6040Z controller

[JAZZCNC]

The other advantage of soft limits is that mach3 won't let you jog into the limits and slows the machine to a nice controlled stop. It also checks your G-code and if you are going to pass the soft limits warns you.

Home switches are priceless and if you are going to the trouble of fitting limits you'd be silly not use them as home switches as well.

[Doddy]

Just to add to Jazz's comment, and possibly to head off the next question, apart from position (limit switches on the extremes of travel, home switches at some arbitrary position within the extremes of travel - possible a limit switch) - the distinction is made within the Mach3 settings - you'll bind an input (Pin 11/12/13 - assume X/Y/Z, according to the silk-screen printing on the board) to a function (limit/home) within the Mach3 inputs, then Mach3 takes over from there.

[RichardR]

Thank you both, I have read some of the manual, but was watching some utube clips by the Guru Brew and he explains it really well and I think I am getting to understand things more, re pin numbers and setting up that to mach3, anyway I have fitted the switches and hoping to wire them up this afternoon once I have finished refitting the pcb and the 4pin plug and socket I will start to set it up again, I have forgotten Everything I manager to do in 2016 before my operation stopped me doing anymore hopefully I can refer to the U tube clips to go forward, if I get stuck then I hope I can ask on here again

[RichardR]

A quick question about the jack socket, the ring that you screw on to fix it will be ground, as it is part of the connection, now the ground on the pcb is not connectted to the chassis, so if I fix this to the cabinet will it affect anything?
I hope that makes sense

[Doddy]

Hmmm, To be honest, I don't know. Chances are it'll be okay, provided that barrel is expected to be the probe "-" line. But, I wouldn't claim that I know.


EDIT: Just a thought - is the steel shroud of the DB25 connector not also connected to the board ground, and is this not bonded to the enclosure?

[RichardR]

Not sure what a DB25 connector is

Just call me thick, but I have fitted and wired the micro switches and followed the set up instructions and also watched a utube video of how to configure them as limit and home switches, but it is not operating on the switches.
I got to the part where it says go to the diagnostic page and the three home led's should light up when the switches are operated, they are on permanent and do not even go off when the switch is operated. I have played about with the settings to no avail.
I have tried setting X to pin 10 and Y to pin 11 and Z to pin 12 in configuration that makes no difference so have set them back to pin 10 as per the manual.
I have control of X Y Z on the keyboard so I know that is working
What am I doing wrong?

[JAZZCNC]

The LED's being on isn't an issue it just means you need to change the Active Hi/Lo for each switch. However, the fact it doesn't go off when you operate the switch shows something is wrong.

What type of switches did you fit and what polarity ie: NO (Normally open) or NC(normally closed). If the LED's didn't change when you changed the switch state then I would suspect your BOB hack isn't working or the wiring is wrong.

[RichardR]

Not sure what a BOB hack is, anyway I went back out to the garage and started from the begining, only this time the home let's did not even light, so again I am getting in a muddle, I tied to do an auto detect on the switches, that didn't work. I will check out that the pins I soldered on the board where it said XYZ to to, looking at the DB25 which is pin one, I assume it is top left.
I have a manual as well as the configuration guide, but I am having trouble understanding the manual, I need a Mach3 for dummies book :-)
I have put a post on my village Facebook page asking for help, but I doubt it anyone is daft enough to have a cnc machine and also want to get involved :-)
I am getting to think at 71 I may be too old too old for my brain to learn much more
Still tomorrow is another day

[JAZZCNC]

The board you soldered the pins to is a break out board BOB hence the BOB hack.

Richard don't get disheartened it will be something simple.

You need to break this down into small pieces.
First you need to verify the wiring is correct so check this first.
Then you need to detemine if the signals are getting through and the BOB Hack worked.

Now Mach3.!

Mach3 or any other controller for that matter all work the same in that they need to communicate with outside world through some external device, in your case the parallel port which is connected to the BOB you messed with. They do this by taking the PIN #'s which are connected to physical devices on the machine and assigning them to functions the controller deals with.

Now Mach3 can be broken down into 4 separate sections which control the working of the machine. INPUTS, OUTPUTS, MOTOR OUTPUTS and SPINDLE.
You are only interested in the INPUTS section because a LIMIT is telling mach3 to DO SOMETHING.

I'm going to give an example just setting up the X axis, just repeat for the other axis and change the PIn #.

So first you need to know which PIN # you connected the X axis Limit switch to. I'm going to use PIN 11 in this example.

So go to the PORTS N PINS / INPUTS section of mach3 and you'll see X++ and X-- enable these with green tick. Next is the port # this will usually be 1 if using parallel port.
Next is the PIN Number, in this example I'm entering 11.

Finally the Active Low.
This is toggled depending on how you wired the switch. ie: NO or NC
If you wired NC (normally closed) switches then you want Mach3 to DO SOMETHING when the switch goes LOW, or put another way when it sees the voltage on PIN11 switch OFF.
If you wired them NO (normally open) then mach would only DO SOMETHING when it sees voltage appear on the PIN. The PIN goes HIGH.

It's that simple and if your BOB is letting the Signals through and the wiring is correct then Mach3 will see them and respond.

HOWEVER if any of these settings is wrong then Mach3 knows nothing and will DO NOTHING. It's common with new users to Blame Mach3 but mach3 only does what YOU tell it so if you give it Duff Info or it doesn't see the Signals getting through then it won't work now matter how much they bitch about it.

If you are sure you have the correct PIN # entered and the Port # and it still doesn't work then it's 99% either the BOB or the Wiring not letting the signal through.

[RichardR]

Thank you for all your advice, as long as the boss allows me back out into the garage, :-) I have been hiding in there a lot and ignoring her.
I will see if I can trace the wiring from the BOB to the plug and see if it has linked through to it, if it has I will note the pin number, am I correct in thinking that it goes from left to right from the top row ( the one with the most pins) as to look at the plug. I know that the wiring to the switches is correct as it is wired n/c and I have already checked that.
I did wonder if the BOB was not suitable for the mod, but I will know later this morning I hope :-)
I did try to search for another controller putting 6040S in the search box but nothing came up I was hoping to find one with a connection for switches.
I will get there,