[fidia]

Hi i have bought a proxxon mf 70 3axis cnc hobby milling machine and win pc nc economy software, but am having trouble setting it up. I am using a new pc with windows vista. I need some advice on setting itup where do i start. I have followed the manal but the readout on the software moces but the machine doesnt move. Can anyone help Thank you.

[maxbela]

Hi fidia,
I have a heiz S 1000 running win pcnc. using windows xp, no problems.
It is possible that pcnc doesn't like vista? it being fairly new.
Other than that, if you are getting "online" at the bottom of your win pcnc screen then your problem is probably a cable connection between the controller and the machine. If you don't get "online" on the screen then the problem is between the computer and the controller.
It may sound stupid but I spent half an hour trying to get mine to work once only to discover that the emergency stop button had been pressed in somehow!

[fidia]

Hi fidia,
I have a heiz S 1000 running win pcnc. using windows xp, no problems.
It is possible that pcnc doesn't like vista? it being fairly new.
Other than that, if you are getting "online" at the bottom of your win pcnc screen then your problem is probably a cable connection between the controller and the machine. If you don't get "online" on the screen then the problem is between the computer and the controller.
It may sound stupid but I spent half an hour trying to get mine to work once only to discover that the emergency stop button had been pressed in somehow!

Hi
Thanks for the great help i am getting the "online" at the bottom of the screen so must be using the wrong cable. Should i be looking for a 25 to 25 pin cable. Mabye the cable is faulty. The main problem is the machine wont reference its self, the axes dont move at all. and wont jog manually.

[maxbela]

Hi again,
If you are getting "online" then the computer to controller connection is fine.

So your problem seems to be between the controller and the machine itself.

You could try running the "motor test" under "special functions" to see what that reports back but if the machine won't reference (which involves all 3 axes) then I suspect the controller to machine cable may be at fault.
Have you checked that the machine is free of its limit switches?
Somewhere in the manual it should tell you the order in which the machine will move to reference itself eg. zxy or zyx etc. if the first one cannot move because of a limit swich the machine will freeze. This is a bit like the "emergency stop syndrome" I fell victim to.
Good luck with it.

[fidia]

Hi again,
If you are getting "online" then the computer to controller connection is fine.

So your problem seems to be between the controller and the machine itself.

You could try running the "motor test" under "special functions" to see what that reports back but if the machine won't reference (which involves all 3 axes) then I suspect the controller to machine cable may be at fault.
Have you checked that the machine is free of its limit switches?
Somewhere in the manual it should tell you the order in which the machine will move to reference itself eg. zxy or zyx etc. if the first one cannot move because of a limit swich the machine will freeze. This is a bit like the "emergency stop syndrome" I fell victim to.
Good luck with it.

Hi,
I have tried running a motor test but none of the 3 motors moves when i run it. Basically the 3 axes are locked. The machine is not on any limit switches "ref switches". Is it possible that the stepper card is at fault. When i do a reference move the machine freezes but if i press the switches in sequence then it will move to the park position. I am stumped with what the problem could be uless one of the switches is damaged

[maxbela]

Are you pressing actual physical switches to move to park position or do you mean you can move using the manual move pane in win PCNC?
I don't have any way to move my machine except via the computer but you may have.
Nearly all my problems when I first set up my machine were to do with the various parameter settings, it is worth going through each of these and checking what they are set to.
Does your controller automatically load a set of parameters for your machine when you start win PCNC or have you set them all manually?
I find win PCNC to be very good generally but it does have the odd quirk in it, for instance it will make proper use of the reference switches to perform a reference move but will happily let you use the manual move pane to go right past a reference switch - and then refuse to move back again.
I have to say here that I have no programming knowledge at all, I have simply learned by trial and error to use the software.

[fidia]

Are you pressing actual physical switches to move to park position or do you mean you can move using the manual move pane in win PCNC?
I don't have any way to move my machine except via the computer but you may have.
Nearly all my problems when I first set up my machine were to do with the various parameter settings, it is worth going through each of these and checking what they are set to.
Does your controller automatically load a set of parameters for your machine when you start win PCNC or have you set them all manually?
I find win PCNC to be very good generally but it does have the odd quirk in it, for instance it will make proper use of the reference switches to perform a reference move but will happily let you use the manual move pane to go right past a reference switch - and then refuse to move back again.
I have to say here that I have no programming knowledge at all, I have simply learned by trial and error to use th. e software.

My problem is that i have set the parameters to the settings i was given where i purchased the machine www.usovo.de and connected the machine by a ieee1284 printer cable and when i start the machine and start the software i click the reference move and the machine just doesnt move the three axes lead screws are locked as if it is trying to move. If i press the ref switches in the sequence set in the parameters then the software recognises that te machine is referenced I can then click go to park position and the machine will move. i dont understand why it wont reference. It is a proxxon mf 70 cnc as on www.usovo.de. I have tried changing the parameters but to no avail

[maxbela]

Try clicking the "reference move" button after you have sent the machine to its park position. If it still won't move then I can't figure it out I'm afraid.
So far, from all you have said, I think your cables and connections are all OK.
It may not be doing all it should but it is doing things it could not do with bad cables.
If you really can't sort it soon then send an email to [email protected] who wrote win PCNC and are very helpful in my experience.
Sorry not to be able to think of anything else at the moment.
Good Luck.