Usbcnc

[Web Goblin]

Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone has any experience on USBCNC and the CPU4 controller pcb?
I will be using this kit for my machine build and was looking for some tips.

Regards

Ian

[AdCNC]

Hi Ian, USBCNC is fantastic. i have been using it for about 6 months now and not a single problem with it, its super stable over ethernet thats what i would recommend doing if you have the CPU4 with ethernet! also if you have any problems or questions just e-mail bert who designed, built and wrote the software.

Also the software is just as easy to customise as Mach 3 in my opinion its a lot better then mach!

Thats my 2p worth

Ad

[Web Goblin]

Ad,
I am going to be using the CPU4 card with USB connection. If you are using the CPU4 card how did you wire your limit switches?

Ian

[AdCNC]

Hi Ian, Im using a CPU5A4E card but the CPU4 will be much the same when it comes to wiring up the switches.

If you have looked at the CPU4 diagram http://www.edingcnc.com/upload/files/cpu4_flyer_tech.pdf you will see the home connector, this it easy to wire up. looking at the pin out table in the link you will see pin 1 = X home 2 = A home 3 = Y home 4 = B home 5 = Z home 6 = GND Pin 7 is if you have supplied an external 5v supply to the card (ignore of you have not) 8 = GND 9 = 5v USB (if you are powering the card from the USB port.

So if you were wiring the card up in a normal case suituation then you would ideally be using a NC switch, you would run a wire from pin 1 ( x home) to your switch, from the switch back to ither pin 6 or pin 8 (GND) the same goes for the other axis.

Thats about it matey ;)

Simples!

[Web Goblin]

I take it that the home switches also act as limit switches for each axis? Did you use seperate switches for your e stop or use the home switch as well? I was going to add an e stop switch at the end of each axis. The only problem I will have is that my proximity switches need between 10 to 30v to work correctly so I will need to connect them to a relay and get the relay to switch the CPU4 signal, not a big problem but it needs to work correctly.

Ian

[AdCNC]

Yes mate, the switches act like limits and e-stops, there are setting in the software to tell usbcnc how you want it to use the switches.

I also have proximity switches, these run off 12v, it is pretty easy to wire up. once you have it all ready for wiring then give me a shout and ill try and help you if you get stuck.

[Web Goblin]

Did you fit a limit switch to each end of your axis? Ie one limit at the end of + x axis and another at the end of - x axis and the same for the Y and C axes and also an e stop switch at the end of each axis? I am trying to get the idea of how the switching is designed to work. I am used to seeing an end limit switch and an e stop switch at the end of travel for each axis. Obviously the CPU4 card does not have the connections for this type of wiring so is the best idea to fit a home limit at say the + end of travel for each axis and connect them all up to the home connector, then I was thinking about fitting an e stop switch at both ends of travel for each axis and dasiy chain them to the e stop connector seeing as the card does not have seperate inputs for each axis for an e stop signal.

Regards

Ian

[AdCNC]

Ian, USBCNC is configured much simpler than this, all that is needed to be done is place a limit switch at the Home of each axis. then in the software you tel it how much travel each axis has (effective table size) once this is done each time you Launce the software it will ask you to reference the machine, depending on what order you configure each axis, it will slowly move the axis up to the switch and then back off until it see continuity of that switch again. mine is set to reference Z then Y then X. once this is done the switches then act like e-stops, so (if) soon as the axis is triggered the software will stop and disable the Stepper/Servo Drives and any other things like coolant pumps you may have setup.

Also unlike mach3 the switched have there own input so the software knows what switch has been activated.

Hope that helps

Ad

[Web Goblin]

Ad,
Thanks for the info. I think I have it now. It just seemed to be too simple to be like that.
I can get it done with three limit switches now instead of six that I had planned for. Although I might add an extra switch at the opposite end of each axis travel for some extra safety and connect it to the e stop.


Ian

[AdCNC]

I suppose adding 3 more would not hurt anything but tbh i really dont see the need, have a look at the manual on the USBCNC site it tells you how best to set the switches up.

Ad

[Web Goblin]

Ad,
do you have an MPG for your CPU card? If so what one?

Regards

Ian

[AdCNC]

Ian, yes i do have an MPG, its one i made my self.

I bought the encoder off e-bay and got a small aluminium box from Maplin with some push buttons, the buttons act as Play & Pause but also function as Zero the DRO (individual axis) and Axis Select.

