Hey! Thanks a lot, I'll give them a look now, thank you again
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Hey! Thanks a lot, I'll give them a look now, thank you again
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Your Welcome. Can I request you post any findings or improvements on this Forum as well Mad Modder. If need any testing done feel free to ask.Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin201314
Thou can I say the thing needs to be made to work better before wasting time on Graphical improvements etc. First order should be so can use M6 for tool changes.
I will post all the improvements, and we are looking to add the features of course, M6 is the first one
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Jazz, I just tried your software on my controller, all good, but when I'm going to do the tool probe, the controller freeze, and I have to reboot. Is your probe working?
PS. As soon as I reload the old software it works again....
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Jazz, did you find out why the "tool offset" are in the parameters list? If yes, have you tried it? If not, what is your thought about? That will help to build the tool change routine/pages for the controller. Thank you
Cheers 🍻
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I've not done anything with this controller other than throw few motors on it to test if it slaved motors for Boyan.
However don't see anything wrong with having tool offsets in list of parameters. After all thats what they are Tool offset parameters.
Having separate page doesn't really affect anything other than slightly easier to access more quickly but in practise once tool lengths are entered they rarely get changed unless tool breaks or new tool. Not big deal to me or worth lot of effort to change how it is now.
Just making the Bugger use M6 will be big step forward. Going for that before anything is what I'd say is priority.
Just made a short video how to probe Z0 without any setting gauge only having a touch plate of known thickness. As i told before, there are many ways to do it but the simplest way is the best. plus you dont need a setting gauge / though its nice to have one anyway./
In short
-you measure your plate thickness using digital vernier
-make sure you know your back off distance after probing, mine is 5mm
-rest plate on table and hit probe
-once operation is finished you gio and manually input in DRO for Z =probe thickness + backoff distance , my probe is 19.3+5mm=24.3mm
-hit probe again and when operation finishes from now on you can use your touch probe, controller knows your probe thickness
-from now on X0 and Y0 manually via the DRO.
-If you hit the button Zero ALL/ XYZ/ at the same time you have to repeat again the procedure of letting the controller know your touch probe thickness.
-Simple as that, just use slow probe speed~300 or less mm per minute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6uJ2M4NVY4
Another detail. Seems that the controller screen is prone to scratching even when wiping it gently. Not scratching, but marks are left. To be always perfect, buy 2$ film protector for any mobile, cut it toio screen size with scissors and then unstick the original screen protector.
If you know welding mask LCD disposable screen protector on welding mask, thats what the screen is made from, sth like PTEG plastic. So needs a protection. Its not a big deal, as its not seen when light IS on or until you examine it very closely but better use it protected. Fortunately the keyboard itself seems quite fine. Which was my main concern.
Attachment 19814
Hello!
I just stumbled over this thread and decided to register an account here.
To introduce myself, I am Benedikt from MadModder / bmuessig.eu.
iocapa and I are working hard on a complete open-source GPL rewrite of the entire software which will take time.
Right now, we are still very flexible. If you have any special feature requests, now is the best time to ask!
In principle many things could still be added and more types of machines could be supported.
Feel free to ask.
Best regards,
Benedikt
Hi all,
Im new here and have recently made a CNC machine using this controller, which i must admit isn't too bad a unit apart from the manual! I'm not a pro by any means and i do this just for a fun hobby. There is a couple of issues i'm working on at the moment and i'm just making sure i'm not one of them!! A question i have though, is how do you program a zero button for this unit? That is, push an external button and all axis' are zeroed?
Welcome to the forum Ben from a wannabe CNC-er lurking out in the Pakenham neck of the woods.
Roughly whereabouts in Melbourne are you?
Andy
Hey Andy, nice to meet you mate. Yeh, i really do like the building process, somthing really satisfying about building one and seeing it do its thing!....Mate im way over the other side, Geelong
Hi Benedikt,Quote:
Originally Posted by bmuessig
Please update us with how things are going when you make some progress.
The main feature if possible for the router type machines will be to auto square the gantry. Which implies that A should be able to be linear like Y, the 2 long axis on router. For the moment i have connected 2 drives at the Y and works without a glitch, so that scenario is proven.
Next thing probing on X and Y , similar like Z probing, would be interesting.
