6040Z controller

[Doddy]

DB25 -- sorry - that's the connector that you plug the PC into.

Okay, no drama with what you've said so far. I've not used Mach3 for a while so some of this detail may be a bit off (someone will correct me!), but on the Diagnostic page there's indication of the various pins (not necessarily the ones bound to functions like Home - but the input pins 10,11,12,13,14) - observe those with the switches you've added. The silk-screen printing on the board indicates that X is input pin 11, Y=12, Z=13 - just look to see if those change in response to the switch actuation.

If not - pull the sockets from the board and just short the adjacent pins for X (then separately for Y, then Z) - should be evidenced on pins 11/12/13.

If that works then we know the wiring is good, and the rest is just Mach3 settings.

[Clive S]

10,11,12,13,14

Just for the sake of others this should be 10,11,12,13,15

[ZASto]

You have already pins for limit switches on DB-25 connector:
XLimit - pin11
YLimit - pin12
ZLimit - pin13

For probe, just solder a barrel connector to the board. Central pin is the probe input and it IS connected to the rest of electronics.

[RichardR]

Thank you Jazzcnc and ZASto I did see the marking that Dodgy did, and I have the probe wiring sorted, I could not work out what size barrel connected to get, so I got wired the pads and brought the wires out to a connected strip on the back of the control box.
With Doddys help we have confirmed the board is working and the limit switches work, unfortunately the switches activate the BOB at regular intervals, due to noise interference, again with Doddy's help we are sorting that out, then the next step will be setting up the home switches, followed by the soft limits then machine coordinates, but I am getting ahead of myself.Thank you all

[RichardR]

Good news I have set the limit switches to work, also the home switching on the same switch as well as the soft limits, so with Doddy's help I am hoping to sort out the noise issue which keeps on putting it into emergency stop, then I can try and do some test work.
Regards to all Richard

[JAZZCNC]

Good news I have set the limit switches to work, also the home switching on the same switch as well as the soft limits, so with Doddy's help I am hoping to sort out the noise issue which keeps on putting it into emergency stop, then I can try and do some test work.
Regards to all Richard

Hi Richard,

If you want a quick workaround then Mach3 as a debounce option which will filter the noise, it does slow reaction time but will get you going until doddy gives you a electrical method of dealing with noise.

To use it go to General config and in top right corner you'll see Debounce interval, each amount is in 40 milli second blocks so start low with say 1 or 2 and keep increasing until your system becomes stable.

[RichardR]

Thanks I have already found the debounce setting and even set on 1000 it still drops out, however the time it takes to do that has enabled me to play with the settings, I am now going to wire the switches with screened cable, also I am going to earth bond all the axis on the machine

[Doddy]

Thanks I have already found the debounce setting and even set on 1000 it still drops out, however the time it takes to do that has enabled me to play with the settings, I am now going to wire the switches with screened cable, also I am going to earth bond all the axis on the machine

Well, earth the chassis / spindle of the machine at least. Then we'll introduce opto-coupler isolation on the limit switches, and take it from there. Listening to Richard, and his neighbour on the phone, I think things are starting to fall into place a little and their understanding and navigation around Mach3 is reassuring - gives me some confidence that there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Experiments with debouncing made it quite clear the controller/PC is rather susceptible to noise (even without motors/spindle) - I think this does need to be belts-and-braced.

[JAZZCNC]

I am now going to wire the switches with screened cable, also I am going to earth bond all the axis on the machine

Careful with the earthing as you can easily introduce ground loops, I'm sure Doddy will have mentioned this but make sure you take all earths back to a single ground point.

[RichardR]

No I was not aware of that, so I need to take all the earths separately to a connection on the back of the machine, choc strip, then one wire to the bolt on the control box?
While I am on I wonder if you can help with the amount of travel of the Axis, for instance the machine is set up for mm however the actual movement on the axis's do not correspond with the amount that was inputted. I presume that if I enter G0 X10 then it should move 10 centimetres but it only moves approx. 6 centimetres. Am I correct in thinking that if I enter a code of G0 X0.05 then it should move 5mm. I get very confused with Metric but I have a feeling that the 6040 has a metric screw thread, although I cannot find any information on it now.