Cheers

[Web Goblin]

Would you mind posting a schematic of it if you have one? I have been looking around for a drawing to have a go at making one.

Ian

[AdCNC]

i dont have any schematics, but its pretty self explanatory anyway. theres only 8 wires needed. 2 for each button + & - for power to the encoder and a wire to the A and B outputs on the encoder its self.. in the USBCNC manual it shows how what pins you need to wire!

[Web Goblin]

Unfortunately I havent gotten that far through the manual yet! There are a few encoders on ebay at the moment so I might try to get one of them and have a go.
I have managed to get a few more hours on my build over the last few nights and I nearly have the control panel finished. I have decided to wire my limit switches through relays supplied at 24VDC and just switch the 5vdc from the BOB. I have them to fit and connect up then it will be ready for a first power up.

Ian

[Web Goblin]

Ad,
I take it that the green led on the CPU4 card is the one that says the card is talking to the pc?
Can't get it to flash except for a few flashes after I plug in the usb cable although the power led does stay on. I can't get anything to work and all the limit and stop leds on the usb software are red, so it looks like no comms. Think I will go for reinstalling usbcnc to see if that helps.

[AdCNC]

Not to sure on the cpu4 board, have you installed the drivers when you installed the usbcnc software? Try the latest software also http://www.edingcnc.com/index.php?pagina=8_download

[Web Goblin]

Are the drivers included in the software download? I used the latest stable version of the software, not the beta one.
One thing I just thought of is that I got this pc from work. I had asked for a clean basic Windows install but they might have stuck some of their security crap on it and it might be blocking the com port.

[Web Goblin]

ITS ALIVE!
Managed to get it running. There was still some security installed on the pc which is now gone so USBcnc can see the com port now and is talking to the CPU4 card.

[Web Goblin]

Ad,
Is there a way to run only the z axis for exactly one revolution? My original measurements of the thread pitch for the screw are wrong so I would like to run the drive for one turn and measure the distance travelled with my dti.

Regards

Ian

[Jonathan]

Ad,
Is there a way to run only the z axis for exactly one revolution? My original measurements of the thread pitch for the screw are wrong so I would like to run the drive for one turn and measure the distance travelled with my dti.


Just tell it to move a distance equal to the pitch of the thread, then it will do one turn and you can measure.

Alternatively use any distance, measure the actual distance and that gets you a ratio. You can then scale the pitch value you entered from that - hopefully it'll be a recognisable number.

[antsals]

How do you find the usbcnc? I'm thinking of getting the CPU5 card with the Ethernet.

Cheers
Ant

[Web Goblin]

Jonathan,
I think I will have to try it that way to get it right. I had thought the pitch was 5mm but the distance travelled is not correct. I was hoping to be be able to turn the drive 1 turn and measure the distance travelled which would have given me my pitch.

antsals,
usbcnc seems to be very good but I have only started using it. The only thing I have found so far that I dont like is that the X and Y axis controls in the jog pad are the wrong way round from what I am used to. X goes from left to right and Y is up and down. I havent found a way to change this yet.

[antsals]

Does it have the watchdog output on the card you have? If so what is it for.

Ant

[Web Goblin]

The watchdog output is sort of an "everything is ok" output on this card I think. I have this circuit on one of our profiling machines at work and it checks things like CPU comms, power supply voltages. If everything is ok it allows the machine to start working.

Ad,
I have had some problems with Homing the machine but I think I have that sorted out now. To start with it would not complete the second move and drive back off the limits but I have this working now. But after the machine is homed I can still jog it through the limit switches even though I have the box ticked for using the home switches as limits and also if I try to run on of the demo files as a job it then asks me to Home the machine again. I can get round this by turning the Homing required off and the machine will run ok. I have emailed Bert but I think he may be on holiday as he hasnt replied for a few days. Have you seen anything like this before?

Regards

Ian

[AdCNC]

Ian, can you take a screen dump of your settings page and email it to me? i will PM u my address ;)

[Web Goblin]

Ad,
Thanks very much for the help. I might not get to the machine again till tomorrow. Working all day today and going out tonight. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Regards

Ian

[antsals]

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ytfrhUjvWXA

Quick question.......I've just got my CPU5 Card and I have a quick question. When I measure with my multimeter between pins 14 and 23 so the spindle on-off output and ground.

