Homing Problems With Paired Axes

[brightnight]

Spent many hours today trying to get my mill to auto home. I watched multiple video tutorials and went through the manual a number of times and I am either missing something, my dual axis mill requires a second limit switch on each axis in order to work, or there’s a bug in the program (which seems unlikely). I’m having two issues:

First, when I try to save my automatic homing direction the default direction is positive and I cannot save a negative direction. I write to my CNC (even multiple times before I close the program), close CNC12, restart and sometimes even power cycle my acorn. When I reopen CNC12 all my homing directions are have reverted back to the positive direction again. No matter what I try such as restarting CNC12, power cycling the Acorn, it always reverts back to the positive direction (other values that I change do stay saved).
Here is what I Enter and try to save to the CNC:

Here are the parameters come up after a restart as the default values:

Second, when I try to home I start CNC12, it connects and hit the cycle start button to auto home but I get a message to make sure I’ve squared my axis to hit the cycle start button to continue. Once I hit the cycle start button to continue (my dual axis are squared) it goes through some more commands (see picture), and then tells me the job is finished and the axis never moved. I can jog the axis and move them until they stop on a limit switch. Limit switches are working as intended. Pictures are in order:

Thanks,

Pete

[centroidsupport]

I edited the title of the post to more accurately describe your question.

What are the permissions set to for the c:\cncm directory where you installed the Acorn software? Read only?

Make sure you don't have ANY files open when running the wizard

[ShawnM]

You only need one switch per axis to have the machine home to the switches. Are you saying you have dual motors on one of the axis? On a mill? I'm a router guy so hopefully a mill guy will jump in here. Post a pic of your "axis paring" wizard screen. There's something not set right there.

[brightnight]

My mill is located 2 hours away so I don't have easy access to it often except mostly on weekends but will do my best to provide info, pics, files, etc. I'm not sure what my settings are in c:\cncm. I did purchase and setup a computer with the sole purpose to run my mill and followed the guidelines on setting everything up. I never run any other programs besides CNC12 on this computer period.

It might not have anything to do with my dual drive axis, just was thinking that it's the most "unique" thing about mill.

Here are the other settings:

[CNCMaryland]

Do you have the Pro version of the software? That is needed for Axis Pairing.

[brightnight]

Yes I have the Pro License. The axis work fine, everything is paired and works as expected, it's just saving the direction home settings and the auto home that hasn't worked for me so far in the setup process. All other parameters save and work except the home direction and auto homing doesn't move the axis.


Appreciate the title change but and I might not have communicated this well before but the problem probably isn't related to the paired axis (it was just a guess that the dual axis is less likely to be tested than other systems) and I have no issues with pairing the axis, that works great. It is saving my Automatic Homing Direction and Automatic Homing that is the issue. I need to change the automatic homing direction on my X axis (axis 1) to be negative (it won't save my values), my dual drive Y axis work as expected as does my Z axis, except that no axis will follow the Auto Homing routine seen in the videos or manual (see second set of picture in first post). Thanks!

[CNCMaryland]

Your inputs should not be what you have currently. Those are for limit switches which limit travel, and are not for he homing process. You need to change the input labels to HomeAxis1, etc.

[brightnight]

Your inputs should not be what you have currently. Those are for limit switches which limit travel, and are not for he homing process. You need to change the input labels to HomeAxis1, etc.

Oh interesting! I guess I'm having trouble with terminology but can't my limit switch also be a home switch? Under Homing Type in CNC12 I have selected the Automatic Homing: Machine seeks switches to Home. I had assumed that my limit switches were these switches and the ballscrew would run down and hit a limit switch using the automatic homing direction, and then based on my travel limit would use the wizard to generate an automatic home program based on the selection below. One it hits the limit switch doesn't it know where it is because of the travel limit?

Am I right to assume that if I have no homing input, the slide will not auto home and will not save the auto home direction? Makes sense that it wouldn't auto home but I'd expect that if it saves the travel limit it would save the auto home direction instead of always reverting to the default.

I think part of my confusion is that all of the homing examples I've seen are with NC swithes which does make easier(and you could argue safer) but I understand the risks and have some expensive NO prox switches I want to use. They have 3 wires (GND, 24V, and output). I don't think I can connect all the outputs so am doing them individually.

[CNCMaryland]

Limit does not equal Home.

I run Home Switches only with soft limits for movement.

[brightnight]

Thanks for clearing that up, that makes sense. I was assuming I could home to FirstAxisMinusLimitOK but I will change that to FirstAxisHomeOK and report back. Looking at this picture it's clear that I had the wrong input definitions. Really hope that with home input definitions in CNC12 it will save my Auto home direction otherwise I'll be spending 4 hours in the car driving to and from home tonight.