Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

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Rex
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Rex »

I agree, on both counts.
I wonder if there is someone local to Fort Worth with some experience here.
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by rrnut-2 »

Marty, its one of those things that if we were there, we would probably find it in minutes and if we didn't, it would be days.
Unfortunately, I do not have one of these boards here to play with.

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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Marty_Escarcega »

How are you coming along Rex? Don't give up.....
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Rex »

Well, I had to walk away and work on some other projects for a bit.

I think I am going to walk it back a bit. I have a $15 very simple BOB. I am going to hook it up with the bare minimum connections - Par cable, 1 axis, board power - and see if I can get some movement.

Seems like a saw a config file for Mach3 which is supposed to be a good starter setup for this size mill. What would such a file look like? What extension?
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Marty_Escarcega »

Rex, your plan is a good one. You should start with the Mill program in Mach3. Concentrate on ONE axis. Which basic breakout board do you have?
Mach configuration files are .XML but you still have to tweak to your machine. Have you read the Mach3 installation guide? Its pretty helpful.
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Rex »

This is the board I have. I think I was dealing with too many variables with the C11
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wtotoy 5-axis BOB wiring 4.jpg
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Marty_Escarcega »

Hmmm, I suppose its simpler than yours. I hope it works out. Keep us posted. Can you send me a copy of the documentation for that board? Did it not come with a sample .XML file for Mach?
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Rex »

Better diagram, and link to PDF manual with Mach3 setup
wtotoy 5-axis BOB wiring 3.jpg
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... Ulh3aKSBdg
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Marty_Escarcega »

Rex, it looks like you have everything you need in that document to set up Mach3. Just choose the mill profile first and enter in the parameters from the document.
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Marty_Escarcega »

Rex, make anymore headway?
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by Rex »

Marty, I have not had a chance to get back to it. Vacation, other projects, life etc.
Still high on the To Do list though
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Re: Lab-Volt mill conversion - (attn Marty)

Post by systemslave »

Hi Marty. I have a C11 and some experience with it if you still want to give it a roll. I read the thread leading up to here. It sounds like you are fighting with the wrong thing. I disconnected my parallel cable and took this picture to demonstrate.
C11 BOB
C11 BOB
Note that the sensor LEDs work with or without anything else hooked up? You should be able to test your BOB by triggering your sensors or even just shorting some sensor inputs. The thing about this board is that it is more like several circuits on one board each with their own power supply. There is one circuit to read the parallel input. It sounds like you have that one active. You can tell by the LED at the far right in my picture. There is another circuit to process signals. Check for the LED at the far left in my picture. There is another circuit to interface with a VFD. That circuit is optional. Do you have two separate 5v power supplies feeding your C11?

There are lots of ways to disable the board and keep your machine and body safe. Note the upper right corner of the picture. See that wire connecting those two terminals? That is the enable for the outputs. If you don't have that in place your board is "turned off". In addition, the board has a charge pump circuit in the center. See that white chip in the picture. There is a jumper near that chip that enables or disables the charge pump. That is another way to "turn off" the board. Until you get the thing running you might want to disable the charge pump. Move the jumper from pins 2-3 to pins 1-2.

This board is all about control and seeing all of the signals as they pass through. Your posts indicate a lack of lights. This board looks like a Christmas tree when it is running. All of those lights telling you what signal is coming in or going out are red. There is one green LED on the board. It tells you if the board is outputting it's signals. In your post you said you only had one power light. You should have a minimum of two power lights and one green output status light. In my picture the power lights are at far left and far right. The two lights in the center are sensors. The green light is not active because I had the parallel cable disconnected and I use the charge pump. The lack of a charge pump signal keeps all of the outputs off. That is a good thing really. In your case it may be a frustrating thing for now.

Hope this helps.
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