with USB port

[manofmanyhats]

If your previous setup did everything you needed it to, I would go with one of these:

CNC USB CONTROLLER UC100 for Mach3 CNC Controller USB to Parallel | eBay

Assuming you still have a breakout board to go between a parallel port and drivers.

[hanermo]

Pokeys ethernet.
From Polabs in Poland. Cheap and excellent.
Supports multiple MPG !
Best of the cheap ones. Great drivers. Great support. Great product.

I would not use anything USB.
Ethernet is electrically isolated among other things.
And does not suffer from a major, major, major USB problem that ANY device connection/disconnection on USB can (does) break the USB stuff for a long time (seconds), creating an estop.

Ie unplugging by mistake or poor connection on pendrive, mouse, keyboard anything-usb causes a hw interrupt and USB stack re-build.
This is rare, but does happen.

USB is noise-prone.
Ethernet is noise resistant.

USB has delays and latency issues.
Ethernet is less than 1 ms (on dedicated ethernet segment) steady state latency.

And most USB stuff is much weaker than ethernet stuff.
Pokeys has a USB version, with same great support and product, but I would always only use ethernet.

I use a CSMIO-IP-S myself, but it is expensive.
Industrial lathe.

[ku3kyc]

Why not a new card for less money? What is the converter providing that is better than a new driver? Something like "50KHz CNC USB MACH3 Interface Breakout Board Driver 6 Axis Card Control USBCNC" on ebay for half the price?

[ger21]

Many of the chinese motion controllers do not support or work with all of Mach3's functions, especially if you do probing or auto zeroing.

[ku3kyc]

Thanks all. Just purchased a UC100, not the cheep one from China.

[ku3kyc]

Things did not go so well. My expertise has been exceeded. No motion.

Mach3 was completely removed and reloaded with all existing plugins removed. License file copied from old machine. Version is R3.043.066

UC100 installed with auto installer with no errors. Good blue and green lights. Plugin monitor shows fast clock and activity on the right "pins" when jogging.

Mach3 diagnostics screen shows jog axis value changes but no pin activity. Ports and pins output step and direction ports set to 1. Motor tuning set to exactly what it was on the old machine.

Since this is a move from an old machine to a new laptop running Windows 10, a new install of Mach3, a new UC100, the config is essentially all new. I do not know where to start debugging. Is it a Mach3 install issue, a license thing, a UC100 plugin issue?

UC100 support has taken me through 3 e-mails and I think as far as they like. I need someone to talk me through some debugging. But any help would be appreciated.

[ger21]

upload your Mach3 .xml file.
Sounds like a Mach3 setup issue.

[ger21]

Actually, it seems more like an electronics issue.

Plugin monitor shows fast clock and activity on the right "pins" when jogging.

This means that the UC100 is working, and is sending signals.

Mach3 diagnostics screen shows jog axis value changes but no pin activity.

Mach3 will not display any activity, because you are not using the parallel port. That why there's a plugin monitor.

Measure the voltage at the direction pin terminals on your breakout board, and see if they are changing from 0V to 5V when you change directions.

[ku3kyc]

"Invalid File" when I try to upload an XML file. Is there a workaround?

edit: got it. Attached as zip

[ku3kyc]

Actually, it seems more like an electronics issue.



This means that the UC100 is working, and is sending signals.



Mach3 will not display any activity, because you are not using the parallel port. That why there's a plugin monitor.

Measure the voltage at the direction pin terminals on your breakout board, and see if they are changing from 0V to 5V when you change directions.

Yes 5V on signal and direction out. Motors all are holding against hand turning when powered. No electronics changes were made except the addition of the UC100. The electronics were working fine prior to this add and the change to the laptop.

[ger21]

Do your drives have an enable that you need to setup in Mach3?
Sounds like everything is working but the drives.

[ku3kyc]

Do your drives have an enable that you need to setup in Mach3?
Sounds like everything is working but the drives.

I don't know what you mean by "the drives."

The motor tuning is good, the same as the prior machine. The x,y,z output pins are set. I'm not a Mach3 expert but I think I covered all the config stuff. What screen should I check for the drives?

[ger21]

drives = Longs DM542A motor drivers.
If you're seeing both 0V and 5V on direction changes, then it should be working.

Are you sure that you don't have the step and direction pins backwards?
Usually, step pins are 2,4, and 6, with dir 3,5, 7.
Yours are opposite.

[ku3kyc]

drives = Longs DM542A motor drivers.
If you're seeing both 0V and 5V on direction changes, then it should be working.

Are you sure that you don't have the step and direction pins backwards?
Usually, step pins are 2,4, and 6, with dir 3,5, 7.
Yours are opposite.

I had them the same as configured on the old machine. It looks like reversing them along with selecting the Step Low Active fixed part of the issue. I have motor movement although incredibly slow. So I need to figure out what is going on with the motor tuning. But it looks like this thread helped me get going. Thank you all.

[ger21]

Make sure that your Native Units are set correctly.