For that money i dont expect much more, if one wants rigid tapping and similar, he must look at the 500-1500 controllers. I am quite happy with the price and what it is.
Thats how i have it. Push a button and all zeroes/ the DRO/. Not that the machine starts a zeroing procedure.Quote:
Originally Posted by BenOZ
Yes, but how is it done? How do you wire it up? What are the connections?
Attachment 21615 Attachment 21616Quote:
Originally Posted by BenOZ
Much appreciated. Thank you. When I'm done I'll post a few pictures
Just as a side note: I watched again a nice video where a guy have made the controller like a pendant. As i said in comments of video, i wish i have come up earlier with that idea. Now i have to go back and forth on my big machine, instead of taking the pendant with me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ivxcOnEBBM&lc=z13lsxejrzupixi2a22ejdrwwmq dghcez.1499615704275 635
Attachment 22159
Attachment 22160
Been working on this for a few months now. Trying to find a nice way to mount the controller. Didn't come up to bad albeit with a few mods to the PC case.
There's one more power supply to go in for the spindle motor.
Once that's done i'll be up and running :)
Not bad. Very nice!Quote:
Originally Posted by BenOZ
What drives are that? Do you have cooler in front of enclosure near them ? Or just the enclosure other coolers?
Thanks Boyan,
The drivers are just generic Chinese brand set to half step.
At the moment i only have one fan at the rear blowing in... i will replace this with a bigger fan soon and would like to use some smaller ones near the drivers. This is still a work in progress.
Hi there, im currently designing my own CNC Router, i had planned to use this controller. On my longest /Axis (X Axis here in the UK) i have Dual Ballscrews and 4nm Nema23's, i see it has already been mentioned that the controller cannot provide individual homing for each screw (by utilizing the A Axis). I see there are examples of the controller providing signal to each of the drivers, im just wondering if i am likely to encounter any problems with the gantry running out of tram using this method? I plan to use the AM882 drivers.
Thanks
Alex
Provided you don't crash the machine and cause one axis to stall and twist the gantry, then it's not likely to be a problem. You just need to ensure you have some method to re-align the gantry if you do. If it was me, I'd probably just setup some accurate endstops at one end, and slowly run the gantry into them to square it up again. Then re-home it to regain position.Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexDoran
I use a CSMIO/IP-M to run a two-motor X axis (i.e. X master with A slaved to it). The controller "supports" this mode only as far as copying X output to the A output, in effect just ensuring that it keeps the two axes in sync. There is no dual-homing mechanism (you have to pay around 3 times as much for the IP-S for that, although it does do the job very well). To make sure that the gantry is square, at the beginning of a session I home the axes in the usual way. I then hit e-stop, which takes power off the steppers and I can turn the A stepper by hand. Both X and A axes are fitted with home switches. The X axis home switch is used for normal homing but by turning the A motor, I can adjust until the LED on the A proximity switch starts to flicker. I have adjusted the home switches and their triggers so that the gantry is square when both X and A just trigger their respective switches. So, I have now manually checked that the gantry is square (to within a step or so on the motor, which with 5mm lead ballscrews and a metre-long gantry is pretty close). I can reset the control box, do another homing operation (both because Mach3 insists on this after a reset and also to double-check that all is properly homed) and I'm ready for machining. It is very unusual for the gantry to go out of square unless I hit e-stop during operation or I get a motor stall (rare now that I have tuned things). Even between sessions with everything shut down and restarted, the gantry is seldom out of square by more than some tiny amount.
You might be able to do something similar with the controller under discussion as the squaring adjustment is completely independent of the controller. I keep thinking of trying to automate the "manual" steps here, but it's so easy to do it's hardly worth the effort.
That sounds like a sound solution to me (As long as i dont have any major mis-haps).Quote:
Originally Posted by m_c
Ok again so i should be ok going this route then, the dimensions of my X & Y are 1200mm x 670mm, using 15mm Linear Rails, RM2010 Screws powered by 4nm Nema23.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neale
Thanks Again
Alex
So i messaged the seller on Aliexpress about the independent Axis homing and using the A Axis as a second X, they seemed to think this was possible? Maybe there has been a firmware update?
When building my previous 3D prrinter, i approached the seller of the TFT Touch Screen controller i was using about adding some features to it's firmware and they agreed and implemented it within 3 weeks. My main argument for them was that i had seen many people on forums saying they would buy the unit if it had those features. Maybe this is a course of action we can take with these manufacturers also? Money talks eh?
