Hello fellow CNC enthusiast;

I'm a new member to this forum and maybe there is a section that deals directly with my current issue (see below). If so, could someone direct me to that section. I've been a CAD/CAM CNC programmer engineer using NX for the past 35+ years in aerospace and plan to retire in the next few years. I'm building a CNC Router in my shop as a hobby to keep me busy in retirement and maybe make some beer money.

I am having difficulty getting my MACH4 connected/configured correctly with my MB3 breakout board and ESS combo. I have the MACH4 configuration setup like the manual. My machine, named Tardis, uses a slave master and slave drive for the "Y" axis. I'm using NEMA 23 drives. I have a Microstep Driver, (DC:9~42VDC) between the drives and the break out board. There are plenty of opportunities foe me to make a mistake.

With the way I currently have Tardis setup, when I first turn on the system I can MDI "Y" axis (both Master and Slave Drives) and "Z" axis move fine. Again, they appear to work fine. The "X" axis will not move via MDI. When I was 1st setting up, I started by getting the "Z" axis to work then I wired the other axis the same as I had the "Z" axis.

If I try jogging the axis, when I first start up the system the "Y" axis jogs fine (both drives), The "Z" axis jogs fine. Still no "X" axis. After trying to jog the "X" axis then going back to jog the "Y axis, only one of the two drives move. Sometimes the "Z" axis stops jogging as well. Could it be software config?

I'd like to find a few images showing the Break out board and wiring of a working system with similar components as mine and maybe images of a working MACH4 config file that I can try on my system. Any help, suggestions, ideas etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Machining.
Regards
Jim Haseleu