Motor tuning and switches

[glynster]

Jazz, that was an excellent explanation and it couldn't have been more clear, concise and illuminating - you should write a book, seriously.

Just so I know, how would you describe the observable characteristics of a motor which is running "rough" as opposed to one that is running well?

In the Motor Tuning window of Mach3, should the "step pulse 1 - 5 us" and the "dir pulse 0 -5" be left at zero? How do those values affect performance.

Thank you for such a great explanation - it's cleared up a myriad of questions - and created a few more

[JAZZCNC]

Just so I know, how would you describe the observable characteristics of a motor which is running "rough" as opposed to one that is running well?

Now that is a difficult one to answer because it's more sound than visual, thou it can be seen at very low speeds. Rough would be growly low pitch sound and notchy action to movement.
Nice running motors will have higher pitch hum and smooth action. Running a motor at really low speed ie 50mm/min for test is a good indicator. Nicely setup motor will smoothly turn, rough running will have a notchy action.

The machine and how it's built can play big part in how motors react with different micro stepping . Resonance of the machine affects how motors work and different frequency's don't always suit some Micro stepping settings so it's not uncommon for higher settings to work worse than lower settings or vise versa.

It's all about finding a balance that works best for your machine. To be honest with newer Digital drives Resonance is becoming less of a issue has they are so much better at handling resonance. But not so long ago with old analog drive technology resonance could reduce a motor to perform at half it's capabiltys and for people to not even know they had a resonance issue at all.!! . . . To a trained ear it was obvious but not so if your not aware of resonance.

If you want to experiment and get a feel for how Micro stepping and Resonance affects your machine then play with different MS settings and tuning. This way you'll find the sweet spot that suits your motors.
Resoance is also one reason why you can't run or tune a motor on the bench. It's very common for motor just sat on a bench to sound like a bag of marbels and jump all over the place but run sweet when bolted down.!

In the Motor Tuning window of Mach3, should the "step pulse 1 - 5 us" and the "dir pulse 0 -5" be left at zero? How do those values affect performance.

This depends on the drives you use. Some drives will state direction pulse be so many micro seconds in front of the Steps or vise versa but in general just leave at 0. If you feel your lossing steps then playing with these settings can help.

[GEOFFREY]

Ok well here goes lets hope this sheds some light.

This brings us nicely to Motor tuning and Micro steps Inside Mach3.?



Know this is a lot to digest but take the time and it will all make much more sense.

Dean, I think that that is one of the most informative posts that I have read on this forum, and I read every single post.G.

[JAZZCNC]

Dean, I think that that is one of the most informative posts that I have read on this forum, and I read every single post.G.

Thank you Geoffrey anybody think I'd done a bit of this CNC malarky before wouldn't they.!! . . .

[Clive S]

Thank you Geoffrey anybody think I'd done a bit of this CNC malarky before wouldn't they.!! . . .

Nah You must be on the sauce

[JAZZCNC]

Nah You must be on the sauce

Well actually I've just come out of workshop 10mins ago where I've been since 7am and just cracked open tin of the black stuff. Which if do have to say so my self, (because there's no bugger else here to say it) I bloody well deserve and just hope it numbs brain from computing tomorrows dealings before I wake up again and start all over again.!! (With a quick Pit stop to watch Grand Prix)