Toolpath not cutting as shown

[Phizell]

Hi Jonathan,

Firstly thank you for trying to help!

I have tried to upload the xml file but the forum wont let me so if its ok with you I will try and send it via private message.

Could you tell me how to identify the break out board?

The toolpath is of a square and a circle in the middle it then tries to cut part of the square and part of the circle then nudges up a small way and starts again.

I am at the point of sending this machine back, because so far this is not out of the box usable and I have not had the best of help from the supplier who I am sure believes its me.

Could it be me? Could it be both of my computers both the new parallel leads and the new PCI Board, should I have to do more than get it out of the box, plug it in and learn how to use the software......as I have never bought a CNC I dont know if my expectations are right? I have got to say I have never had problems like this before even when I used to test sign software for signlab.

Any help, is help and if you think I should send this back please don't hesitate to tell me

[John S]

Have you got access to an older computer that has a parallel port on it and not have to rely on a plug in PCI card.
Last week i had to traipse all the way down to the south coast to a customer who assured me his computer was fine but when i got there Mach wouldn't even talk to the computer let alone the machine.
Left him an old trusty dell and he was away running

[martin54]

Sign software is probably a bit easier in that all you have to do is output the vector artwork to a plotter & away it goes, what software are you using & what files are you being sent? Has the supplier sent you a gcode file for you to run on mach3 or has he sent you a vector file for you to produce your own toolpaths from?

If you open mach3 can you move all 3 axis alright & have you tried inputting some gcode commands directly to see what happens rather than opening a saved file.

[Phizell]

Hi Martin,

The files being sent are gcodes and the ones I produce are the same. I am running Mach3 and cut2d.

All axis move ok though not all the time, sometimes you have to click on the x first to get the y to work and z and so on.

As to inputting some gcode commands, I am really new to this and I am sure with more time I would be able to do that but I have little idea how to do it at the moment (to be honest if I spend much more time on this CNC I am going to call it an end and either buy from someone else or just sub the work out)

[Swarfing]

Can you let us know what the parallel port address is set up as for the card? if you are adding a card and there is a port already there (not connected inside the pc) then you could be set up wrong in the software? What does XP say it is what is it setup in the setup in the software as.

[John S]

Swarfing,
Don't think it's that as wrong address means it doesn't talk full stop.
I'm concerned by the statement you sometimes have to click on X first to get y to work ?

Stick a pen in the spindle and run this program.


G21
F300
X0.0 Y0.0
G01 Y50.0
X50.0
Y0.0
X0.0
%
Does it draw a square 50 mm square ?

[Swarfing]

Sorry John i totally missed the first part of the thread by a mile?

[Phizell]

Hi Martin,

The port is EC00 and I deleted all the other ports and its down as lpt2

[John S]

Well reading the post over on Mach where he said it was port EC07 I now wondering if we are getting all the correct information.

Now this isn't aimed just at Phizell but in general.

I do phone and web support for two makers of CNC machines and the hardest problem we get is the user doesn't not read the questions correctly and give the correct answers as many times they are off doing what they think is right.

Recently I asked one customer if Mach was talking to the computer ie move the jog keys and the display updating.
Was assured it was so moved on to why the computer wasn't talking to the machine. After literally hours of work turns out that Mach wasn't talking to the computer, the display was NOT updating [ some weird corporate version of XP ] and with a simple no frills computer it all worked OK.

Much as I hate bullet listing I give them out and insist they go thru and give me back the results, not just one or two the whole list or we don't move on.

[Phizell]

Hi John,

Yes I do have an old computer with an on board parallel and that's the one I started with, after being assured it must be the computer that was the fault I then bought another computer (windows xp 32bit) and a new pci board and the exact same thing happened.

I then took the new PCI and put that in the old computer just in case, I metered the parallel cable and then bought another in case the first was to long.

It cant be ruled out that both computers are not bad but I think it is unlikely especially as both are cutting the same incorrect image with either the on-board PCI or the card