E stop only works when active high is set, which is wrong!

[amd7000]

Hi guys. I'm getting close to finishing my machine. Up until now everything works great, I've cut out a few bits etc. to test the machine. But I'm having problems now I've fitted my estop. It's a nc estop. When I set it to active low in the ports and pins menu the machine cant be reset in mach3 when the circuit is open or closed, but when I set it to active high it works but only when the switch is pressed so it works the wrong way round only.

The estop led is working correctly in the diagnostics, it turns on and off in active low and high mode, it just wont allow me to reset mach3 in active low mode when the estop is released. I'm using a z5pa bob which I'm thinking my be confusing matters. I'm using the machine with the estop pressed in at the moment. I've set my estop to port 1 and pin 15 as stated in the manual. Any ideas? Cheers

[JAZZCNC]

May sound daft Q but you have checked the E-stop Contact is NC.?

[amd7000]

Yea, the estop has nc marked on it. If I adjust to the mach3 settings to low active it just says e stop requested even though the led for estop only lights up when the estop is pressed. I haven't got a clue what's going on. :jaded:

[JAZZCNC]

Yea, the estop has nc marked on it. If I adjust to the mach3 settings to low active it just says e stop requested even though the led for estop only lights up when the estop is pressed. I haven't got a clue what's going on. :jaded:

Thats what it should do.? The LED should only come on when E-stop is pushed in. It's informing you that an E-stop occured.
When you release the E-stop button the LED goes OFF and Mach will then allow Reset.

NC means the Circuit is closed before the E-stop is pushed. So when pushed the Input you used for E-stop is pulled Low or high and that's why you use Active Low or high mach knows when that input goes Low or high and E-stop is active. The LED comes on to inform you.
This does depend on your BOB Input some are Pulled High or Low with pull up/down resistors in which case you just change the active state to match.


Yea, the estop has nc marked on it.

Don't trust the markings test it.! . . . When released you should get continuity between terminals if it's NC. When pushed there should be none.

[amd7000]

Thats what it should do.? The LED should only come on when E-stop is pushed in. It's informing you that an E-stop occured.
When you release the E-stop button the LED goes OFF and Mach will then allow Reset.






That's the problem, it wont allow Reset when set to active low and when the estop is off(not pressed) even though the diagnostics say the estop isn't active. I can Reset when I set active high but this is when the button is pressed in, which is wrong?

Haha, I'm rubbish at explaining things.

[JAZZCNC]

Sounds to me like you may be using the wrong Input number or not set the port number or something then because mach isn't seeing the pin state change.

If you had the correct pin number then toggling the Active state would work no matter if your inputs used pull up or down resistors.

Not using the correct pin/port number or a Blown input is the only thing that would do this. The fact Mach resets when you toggle Lo active just means your tricking mach into thinking E-stop is there. It's basicly watching that input to go high which never will because you have the wrong Input number or it's dead.!

[cropwell]

I had a look at the Zapp website and the documentation there doesn't mention the estop pin. However I then loaded up the .xml file provided and ran Mach3 with it and it is set to port 1 pin 10 active low is a red cross.

So I have doubt that you are using the right input pin.

Rob

[JAZZCNC]

I had a look at the Zapp website and the documentation there doesn't mention the estop pin. However I then loaded up the .xml file provided and ran Mach3 with it and it is set to port 1 pin 10 active low is a red cross.

So I have doubt that you are using the right input pin.

Rob

There isn't a special E-stop pin any Input will work but Mach needs to know where to look for it and I think he's telling mach to look in wrong place.

[cropwell]

There isn't a special E-stop pin any Input will work but Mach needs to know where to look for it and I think he's telling mach to look in wrong place.
I know that Dean, but if you look at the Zapp site, there is a manual for the board. It shows a picture of the board and one input has a printed label 'ESTOP' with an arrow pointing to it saying P15. However the .xml file Zapp supply uses pin 10. This does rather suggest to me there is something awry. I would certainly try changing Mach3 to use pin 10. In the Zapp copy of the Chinglish documentation it says use Mach3Mill profile, which is also pin10 for Estop.

I also think that Mach3 diagnostic screen could have better labelling of the LPT indicators.

Cheers,

Rob

[JAZZCNC]

However the .xml file Zapp supply uses pin 10. This does rather suggest to me there is something awry.

Yes i see what your meaning now Rob but I wouldn't put much stall in that because they could have just used Pin for E-stop at the time.?
This is the problem Chinglish manuals they leave you guessing but in this case it's easy really just keep entering pin mubers between 10 -15 in mach's E-stop Input.

Amd What pin number did you have in entered.?

[cropwell]

just keep entering pin mubers between 10 -15 in mach's E-stop Input.

In scientific terms it is known as empirical determination, My dad used to say 'suck it and see' :yahoo:

[amd7000]

Sorry for the late reply guys. Been in bed with a dodgy chest infection, no energy to do anything, i'm sure its the damn ecigs.....

I set the estop to port 1 and pin 15 as stated in the manual. It was set to pin 10 in the first place when I loaded the xml and before fitting the estop. I cant remember if I tried it with pin 10 first. Will try when I'm feeling better. Thanks for the help. Really appreciated. :thumsup:

[cropwell]

Just had a thought - there is a program called LPTTEST you can download for free, it tells you what the BoB is sending to the machine, so you will know what pin Estop is on and what state it is in when normal / pressed. Then you will know what to set in Mach. I built a tester some time ago with Leds and an input socket and a output socket - but I can't find it now.

Cheers,

Rob