PMDX Forum
General Category => Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories => Topic started by: ghoward on March 01, 2016, 12:17:34 PM
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Hello, I am converting a Precision Mathews PM45M CNC mill to use a an Ethernet Smoothstepper, PMDX-126, and a PMDX-107. The current motion controller/BOB is a Jamen JNC-40M. This controller passes 14V through output 1 and 2 to energize the relays to run the spindle either cw or ccw. I would like to continue to use the existing relays is this manner but I don't know if allowing the 14v to pass through the output 1 or 2 to ground would damage the 126 board. And if so can I then use the PMDX-107 to control just the spindle speed using the Aout and Agnd?
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I would recommend using the PMDX-107. The FWD and REV outputs on this
board are PhotoMOS solid state relays that can handle relay coils that draw
up to 100 milliAmperes continuous. When you said 14 V did you intend to
say 24 VDC? That would be more typical. The PMDX-107 outputs are OK
for 24 VDC and even for 120 VAC.
Are you talking about the "Ice Cube" relays labeled KA1 and KA2 that are
mounted to the right side of the Delta VFD? You should be able to unplug
them and read the coil current or at least the model number from them.
On the other hand, the outputs of the PMDX-107 are designed to directly
interface to a VFD such as the Delta, and the VFD can provide the reversing
function. I do not know why they would have reversing contactors in a
machine with a VFD. Perhaps they exist because a base version of the
machine does not have the VFD.
The PMDX-107 will also provide a 0 - 10 VDC speed control signal to be
used by the VFD.
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Hello Steve, yes I should have said 24v and I was talking about the KA1 and KA2 relays. I was hoping to keep the rewireing to a minimum should I have to convert back to the JNC-40M board.
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Then you should be good to go, just connect the two relays to the FWD and REV
outputs of the PMDX-107 board.
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I finally got everything working on this mill except the spindle will not turn on. I can run the spindle by putting a 9 volt battery across the wires that go to Agnd and Aout on the PMDX-107. The PMDX-107 only shows the one power led and does not output the 0-10V.
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First thing - does the PMDX-107's self-test mode drive the spindle (see the PMDX-107 User's Manual)? If not, then we need to verify the wiring between the PMDX-107 and your spindle controller.
If the PMDX-107 self-test mode *does* control the spindle, the next thing is to make sure that the PWM signal is getting to the PMDX-126 and therefore the PMDX-107. In general, make sure that the PWM signal is on port 1 pin 16, with a PWM frequency of (typically) 100 Hz. The direction signal should be on port 1 pin 14. With the spindle turned on in Mach and a non-zero spindle speed, look at the LED on the PMDX-126 at connector J6 on the terminal labeled "16". The LED should be glowing, and the brightness should change with spindle speed (dimmer at slower speeds, brighter at higher speeds).
If you see this LED glowing as it should, now check the LEDs on the PMDX-107. The "PWM" LED should behave just like the pin 16 LED on the PMDX-126.
If you are running Mach3, then look at our application note AN002 here:
http://pmdx.com/AppNotes
It is titled "PWM Spindle Speed with Mach3, SmoothStepper, PMDX-125 or PMDX-126 and PMDX-106 or PMDX-107" and it shows all of the settings (SmoothStepper, PMDX-126, PMDX-107 and Mach3).
If you are running Mach4, the ESS plug-in is much different and I do not know how to configure the ESS for this. There are a couple of threads on the MachSupport forums (http://www.machsupport.com/forum/) , but I suggest going straight to the Warp9 support forums (http://warp9td.com/index.php/kunena/index).
Bob
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The test button and pot control the spindle. Is it necessary to have the charge pump operational as long as the switches on each board are set correctly and it is turned of in software?
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I set up everything as in AN002. Then on the 107 I ran the test and the spindle worked. I am not getting an led on #16.
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Is it necessary to have the charge pump operational as long as the switches on each board are set correctly and it is turned of in software?
If you have both the PMDX-126 and PMDx-107's DIP switches configured to ignore charge pump, then you do not need a charge pump signal on pin 17. Though we usually recommend using the charge pump signal.
I set up everything as in AN002. Then on the 107 I ran the test and the spindle worked. I am not getting an led on #16.
Since you mention using AN002, I presume that you are running Mach3. If you are running Mach4 please let me know.
Starting at the very basic stuff - on the PMDX-126, is the "Outputs Enabled" LED on? And is the EStop (red) LED off?
Please verify that on the "Config", "Ports& Pins" dialog, on the "Motor Outputs" tab that you have the spindle step and direction assigned to port 1 (the right-most two columns). It is easy to overlook this and leave them at port 0, which won't do anything.
Do you have pin 14 configured as the spindle direction signal? If so, look at the LED on the PMDX-126 at J6 for pin 14. Enter an M3 command, and then an M4 command. Depending on the polarity (active high or active low) of the spindle direction signal, you should see the LED turn on for one of those commands, and off for the other command. Can you see the pin 14 LED turn on and off?