Thanks
Alex
As far as i know this board is manufactured by some kind of cooperative between 3 people or companies and only one guy knows the knowhow. they woudnt bend on price even on the whole lot of 500board they had on stock.
Neither they would hear me about what we need . Basically i told my agent to tell them to sod off and then sell them one by one as they do now.
I know of other similar boards that only have file size limitation and are more willing to cooperate. But honestly dealing with Chinese is extremely tiring when you want to achieve a real deal or development.
This is a nice board for 150euro but thats it. nothing more.
Excellent thread ! I just now stumbled on.
It illustrates very well a lot of the cnc / motion control pitfalls/needs and real capacity and issues/desires from users vs support,capacity,ability. And cost.
Base:
-I have absolutely nothing against the chinese controllers, or USBcncxxx controllers, machmotion, acorn/centroid, linuxcnc/mesa etc..
The whole field is extremely fragmented..
and *all* solutions and suppliers have some/a lot of/major issues not working (well), and a major major lack of documentation and how-to docs and features-supported now.
-My personal interests are commercial-industrial .. using a csmio-ip-s + all possible extra add-ons for quite a lot of money.
And, also, simple add-ons with a great hw solution, in my case and opinion the +/- best lower cost solution polabs-pokeys stuff.
-I have dealt with china, extensively, often for a lot of money (containerloads of expensive stuff), about 27 years.
My experiences are generally very positive - but very different to other trade globally.
I import chinese ac brushless servos, 60V and 220V, in the EU, for example - they are excellent.
My opinion:
The chinese controllers are like (pre) alpha-versions of any modern sw/hw motion control solution.. with great compilers (avoids silly errors), and good hw (dirt cheap today).
Pretty good stuff, IF the sw and docs were adequate, and they are not.
Docs are much more important than features- as-is, now, for the controllers.
This also applies to more or less all other sw controllers for linuxcnc and machx stuff and proprietary stuff.
It is possible the chinese controllers are good enough for some use, like 3d printers, or basic routers, in volume.
If so, they will sell, continue to be available, improve.
Legacy, docs, backwards compatibility are highly doubtful.
? What happens if the controllers change a chip--controller ?
I mean, a separately written open-source firmware is the best possible thing.
Ever.
And hugely valuable. 100M$+++. ++10x+...
But it is extremely difficult.
And almost-certain to fail, unless commercial-managerial talent- investor money is put into it. Imo. Ime. Yes experience - having done stuff like this.
My point is positive, not negative.
If I had time, I would try to arrange the same - resources for the guys doing this firmware, more personnel, better planning, testing, hw, testing methodology, reference platforms, std tests, etc etc.
But the firmware / motion control task is*monumental* riddled with n dependencies..
which is why *every single competitive attempt* has failed so far..
and the 2 best near-term solutions in linuxcnc and mach4 are still struggling with endless stuff -- in details.
Both work very well for 99.x% of users, and good or better than industrial stuff, for 99% of use, with the right hw, for 99% of use.
But users, almost always, need the 1% of rare stuff sometimes, and suffer when it does not work *as documented*.
Inputs, outputs, excellent probing, file-io, logs, communication, multiple-toolposts, multi-spindle, spindle-synch, run-as-spindle /axis at need, s-curve acceleration, defined probing and homing, come to mind.
Fast css, easy/bugfree/docs screw mapping, for me and all high accuracy uses. Huge commercial market 1B$+ / year on this.
Ethernet, piped communication, easy db linkage.
And all with offsets, scaling, rotation, adjustable (5 ways) exact-stop vs set-feed, hopefully conditionals in g code.
Those are just the basic must-have important ones.
Multiple kinematics, mirroring spindles for easy gcode/cam on multi-spindles, multi-spindle support for simultaneous cutting on many axis at once,
graphics.
And all above multiplied exponentially by about 10 modal states in gcode.
I have experience with Pokeys and it didn't work well for me, possibly due to interference. As i have said in another thread, documentation is not good, leading to constant questions.
As far as the market, we have to understand that Chinese don't care at all to make a controller to our needs. Their internal market is much bigger than the whole world market for controllers!!! So don't expect wonders here. They do what they need, so until they need it, there is no development.
