Thread: Alpha Zoot ... new aussie machine on the way!

Hi Alan,

I was just reading this in the the Mach manual

Drive electronics usually use the Active Lo configuration for Step and Dir signals. Mach3 should be set up so these outputs are Active Lo. If this is not done, the Step signal will still go up and down but the drive will interpret the gaps between the pulses as the pulses, and vice-versa. This often causes very rough or unreliable running of the motor.

I think yours are all set to Active High. Worth a shot?

"I get an intermittent display on the VFD control panel!! 'ASR1.0' comes up on the display for a few seconds and then goes off."

I think I may have tracked down the problem here ... the VFD manual says don't use a mechanical relay to turn the VFD on, so I used a solid state relay, but it seems that this might be the cause of the stray display because when the display lights up, it seems the relay is receiving a stray signal and turning the VFD on for a few seconds or part thereof. When I thought about it, in the majority of cases when I turn on the main power I am going to want to use the spindle anyway, so I have rewired the VFD without any relay and so it comes on when I turn on the main switch. I can then start and stop the spindle from the display panel in my main console control panel. No relay = no stray signals (hopefully!). The only downside as I see it is the VFD is on when I am fiddling in Aspire etc, but most of my design work is done in the house and not in the workshop, so this should not be a problem!

Cheers,

Alan

*** Still no luck in getting the computer to run the Driver Test program, even after re installing windows!

That's good news re the VFD Alan.

You might be better off getting everything sorted using the PC from the Widgetmaster first. It makes it hard to troubleshoot when there are multiple problems to find.

John,

You are right ... am only working with the Wiggitmaster PC until I get the steppers sorted. I really think that it has something to do with incorrect wiring to the steppers, so will recheck all that again tomorrow. The fact that the steppers are getting signals, but those signals are confused, so they don't know which way to turn. A bit like me at the moment!!

Alan

Hi Alan,

Did you try setting the steppers to active low to see if it makes a difference?

Hi Alan
Have you run a ground from your signal ground to terminal 12 on the Gecko251? I am assuming you have 251's.
It is a little vague in the instructions but is important as it references the step and direction to zero. I emailed Gecko and got a confirmation about it when I set up Morphy as I orignally had a power ground connected.
This is not a power or machine ground and must come from the BOB along with the two signal wires for each motor.

I thought that I should 'fess up'.

All of my problems in getting the console computer to work were simply fixed and showed me that i am a dill!

After emails with Rod, I decided that my best option would be to get another parallel port so that I knew that it would work, so off to our local Resource Recovery Centre (we used to call them tips in the olden days!) where a young chap (nice guy, but a real computer nerd) re-conditions old computers and sells them and he always has lots of computer parts. Well to cut a long story short, he did not actually have a PCI Parallel Port to suit my computer, but could get one in. When I explained what the problem was, he asked me if I had looked at the bias ... I explained to him that I am biassed toward Macintosh computers, but that was evidently the wrong answer!

So he plugged my computer in to one of his monitors and opened up a BIAS screen and in about 5 seconds flat had enabled the parallel port! Brought it home, plugged it in and all works well! Now, am I a dill or what!!!

Thank you to all who have given me suggestions and especially to John from Queenbeyan who did a 4 hour round trip to try and sort me out. I don't think that I made it clear to people what a low base of knowledge I was working from in relation to the inner workings of a PC.

E Stop and limit switches tomorrow and then I will hopefully be ready to do something. I still have to address the earlier magic smoke from one of the Gecko's ... been too frightened to reconnect power to it and I also have a couple of steppers that are going in the wrong direction but that will be solvable I am sure.

Cheers

Dill, ass, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, buffoon, dimwit, dolt, dope, dullard, dunderhead, fool, goof, goof ball, half-wit, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, knucklehead, lame-brain, moron, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, numskull, schnook, simpleton, twit Alan

Don't be too hard on yourself Alan.

I did not see any of us here on the forum say anything about checking the port was not disabled in the BIOS (basic input-output system)

I for one did not give it a thought.

Greg

EDIT: If a motor is going the wrong way, go into "Homing and Limits" and check "Reversed"

And if you need another G251, then I have a spare here that will get you going.

Good news Alan. It didn't even occur to me to check the BIOS. It's always the simple things. I take it the steppers are running smoothly now?

Greg,
Thanks for that info about the reversal and your offer of the spare driver. I will power it up tomorrow and see if the magic smoke has done any damage.

John,
The steppers are running really smoothly now ... amazing what the correct wiring connection does! I am having some doubts as to whether my design for the Y axis is right. The X axis fair scoots along with the 4:1 reduction, but I left the Y axis as 1:1 from the stepper and it is slow in comparison. I have given some thought to how I can modify the design to include some reduction, but at this stage it is just get it working and refinements can come later.

Cheers,

Alan

Slightly off topic.

I am going to call in at Cables Plus tomorrow. Does anybody need anything?

Send me a message by 9 in the morning. Might be a good idea to give a phone number too.

Greg

This is a semi-update! Those who have been following my build would not have seen my table cleared for many months ... well here it is! Cleared and ready to start my table leveling tomorrow ... I may even do some test routing as well. The other photo is just of my control box ... not very neat, and fits into the 'rats nest' approach to control box design. As you can see there are still a few loose wires which will be attached shortly.

More photos to come when things are working!

Cheers,

Alan

Ahh so that's what your table looks like

Lookin good!

Shweet !

Russell.