[Al_The_Man]

If Mach issued step/dir to Galil there would be no point going Galil.
Galil receives look ahead command over the bus, whether PC slot or USB similar to the way that Camsoft issues commands.
I have even used the old Galil legacy type to do this using the Terminal program, but unfortunately Mach is not compatible with Galil Legacy versions.
Al.
.

[tonyfoale]

what dont you like about mach3? it will do anything you want with the right add ons . you just need to know where and how to find them.
with the latest plugin it will even do rigid threading perfectly..

Battwell,

You largely answered your own question. I am new to Mach, in fact new to PC controller CNC, but I am sure that it is a capable piece of software otherwise it would not be so popular. However, on first acquaintance I do not find it intuitive particularly at the initial settings stage. The manuals have not been much help either and several queries on the Mach and Galil forums have failed to produce the required info.
It sounds like you have been through the mill pretty much with Mach and Galil and so maybe you can help. Here is a starting question, by the way I am using a Galil 2143 over ethernet driving velocity mode servo motors, with the 4.6 Galil plugin;

Galil has a lot of tuning options, Mach 3 has some also, specifically acceleration and velocity. I guess that they are in there mainly for when Mach is driving steppers through the printer port. The question is "Do I ignore the Mach settings, do I set them the same as I set the Galil, or....?

I have several other questions but they have left my mind right now (getting old). I do have the system up and running and cutting metal but it has taken days to figure out stuff that I feel should have been obvious enough to do in minutes. i am sure that I am far from optimally setup yet but it is working.

[Al_The_Man]

Here is a starting question, by the way I am using a Galil 2143 over ethernet driving velocity mode servo motors, with the 4.6 Galil plugin;

Incidentally Galil and Advanced Motion drives (A-M-C), which BTW are also relabeled by Galil, recommend the torque mode of operation.
This is the way I have always configured them.
Al.

[tonyfoale]

Incidentally Galil and Advanced Motion drives (A-M-C), which BTW are also relabeled by Galil, recommend the torque mode of operation.
Al.

Al,
Yes I know that but as far as I know my amps do not permit that. If you know differently then I am all ears. I have no docs. for the amps but they are Anilam Crusader II from the mid 1980s driving SEMCO brush servos with tachos fitted which feed straight back into the amps. In an attempt to use current mode I disconnected the tachos but the system was quite unhappy about that. I am open to advice.

[Al_The_Man]

If you have the older velocity drives that use tach feedback then there is not much you can do, as a rule, velocity/tach drives are not used anymore, and when retrofitting an existing motor with a new drive, the tach is disconnected and used in torque mode.
Al.

[tonyfoale]

If you have the older velocity drives that use tach feedback then there is not much you can do, as a rule, velocity/tach drives are not used anymore, and when retrofitting an existing motor with a new drive, the tach is disconnected and used in torque mode.
Al.

Al,
Thanks, that is pretty much what I thought. As I happen to have 2 sets of everything as spares (motors, amps) I am reluctant to look for new drives, at least for the moment. Apart from a bit more fine tuning the system is up and running and makes nice circles and straight lines, so I am reasonably happy.
Slightly off this topic but, with your experience of setting up varied machines what would you regard as typical values to set for the axis acceleration on a normal Bridgeport mill?