584,879 active members*
5,146 visitors online*
Register for free
Login
Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    36

    Mach3 with Pokeys57cnc Scaling moves

    I have built a cnc from an old D&M trainer. I am using a pokeys57cnc board with Mach3. I have created a manual control panel and an automatic tool changer and everything works as it should. This has been a long process. I can jog in all directions and in different increments. I can move all axis in MDI and they move to position accurately to the commanded location.
    However here is the problem I am experiencing: When I design something in Rhino and output it with Rhinocam the G code looks good. I load it in mach and it runs through the program with no errors but in changes my DRO's and screws up my G54 zeroed position? Then when you try to run the program it moves to what appears to be 10 times the programmed distance. If you set your jog increment to .01 it moves .1 but the DRO says it moved .01?
    I then tried using the mach wizard and programmed a simple rectangular pocket and it did the same thing. I then manually programmed a simple square .1 deep and again did the same thing.
    I have an old light machines (AKA Sherline) that I retrofitted years ago with just a cheap breakout board and everything else is the same. It works fine and I tried one of the programs that run on it and got the same result. I then took one of the programs that were made for the new machine and did a dry run on the Sherline and it worked fine. This leads me to believe there is something going on with the interface between Mach and Pokeys.

    I am stumped and do not know where to go from here. You can see from the photo a lot has gone into this project and I am very close so I am hoping someone here can help me figure out what setting I am missing or where I went wrong? I posted this at Mach support with no reply.

    Thanks,

    Jeff K.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_1716.jpg  

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Posts
    1516

    Re: Mach3 with Pokeys57cnc Scaling moves

    Quote Originally Posted by jkcab95 View Post
    I have built a cnc from an old D&M trainer. I am using a pokeys57cnc board with Mach3. I have created a manual control panel and an automatic tool changer and everything works as it should. This has been a long process. I can jog in all directions and in different increments. I can move all axis in MDI and they move to position accurately to the commanded location.
    However here is the problem I am experiencing: When I design something in Rhino and output it with Rhinocam the G code looks good. I load it in mach and it runs through the program with no errors but in changes my DRO's and screws up my G54 zeroed position? Then when you try to run the program it moves to what appears to be 10 times the programmed distance. If you set your jog increment to .01 it moves .1 but the DRO says it moved .01?
    I then tried using the mach wizard and programmed a simple rectangular pocket and it did the same thing. I then manually programmed a simple square .1 deep and again did the same thing.
    I have an old light machines (AKA Sherline) that I retrofitted years ago with just a cheap breakout board and everything else is the same. It works fine and I tried one of the programs that run on it and got the same result. I then took one of the programs that were made for the new machine and did a dry run on the Sherline and it worked fine. This leads me to believe there is something going on with the interface between Mach and Pokeys.

    I am stumped and do not know where to go from here. You can see from the photo a lot has gone into this project and I am very close so I am hoping someone here can help me figure out what setting I am missing or where I went wrong? I posted this at Mach support with no reply.

    Thanks,

    Jeff K.

    Have you set the driver micro steps and steps per unit correctly, relative to your ballscrews pitch?.
    Sounds to me like you are out by a factor of 10x if it happens on all programs.
    For example if you have a 5mm pitch screw, a 400 step per unit, your driver should be 2000 per rev (5x your per unit).
    A 10mm screw would be 10x your per unit. So it would become 400/ 4000.
    Etc.
    Easy to overlook.

    Unless measuring it you wouldn't necessarily pay attention to it when jog testing.


    I almost bought a pokeys until I saw how crap the support looked.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    36

    Re: Mach3 with Pokeys57cnc Scaling moves

    Thanks for the reply. I would agree the support for Pokeys leaves something to be desired! As for steps per unit the calibration is correct. I can type a command in MDI and the move is exactly as commanded. I even set up a dial indicator to check repeatability and backlash. The problem only occurs when I up load a program. I can be sitting at 0,0,0 in work offset G54 and when Mach runs through the program on load to check for errors I watch the DRO's change. This is why I am so confused. After the program is loaded My jogging function reports correctly in DRO's but is moving 10 times the distance? If I set the joj to .01 it moves .1?

    Thanks,
    Jeff K.

Similar Threads

  1. Pokeys57cnc and THC in mach3 or 4
    By chavadj in forum Plasma, EDM / Other similar machine Project Log
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 07-09-2020, 02:18 PM
  2. Mach3 scaling up G code by 1000%+ yet write wizard is sizing correctly, whats wrong?
    By tom.jelly in forum Mach Software (ArtSoft software)
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-24-2018, 09:51 PM
  3. Scaling problem with MACH3
    By Shed123 in forum Vectric
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 08-29-2014, 08:25 PM
  4. CamBam or Mach3 Scaling/Shrinking Drawings?!
    By catabolic in forum CamBam
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 07-12-2011, 07:22 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •