Did you say you are a carpenter? Darn it, we will never catch up to the Ozzies. :(

Thanks for all the work! :)

Greg, if I read you right, the button must be held down for 2 seconds, which seems rather long. . . . .

Would it make sense to hold the button for the entire zeroing operation, with a realease of the button causing a quick retraction? For the times when the bit does not make electrical contact . . .

Gerald in working conditions two seconds is not long. The main motivation is to prevent accidental activation.

I find the two seconds is good. I'm thinking as I press "I want this to happen" and in that delay time occasionally think "Oops I forgot...." and still have time to release button.

That delay can be changed very easily in the brain.

You could write into the code to check back to see if button is still checked at every step but it would be quite long code.

I have found the routine to be reliable. I do have a large LED on screen and touch the plate to the tool and see it light up by
way of assuring myself that no electrical fault has crept in before running the routine.

The Mechmate has an advantage of allowing the Y carriage to lift a bit in the event of a disaster.

Also, if I follow how your machine's switches are grouped, the estop is right beside the zeroing switch.

The trick with it is to keep the probe distance small. Mine is 20mm. Don't have it set to 200mm

I jog the Z down to approx 5 to 10mm, just enough so I can easily slip the plate under, then run the routine.

Greg

Greg,

I've been reading some of your posts on that "other" CNC forum.

For being "just a carpenter", you'd make one hella'va electrical engineer. :)

HA Ha Ha!! Those who really know about this stuff might take issue with you there.:)

My dad always said "You can know just enough to get yourself into trouble"..... That's me.....:p

Greg,
But hey I have had a lot of fun too getting into trouble in a lot of different fields! :):eek:

Heath.

Z high set
 

I am going to setup Z height calibration in the next few weeks. Plan on doing a detail write up to post. Any sugestions appreciated.

Greg, I realise that the pushbutton that initiates the z-zero sequence must go to a dedicated parallel port pin. But, pins being at a premium, can the z-zero plate itself go onto the same pin as the homing/limit switches? (the NO/NC aspect taken care of with some other logic/relay). In other words, would your sequence/files see the z-zero plate as simply another of the series wired home switches? (I must admit I havn't studied your files yet).

To be honest I don't know.

Definitely probe could not share a pin with a limit.

Mach ignores limits when doing homing. So homing and limit can share.

But Mach would not ignore limit while probing. I think. :)

Maybe probe could share with home. Not sure...would have to test that one.

The G31 is hard coded in Mach, all the script does is call it as gcode. (G31Z-20)

If you pause the machine using the button on the gantry or any of the remote switches for that matter and change a bit or anything that would require resetting the zero would you have to first press the resume button before pressing the zero button or would the zero button also resume the pause before starting the zero routine?

Greg, you seem to be talking of probe and z-zero device as being very similar. Are you using a modified "probe" function to do the z-zero? If yes, I understand why you want limits to function in addition to "probing". However, I see z-zero as something quite different from probing - I think it is just another "home switch" happily in series with the other home switches.

Snag is, we are running out of inputs on a single parallel port . . .
(Realise we already allocate 2 pins to Pause (Feedhold) and Resume, another pin for the button that starts the z-zero routine, and that leaves only one pin for limits, homes and z-zero together.

Zero touch plate uses the probe input. So it utilizes a probe move (G31)

So in effect it is a probe. Yes five input limit quickly becomes a problem when wanting external controls. :)

Revved-up, That is a good point. I need to test routine while in feedhold.

I have no problem on my setup but I don't use an external switch like we are talking about with all it's associated macros etc.

I will test with that in mind.

Greg

Hi all,

If this has been posted before, I apologize, but I found this mentioned on a Yahoo group:

http://www.cad2gcode.com/cncprojects/id16.html

I haven't built one yet, but in my travels today, I'll try to round up the parts I don't already have in my junkbox.

Brian

z zero wire diagram
This is how I understand it, to use a push button to activate the Z Zero process i need a N/O push button switch, input from PMDX 122 enter at one side of the switch and GND connected to the other end of the switch, now where does the wire come from that is connected to the touchplate.

I had an extra hot wire in the push button box on the Y Car that I used to connect to Pin 11 on the PMDX and to the touch plate. I actually bought a inexpensive sprial wire that goes from my connection in the box. The other end currently has a alligator clip (which I will get rid of later) which I connect to my touch plate.

Thank you Nils, I have done that
Regards

KISS (keep It Simple Stupid)
 

t http://www.turningaround.org/HTMLPag...zero_addon.htm is my implementation of the MachBlue screen set. It contains the link to CNC Zone where the software and all details. Been using it for the las 6 months and love it.

Art - agreed that your setup is good - but for large machine like Mechmate - a laser crosshair - and a simple plate like Z - zero would be better -

bending over to hold the heavy steel block will be a problem for many unless you have employed some one to do it.

Now that I have seen what you have done - will have it done for my smaller machine and have a regular Z zero plate on the Mechmate.

Need to certainly try the Blue screen. Also some time back somebody was designing a Fanuc type screen which looked very interesting - have to look at it.

RGDS
Irfan

Z Motor don’t stop
The z Motor turn when I activate the Z Zero at the gantry push button but it does not stop when the touch plate connects with direct ground wire, spindle ground or the ground on the PMDX 122, the LED at Pin 15 does light up when the touch plate touches gnd on pmdx
The wire from the pushbutton originates at pin 13 on the PMDX to N/O switch to ground on PMDX, the wire for the touch plate is from pin 15 on PMDX
M615.m1s and macropump.ms1s extracted and copied to Macro folder in mach3mill, and Zeroswitch.brn copied to Brain folder, Mach 3….. config > port/pin> input signal> INPUT #4 –enable- port 1- Pin# 13 and active low (tick), Config> General Logic> enable Macro Pump, Brain is enable in Operator/ Brain , vital restart done,
What did I do wrong, please help
Regards

Koning,

I had the same problem and drove the router into the plate lots of times. I even pushed the router out of it's bracket. It wasn't until I reconfigured Ports and Pins did it start working and it works every time. In Ports and Pins, you have to use the Probe. Once you have done that, it should work. You can test it by holding the plate in the air or by touching the plate to the router once you have the macro activated.

I have a 3 inch down distance and I have the feed rate set at 10 but I would try 5 feed rate first. I always check the circuit before I run the macro.

I would also not use the macropump when you are trying to get it to run. Just use the macro so you know you don't have a programming problem on top of configuring the zero touch plate. You can always add the macropump back in. That way if you have a code error you can more easily find it and you can be sure that your hardware is working correctly.

I had problems getting the macropump working and it was a simple coding error but it was easier to find since I knew my zero touch plate worked.

Let me know if you need any other help.

Hi Nils,
The motor is turning free from the Z axis, when i configure the probe input then the Z motor is not turning at all, with input #4 the motor is turning nicely but did not stop with the touch plate touching to ground, I have installed the Zero probe system from ART`s recommendation and it worked first time with no problems, would like to have the remote pushbutton activated on that system too,
Thank you for your contribution, much appreciated,

Greetings to all. Greetings Gerald. To see glad again you. At me a question about Z-Zero. I wish to understand as correctly to connect a wire from a crocodile to PMDX, from alu plate to PMDX where the black button is connected and how it is all works? I read this forum, but the full answer to the question have not found: (

More low I show, how I plan to connect other buttons on Y and Z-gantry. I hope all correctly except joints in a grey square?

Dmitriy,

If you are using a router, you don't have to use the ground wire because it is grounded as described above.

You know just have to tell Mach which pin you are using for the probe and it should work.

Thanks for a prompt reply. But I wish to understand in the complete set as I should connect wires from Z-zero plate, from Gerald's black button and what script to use.
I project a board of the relay and I should know as correctly all to make. The preliminary project of a board of the relay more low.

Hi Dmitriy, I have not used that black button yet. Sorry.

What for the note?

It is good thing - to use the additional (black) button for activation Match at calibration Z-zero. I heard it can work as additional limit switch? Let's solve this problem together!