I am connecting this to a relay but I'm intrested how this works because when I hit the ON button on the PC the voltage hits a perfect 6mv but when I turn the button off it blips around? Have a look at the video? Is this correct?

Cheers
Ant

[AdCNC]

Ant, am i mistaken but should you not be using Pin 1 and 23 to turn the spindle on/off?

[antsals]

Yeah sorry! I was soon something else at the same time. Is it normal that the voltage bounces about? I thought that powering any relays or anything it was either off or on if you get my drift?

[antsals]

I'm just sorting a PC out to run the USBCNC Software BETA V3.53 software. I want a pretty compact computer maybe one of the mini ITX boards. My only worry is the graphics driver. Have you found any issues with a minimum spec pc?

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-e35m1-i-deluxe-amd-hudson-m1-amd-zacate-18w-pci-e-20-(x16)-ddr31066-sata-6gb-s-mini-itx

Ant

[AdCNC]

You should be fine with that motherboard Ant. im running USBCNC on a really old MB with on board graphics and that copes fine!

[antsals]

I'm hoping you can help.

As I previously discussed I have the CPU5A4E Economy 4 axes with Ethernet card. I'm a little confused what to set the Watchdog jumpers too and what each of the settings mean. Some of the documentation isn't very clear I'm thinking they forget some us don't know everything about "electronics"

Cheers
Ant

[AdCNC]

Ant, how have you got your board powered? are you using a lead from your PC's usb to power it or externally? if its externally (powering it via the D-SUB25) then you need to set the upper jumper to the right! if via the usb then the upper jumper to the Left.

As for the lower jumper i have got mine set to NPN Safe (to the Right)

So basically my jumpers are configure the same as the picture in the manual, dont forget that if you are powering with a separate 5v supply through the D-SUB then you will need to solder the to little pins on the back ( bridge them across )

If you are looking at the board on the reverse face and have the D-SUBs facing up then the bridges (on the back of the board) will be running from the top pin to the bottom for both sets of pins.

If ur powering via USB then leave these as when you got the board and set the watchdog top jumper to the left!

Any body correct me if im wrong but this is how i have setup my board and it works a treat!

Ad

[antsals]

Do you have any idea what PNP and NPN mean?

I'm powering via the usb but I have the connection from the CNC board to a CIB breakout board. I think I'm having problems with the connection between the two cards as the breakout board has its own 5v supply.

Have you connected your stepper drives to the 25 sub connector from the CNC Card or connected to something else?

Cheers for the help,
Ant

[AdCNC]

How i think of it is NPN = PN 24v(P) dropping to 0v(N) when outputting PNP = NP 0v(N) rising to 24v(P) when outputting.

I would ditch the CIB and get yourself one of these Dsub25 (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/4932333/?searchTerm=493-2333&relevancy-data=636F3D3126696E3D4931384E525353746F636B4E756D6 26572266C753D656E266C663D59266D6D3D6D61746368616C6 C26706D3D5E5C647B337D5B5C732D2F255C2E5D5C647B332C3 47D2426706F3D3126736E3D592673743D52535F53544F434B5 F4E554D424552267573743D3439332D3233333326)

Then you can wire direct to your stepper drives, im using servo drive/motors but the same applies to you.

[Jonathan]

Do you have any idea what PNP and NPN mean?

Sounds like types of transistors to me!


I would ditch the CIB and get yourself one of these Dsub25 (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/4932333/?searchTerm=493-2333&relevancy-data=636F3D3126696E3D4931384E525353746F636B4E756D6 26572266C753D656E266C663D59266D6D3D6D61746368616C6 C26706D3D5E5C647B337D5B5C732D2F255C2E5D5C647B332C3 47D2426706F3D3126736E3D592673743D52535F53544F434B5 F4E554D424552267573743D3439332D3233333326)

Seems expensive for what it is? I would happily make you one for about half that :naughty:. I have already got the required connectors etc, just a matter of making the PCB which is simple enough.

[AdCNC]

There ya go Ant, Jonathan will knock you one up, winner!

[antsals]

I already have some of these to wire in the terminals. Bought them from rs a while back they are great.

Thanks for the offer though!

Gary from Zapp automation has been helping out too....got a few things to try over the weekend.

Cheers
Ant

[Jonathan]

Thanks for the offer though!

No worries, if anyone else reads this and wants one then my offer still stands.

[dean]

Hello

I wonder if I can Run UsbCNC program on Optimum BF30 Vario!

Thanks