Author Topic: Sound Logic PC-2-ROUTE REV1.9 & SPINDLE SPEED R4 & Auto Z setter Need Help!  (Read 2462 times)

GreggM

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I have a EZ Router built  in 2008
mach 3
HSD Spindle will not spin.
VFD is power in but Nothing Out (digital readout says 50.1)

Main Board (Sound Logic PC-2-ROUTE  REV1.9)
spindle board (Spindle Speed R4 sound logic)
auto z (02-34957-0101 Rev B)

Called tech support, they said i needed a Red BOB and 24V power supply
Friend is helping me research how to fix and he found out about PMDX 126 and 107 boards as a fix for sound logic boards. via google

pmdx contact page suggests starting here in the forum before emailing..

So....I am not that tech saavy,
is the pmdx 126 and 107 the latest fix (for 2020) (as my 2008 pc and control box are still parallell ported) or is there a better way to upgrade and use usb (as a new computer is probably necessary soon...
i see Smart BOBs are available ? are those better than a 126 /107 combo or more than i need?

also when they installed the auto z board at the factory it was double stick taped.. very quickly unstuck fell and shorted out.
what can i do to replace it? (board says 02-34957-0101 RevB)

thank you so much for your help
Gregg
out here in sunny and hot Oklahoma

12strings

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Wow - that is going back a few years!  I don't remember many specifics about the Sound Logic boards, and have no idea what the "auto z" board does (I'm guess maybe it is a touch plate interface?).

That said, if you want to keep your old PC and OS and continue running Mach3, then the PMDX-126 and 107 combo should work.  You may have to re-arrange limit switch wiring if the Sound Logic board has more inputs than the PMDX-126.  The PMDX SmartBOBs work only with Mach4.

Can you manually control your VFD to make the spindle run (if it has front panel controls)?

If you can list the signals attached to the Sound Logic boards I might be able to suggest how to wire the PMDX boards.

GreggM

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Yes it's for a touch plate
No manual buttons
I have some pics
Can take better ones tomorrow

I'm not opposed to upgrading from the parallel setup.

Thank you for your help.
Well...I have to resize the pics tomorrow too

GreggM

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Here are most of the boards in the control box.
i have 2 stepper motors on Y axis
1 on X axis
1 on Z axis
1 on rotary axis
................................................
As far as mach 3 and Mach 4
why would one want to upgrade?
.......................................................
when i get a new computer.. is the db25 to usb adapter the easiest way to continue with the 126-107 combo
.....................
open to all insight and suggestions as to get the easiest way to get my spindle working again :)

Thanks
Gregg

12strings

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I'm not sure I can answer all your questions, and I'm not sure I understand all of your existing setup.

It looks like your dual motors on the Y axis are simply 2 stepper drivers wired in parallel to a single motor axis on the Sound Logic board.  Is that correct?  This means that you are not able to move the motors independently to "square" the axis.

I don't understand why the touch plate board looks to have a significant power supply on board (and in fact looks to be ALL power supply).

And the "board on deck" looks like a different board than the "main board" and is wired to more stepper motors?????  Are you running 2 parallel ports?

The "main board" looks like it has 3 outputs driving something.  Do you know what these are?

That said, if you are happy with having the 2 gantry (Y) motors driven from a single set of step/dir signals, then I believe PMDX-126/107 combo will work fine with your existing PC and Mach3 setup.

Staying with Mach3 or upgrading to Mach4 is a tricky question.  If Mach3 does all that you need it to, AND if you can continue to run on an older Win OS that supports Mach3 (I think that means WinXP or maybe Win7 but I' not sure), and as long as your PC has a physical parallel port, then you could stay with Mach3.

Mach4 is the newer product, and is actively being supported and enhanced.  Mach3 is what it is and there will be no further updates.  Mach4 adds some nice features, but if you are happy with Mach3 they may not be of any advantage.  More easily customizable screend and easier scripting language are two noticeable ones off the top of my head.

However, if you intend to get a new PC, that new PC will likely run Win10.  This means Mach3 won't work on Win10 and Mach4's parallel port driver won't work either (it is 32-bit OS only, which means 32-bit Win7, XP or Vista).  And the new PC will likely not have a physical parallel port.  In that case, if you already bought the PMX-126/107 combo, then, yes, the PMDX-411 will work with Mach4 and your PMDX-126/107.  Your Mach3 config may need a few minor changes to work with the PMDX boards, but I wouldn't expect major changes (well, maybe with spindle config).

Though if you intend to get a new PC sooner rather than later, you might consider skipping the PMX-126/107 and going straight to something like a PMDX-425 and PMX-407, or a PMDX-416 and PMDX-407.  This also means Mach4.  So this would be an entirely new PC, Windows version, Mach4 environment and breakout board.  Maybe a lot to tackle at once.