What's the black button for?

I have modified Greolt and Nils script for the z-zero height to use this button as a height "set" and "start z-zero" routine. Before anyone ask's - I can't find the script in my library and the MM it is being used on is not near me....so I can't send it to you all yet.

Logic used:

1) Quick momentary push of the black operator "set's the z-height" at the current location.
2) A 2 second hold of the black operator "start's the z-zero" routine.

This allows for the single use of the PMDX input for both.

My contribution today! :)

I thought that Gerald's black button activates a script for Match. After that Match defines height Z-zero with use of a script and inputs PMDX (a crocodile and z-plate), then makes program changes to options.

How you think? Whether we can use the Crocodile and Z-zero plate as additional limit swittch for definition of real zero, and the black button for activation of procedure of definition of zero?

Dmitriy, Sean is telling you that he has built his machine exactly like you want it. He uses the black button for activation of procedure of definition of zero.

I would like to use the z zero touch plate with the indexer, how would i go about changing the script, this is the scenario: from the center of the lathe to the top of the fixed surface at the point where i will use to zero the cutter is 75mm, I am making use of the screenset posted by PEU
thank you for the help
K

Z zero script editing
 

I have copied the script here,and add a picture for a better understanding, I would like the cutter to retract 25mm above the flat surface ( yellow rectangle) that i use to find z zero, from the flat surface the Z is 75 mm downward, how would i go about editing the script below to accomplish this

'Rem Probe Down by PEU (Based on Erniebro Work)
FeedCurrent = GetOemDRO(818) 'Get the current settings
ZCurrent = GetOemDro(802)
Code "G4 P1" 'Pause 1 second to give time to position probe plate
Code "F100" 'slow feed rate to 100 MM/MIN
GageH = GetUserDRO(1152)
ZNew = ZCurrent - 20 'probe down 20 mm
Code "G31 Z" &ZNew
While IsMoving()
Wend
Call SetDro (2,GageH)
FinalMove = GageH * 2
Code "G0 Z" &FinalMove
Code "F" &FeedCurrent 'restore starting feed rate

The problem that i have is that the Z- axis retract the height of the gauge block and resulting in the Z to run into the Z max hard stop

start stop stations
 

i am finally in process of wiring my control panel. after reading and studing the drawing in post #63 a light in my head finally came on. that the green buttons on the machine are only to resume motion on the machine and not to start the whole machine. i was wiring the greens as all start stations. now , if im correct the only machine start will be on the control panel.

i also have only one set of contacts on my e-stop buttons and am using my an extra set of contacs in my main contactor to hold in the e-stop on the pmdx, when the contact opens the pmdx will be open and cause the e-stop within the pmdx to do the same.

I hope i am correct

Al,
The green button "can" start the process if the file is loaded in the cue and ready to cut. Or, if your repeating many part files, it will be the "cut again" file. The association in the OEM mapping - the 1000 and 1001 numbers in Mach 3 allow for it.

But, for wiring sake....it's really a "resume" green button, and yellow "feed hold"
Which, if your using the PMDX-122. Will be two the five J terminal inputs allowed. All button stations of similar type wired in parallel.

Does that help?
Sean

In wiring the Z-Zero button the infamous “ Black Button”

First, a wire coming from the PMDX-122 pin # 15 (in my case) goes to one side of the black button on the Y- car that SAME side also connects to the z-plate.

The other side of the NO Button connects to ground.

When the button is pressed making contact to ground, release the button after two seconds, Mech3 then starts the zeroing process. Mech3 is now in control until the spindle bit comes into contact with the z-plate thus zeroing the DRO.

Now that is assumed that 3 files supplied by Greg in post #38 have been installed to the proper folders in Mech3. I am using a .250 aluminum plate where do I enter this?

I think I understand it. If not HELP.

Thanks,

Al

Here is a drawing of my understanding

Attachment 13118

Al

Al,
In the .m1s file you will see a notation for plate thickness.
You change it there - decimal entry.

Hi Sean.

I guess that my theory and wiring is correct then? I will modify the file and load them,

Thanks,
al