Are you able to control any other outputs on the PMDX-126, such as either of the two relays?
Bob
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I am running Mach3, on the 126 the outputs enabled led is on and the estop led if off. I assigned the spindle step and direction to port 1. The pin 14 led comes on with an M3 command and stays on with an M4 command, also the K2 relay led comes one with both. Yesterday I set up output 14 to operate the K1 relay to operate the CW relay (KA1 on the preexisting setup). Where do I define what port and pin operates M3 and then M4?
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If you have a PMDX-107 you should be using the FWD and REV outputs on
that board to control your relays, not the relays on the PMDX-126.
The PMDX-107 needs two signals:
Pin 16 should have the PWM signal. This doubles as on/off because the
PMDX-107 senses the presence or absence of the PWM to decide if the
spindle should be running. This signal is configured using the
Config > Ports and Pins > Motor Outputs dialog. Put a green check in the
enable column beside Spindle. Set the Step output to pin 16 and port 1.
Pin 14 will be your spindle direction control. This signal is also configured
using the Config > Ports and Pins > Motor Outputs dialog. Keep the green
check in the enable column beside Spindle. Set the Direction output to
pin 14 and port 1. If you end up with the spindle turning the wrong way,
check the Active Low beside the Direction signal.
The relays on the PMDX-126 will not be used and the Mach3 configuration
should have the Disable Relays checked on the Config > Ports and Pins >
Spindle Setup config tab.
If you are still having problems, please send us your XML file so we can
look at your configuration here.
Configuration of Mach4 when using a SmoothStepper is still sort of a mess.
I suggest that you wait for their forthcoming update to their Mach4 plug-in.
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Two things:
(1) You say that the pin 14 LED remains on for both M3 and M4 commands. It almost sounds like you have two Mach3 signals trying to drive port 1 pin 14. Make sure that there is nothing in the "Output Signals" tab assigned to port 1 pin 14.
(2) To clarify/expand on what Steve mentioned - there can be some confusion with the term "relays' when talking about Mach3 and the PMDX-126 and PMDX-107:
- There are the two physical relays on the PMDX-126 board, one normally controlled by pin1, and one normally controlled by pin 14 (but this can be changed via DIP switches and jumpers)
- There are two solid-state relays on the PMDX-107 that are used to control the Run/Forward and Direction/Reverse signals to a VFD or spindle controller
- and finally there are the Mach3 "relays" signals on the "Spindle Setup" tab of the Mach3 "Configure->Ports & Pins" dialog, that map to Mach3 output signals, which in turn can be assigned to output pins on the PMDX-126
When Steve said to disable the "relays', he means in the "Spindle Config" tab - check the box that says "Disable Spindle Relays". Your KA1 and KA2 external relays (sheesh - yet ANOTHER set of relays :-) should be connected to and controlled by the solid-state relays on the PMDX-107, not by the mechanical relays on the PMDX-126.
And as Steve mentioned, if all else fails you can post your configuration XML file here or email it to us. The name of the file is displayed in the lower right corner of the stock Mach3 Mill screen where it says "Profile". Look in your Mach3 directory (typically C:Mach3) for that file name with a ".xml" file extension.
Bob
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So how does the PWM signal get to pin 16. Do I connect something to the #16 wire connector? Is it something that the PMDX-126 board creates when directed by Mach3? It seems to me that this signal is not getting to the PMDX-107.
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So how does the PWM signal get to pin 16. Do I connect something to the #16 wire connector? Is it something that the PMDX-126 board creates when directed by Mach3? It seems to me that this signal is not getting to the PMDX-107.
There are 3 groups of settings that combine to have Mach3 (and the SmoothStepper) output the PWM signal on port 1 pin 16. The PMDX-126 does not create the PWM, it simply passes through whatever Mach3 and the SmoothStepper send to it. The references below are to sections in our app note AN002:
(1) Section 5 - telling the SmoothStepper that the spindle speed is controlled via PWM
(2) Section 6, step 2 - Telling Mach3 that spindle speed is controlled via PWM
(3) Section 6, step 3 - Telliing Mach3 (and the SmoothStepper) which pins to output spindle speed "step" (which by virtue of (1) and (2) above is now really "PWM") and direction. There are also settings in section 6 steps 4 and 5 that, are necessary. The values given in our app note for the spindle motor tuning are values that were arrived at through trial and error and I don't know any real-world basis for why those values work (or at least *used* to work).
So.... are you able to get pin 14 to reflect the spindle direction? Or does pin 14 still remain on as long as the spindle is on (in either direction)? If you've tried all of our suggestions above and still cannot get either pin 14 or PWM on pin 16 I think it is time to send us your XML configuration file so we can take a look.
Bob
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I have not gotten pin 14 to correctly show clockwise or ccw. I have attached the xml file as requested.
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Thanks for the XML. I forgot to ask earlier, what are the DIP switch settings on the PMDX-126 and PMDX-107?
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Did you find anything in my xml file that needed to be set up differently?