The big problem with them is closing even Open source which they use for free, mainly because of fear somebody not to copy what they do. As they copy constantly of course, so they fear the same fate . then comes the copy of a copy of a copy...
Boyan .. You more or less echoed my post .. in different terms, different pov.
(We both live in Spain. A visit, perhaps .. ?).
I think the chinese market is not so big .. yet .. for controllers.
Almost-all controllers today are 3d printer/router/basic laser type stuff .. very little in china. Per popula.
I mostly wanted to point out somewhat why/how every intelligent controller has issues.
And why none of them will fix most issues, in near-term.
Because it is extremely complex, 100++ issues to power of 8 modals. Plus many cascading multiples of toolchangers, kinematics etc.
It actually would be relatively easy to fix 99.x% of issues..
but would cost == 3 (extra) good programmers == 6 months, == 130k€ or so.
The interface/controller/bob market cannot afford it as-is.
Note I made no preference for any controller.
The same fixes c/would apply to mach4 (x), cncxxx, chinese xx controllers, machmotion etc.
My post was-is more market value related.
Like VC funding, that I think would be dead-easy to get (I have experience).
The "field" imho needs much more structure, and assistance from someone with it/project/sales/tech support experience.
I think the most valuable parts would be docs, reference designs, examples.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boyan Silyavski
So is it extremly complex or relatively easy?
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I'm nowhere as technical as you guys, but I still think that there is a lot of good stuff made in China. For instance, I have just received a typical cheap Chinese servo motor, it works beautifully, but no thanks to the instructions, they are diabolical. This is the thing that lets down so many Chinese goods, the lack of proper English instructions delivered by a technical person who understands the product and is able to make them clear even for a novice to follow.
In the end it's a lot of guess work and I bet a lot of people have been put off ordering because of the lack of proper documentation and examples. Luckily, in my case, I have prior basic experience with servos to know where to luck and what needs to be done, so I was able to benefit from an otherwise excellent product.
They could do so much better and sell them like hotcakes if they spent a few thousand dollars and hire a technical expert to put together some comprehensive instructions, but no, they won't do it, it's just beyond me!
Edward
There's a thread on MadModder about this controller, one guy has been in contact with the manufacturer and says V2 of it will be out in about a month or so.
Alex
How is the software corrected for the perpendicularity of the axes?
As i answered you on Youtube, still not. it must be done in a mechanical way, say bumping the gantry towards mechanical end stops and then switching on the motors. I do that everyday on my machine and its not a big deal. 1 min more.Quote:
Originally Posted by foto-boss
My question does not concern the subordinate axis.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boyan Silyavski
The question of correcting the perpendicularity of the axes.
For example, in Mach3, this is solved through formulas.Attachment 23077
Ok i see. I did not even know it existed in Mach3.Quote:
Originally Posted by foto-boss
Answer is No. But any software can do this. So it could be corrected in CAD.
if we are talking DIY CNC here, if its correctly constructed that will not be an issue. Epoxy leveling or surfacing. Mounting one rail against straight edge. With the help of same long straight edge and 2 precision squares mounting the second rail. If care is taken straightness and parallelism less than 0.05-0.02mm could be achieved even in a big router, which is absolutely enough. I have mounted 1000x500 machine with even better precision.
At the end of the day its a cheap controller. But as i said you can skew the drawing in any CAD then send it to CAM and machine.
It's a bodge for wonky machines which shouldn't be necessary, machines should be built square ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by foto-boss
All clear. In any case, I already ordered ddscv1.1 4 axis for the experiment.
Editing in the CAD program is not suitable for a variety of reasons, so this function is in all serious machine control programs, even in an amateur like a mach3. Precise adjustment of the axes perpendicularly incommensurably faster and more accurately done programmatically, especially in those cases where it is already very difficult to do mechanically.
Of course, not everyone needs this function.
Well in words, then all the machines are very accurate and the axes are strictly perpendicular ... :)Quote:
Originally Posted by magicniner
I've never had a manual milling machine where X wasn't correctly aligned with Y but I've only had seven.
Did everyone get lazy with the advent of CNC to the extent we have to pretend it isn't possible to build machines correctly any more?
The accuracy that suits you and is suitable for your tasks, can not arrange another.