Messages

1

Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories / Re: Can't get spindle to change direction.

« on: November 08, 2016, 11:10:46 AM »

Understood. Eat cake, or have cake, there is no both. Just kidding!  This won't be a problem, I'll just have to rethink the implementation of what I need to do.

Thanks for your help! It's a great learning experience doing this build.

2

Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories / Re: Can't get spindle to change direction.

« on: November 07, 2016, 09:53:57 AM »

That LED never lights up, that's why I think it is a configuration thing in Mach. Also, I'm running it in jumbo mode, if that makes a difference. I'll be using jumbo mode to run the mill head steppers in sync

Everything else works great.

Tim

3

Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories / Re: Can't get spindle to change direction.

« on: November 06, 2016, 10:31:58 PM »

Just changed that and it made no difference. Still only one direction.

4

Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories / Can't get spindle to change direction.

« on: November 06, 2016, 08:31:08 PM »

ESS, PMDX-126, PMDX-107, MachIII, Lenze VFD. I set it up per AN002. It runs forward only with both M3 and M4. The direction LED on the 107 doesn't come on with either command. I've verified that the VFD will reverse. Using port 1, pin 16 for run, port 1, pin 14 for direction. Seems that it is probably a software thing, ie incorrect setup in Mach. I've attached my xml, and everything works except for reversing the spindle. Eventually, it will be closed loop, using a sensor on the spindle.

Hopefully I've done something stupidly simple again!

5

Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories / Re: PMDX 126 Rev C jumbo mode not working.

« on: October 31, 2016, 06:36:09 PM »

Found it. I'm an idiot, transposing columns in the setup guide. Had J5 dir and step reversed. Finally realized my error by watching the LEDs. Double face palm for me.

I guess you can learn a lot from messing up. Just glad it didn't take anything with it.

6

Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories / Re: PMDX 126 Rev C jumbo mode not working.

« on: October 31, 2016, 03:41:42 PM »

Thanks for the quick and comprehensive reply!

I did have pins 2 & 3 configured wrong. I changed pin 2 to direction and reconnected the drives correctly, reconfigured Mach III to the correct pins, pin 3 step as active high. I set the DIPs to O, C, O, as well as O,O,C. Still no joy. The LED's do what you describe they should do, in pin 3 low active and high active, but I get no movement out of the drive connected to J5, C & D, only the drive connected to J4. In between each of these steps, which I tried several times, I rebooted everything after saving the configurations.

Also, I am using an ESS smoothstepper and the PMDX-107 spindle controller.

I've attached my mill .xml.

Agian, any help appreciated!

Tim

7

Parallel Port breakout boards, motherboards, and dedicated accessories / PMDX 126 Rev C jumbo mode not working.

« on: October 30, 2016, 10:29:48 PM »

I have tried all DIP configurations for switches 4, 5 & 6. One activity LED on J5 C & D turns and stays on at power up. When axis 1 is activated, both LEDs on J5 come on and stay on in one direction. The other direction, one goes out but comes back on when the axis stops. When not in jumbo mode, I can move that axis by properly configuring in Mach III.

Any help appreciated!

Tim