**RESOLVED** Mach 3 errors

[wallyhart]

1- When I boot up I receive a "you must setup spindle bits in machajax.xml". What do I need to do to clear that?

2- I'm all setup on encoders and motor power. I have the limit disabled. I'm trying to jog the motors and the motor races and then trips a fault in Mach 3 "Axis Y full power w/o motion". Then the reset button needs reset.

3- Do I need to setup Mach 3 with certain values before trying to jog the motors? Or does the ajaxplugin do everything to start the jog process?

Is there a manual on Mach 3 that shows the error codes and fixes?

[diycncscott]

Wally,

The spindle bits can be set to 0 for autodetect or you can set the low to 241 and the high to 252.

It sounds as though you may have the polarity reversed on the Y axis motor. Switch
the Y axis motor cable + & - wires at the Y axis output on the drive.

[wallyhart]

Thanks Scott. Got thru the errors and the motors are working. However they're not tuned. Encoders are good. EStop circuit is fine. I'm having trouble on the limits. After I connect the limits and enable the switch the LED 1 starts blinking "4". I'm doing only the X axis at first but have tried the y and z. Also not to take too much of your time I'm reading a lot of posts on this forum. Also, reading the Mach 3 manuals and looking at some of their video lessons. Learning a lot. I'm getting good at changing setups in the ajax plugin and Mach 3 Config. Down the road I'll need some specific time and plan on buying some tech support time.

My jogging is slow and shift key doesn't speed things up.

By the way, I'm retrofitting a router table that is 6'x10'. I bought your encoders and I'm using the existing motors. I'm waiting on a ballscrew assembly for the Z Axis, that will take 7 weeks to arrive so, I have some time to fiddle with the AllInOne and Mach 3. I reload Mach 3 and the Ajax plugin every once and awhile just to start over.

Thanks for your help.

Wally

[diycncscott]

Hi Wally,

If you have a blinking "4" on the ALLIN1DC display it means one of you limits are open.
If you won't be using a particular limit input, please follow the instructions in the installation
manual to either jump it out or defeat it using the switch block.

[wallyhart]

Scott,
I've been defeating with the switch block. When I do a continuity check on the limit circuit it shows it closed but the LED1 says it's open. Does the AllInOne supply the voltage to the switch? Or do I wire it? Is it 12 or 5 volts DC? I have one drawing that says 5 and one that says 12. This machine have only one limit switch for each axis. The manual doesn't show how to wire for one limit switch doing the job as two switches. Reading the forums I found that was not a problem. I quess the controller knows which direction it is going thru the encoder values and moves off of the limit stops.

Down where I'm doing this project I don't have access to the internet. So, I study the manuals and the forums then go down in the afternoons to setup the machine. My responses might be daily.

Wally

[diycncscott]

Hi Wally,

As per the installation manual, the ALLIN1DC inputs (including limits) can be wired for either 5, 12 or 24VDC operation.
Ajax CNC11 ALLIN1DC Install Manual http ... cnc11_mill

You need to supply whatever voltage needed for your devices -dry contact switches can be supplied with
either 5, 12 or 24VDC.

The example below shows a 12VDC wiring configuration:

[wallyhart]

Thanks Scott for that wiring diagram. I have wired the limit switches and still have some questions. I have one limit switch per axis not two. The Mach 3 manual 4.5.3 section calls this sharing. Nothing I found in the Ajax materials explaining shared limits. The axis wire goes into SW4, axis 1 ccw. Do I need to jumper to axis 1 cw for that x axis? Do I disable one of the dip switches or leave them both enabled for an axis? I might have a problem...the 8 solid green lights behind the dip switches..I have one of them blinking green. What does that mean?

Wally

[diycncscott]

Hello,

Because the ALLIN1DC electrically disables motor rotation in 1 direction when a limit switch input is open, you must jump or defeat that input or you will not be able to move the motor in that direction. You cannot "share" a limit switch in both directions.

What you can do is to wire your limit switch into the input for the direction you are homing and then setup software travel limits to take care of the other direction.

The LED's are unrelated to the limits and are used for troubleshooting purposes, see here for more info:
http://ajaxcnc.com/tech/downloads/mach3 ... DC_MAN.pdf

NOTE: Future versions of the hardware manual above will be updated to include labels for the LED's on the board drawing

[wallyhart]

Scott,

Thanks again. So a blinking green light on that LED, when all others is steady green, is of no concern and not related?

I think what messes with me is the Mach 3 manual contradicts a lot of the Ajax Plugin information. Maybe we need in the Ajax information the items to ignor when dealing with the Mach manuals and what exactly the Ajax Plugin changes.

In Mach3, the setup of the limit travels away from the switch; is that considered the soft limits? Is there any changes in Pins & Ports inputs or outputs for that type of limit configuration or does the Ajax Plugin, as loaded, handle everything?

Wally

[diycncscott]

Wally,

Soft Limits are defined as an incremental distance that you can safely travel away from the home switch. For example, if you home to the "plus" limit switch for an axis,
you would most likely want to enter a 0 in the positive direction ( maybe .1 or .2 if you still want to get to the switch) and some negative number that represents slightly less than the total travel of the axis.

The ONLY ports and pins settings you should change are the axis direction in the homing section and the homing and soft limit settings also found in the homing section, everything else is pre-configured.