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Anyone setup home switches or know how to get back to zero after an error without having to use edge finder?

[Fastest1]

When I set up for a project. First I use my "ref all" to verify my machine 0. Then upon that command zeroing out. I then set my part 0. Then if an error is made during the running of a file, I hit ref all again, then go to zero, the rerun the file. Does that help? Do you have home or limit switches?

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No home or limit switchies on this system and I don't think I can add them to this unit (DSLS 3000). It's a closed loop system that gets info back from the servo motors so if there in the wrong place it will send a e-stop to Mach 3. The only thing is that after the error my zero is off and so is the system. Now I don't really know if I'm right but if I had limit switches I could home the system and get my zero back??

Do you use stepper motors or servo motors??

[lsces]

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Since the DSLS box uses the spare inputs for it's error signals, you need a second parallel port, or one of the other extra input options to add additional inputs into Mach3. It IS useful to add it, and does help since tripping of the fault line on the DSLS can become irritating at times especially when your on the third or forth run of the same job ... without having changed anything.

As an aside, how do you find the DSLS? While the apparent speed increase seems good on paper, I find that the problems with accuracy when mach3 changes direction means that I need to keep speed little faster than the open loop speeds. With the more powerful drivers and motors, I've been upgrading older customer sites to bipolar setups, and am currently looking to change the coupling to use the 3Nm Nema23 motors that are now only a few pounds more than the 1.8's and run on the same drivers. I may get around to retiring the demo DSLS3000 some time soon if that works

[Menacer]

I love this DSLS system, I've upgraded my DSLS box with an extra fan and now she can be on for days without much heat increase.

If all I need to do is add a second parallel port?? Should be no problem... You sound like you know a lot about the DSLS system? Could you recommend something that would work with this system and mach3 or do I just wire buttons to deferent pins on the extra parallel port?

[lsces]

I love this DSLS system, I've upgraded my DSLS box with an extra fan and now she can be on for days without much heat increase.

Just don't get caught out by the latency in the table position when pushing things too hard ... you can be 200 steps out on an axis when Mach3 starts another move, or when one axis is a little 'sticky' and you are attempting to follow a curve. Shapes can become distorted easily unless you keep the speed down.

If all I need to do is add a second parallel port?? Should be no problem... You sound like you know a lot about the DSLS system? Could you recommend something that would work with this system and mach3 or do I just wire buttons to different pins on the extra parallel port?

Wire to your choice, there isn't any standard, but certainly the machine DOES benefit from a well positioned 'home' position so you can reset things after a stale ...

[Swhite9478]

Have you tried asking that question on the Taig Owners Club? Taig Owners Club you can get a bunch of good information from there.

Steve

[lsces]

taigtools : Taig Machine Tools is the original 'home' for Taig owners

I much prefer lists which work through my email inbox than these rather annoying on-line only forums. Most of the time I don't bother to answer here, but occasionally I'll pick up a thread from the over night email. If I'm not too busy to get on-line to reply!

[JohnLucas]

I just set up a switch so I could zero Z after a tool change. Same issue as limit and homing switches.

First, I tested several push button and micro switches and could not find any that gave a reliable repeat. The best was about 0.004"! I'd be interested in others experience, maybe because I used standard (read cheap) switches from the local electronics store. Micro switches were particularly bad. I think internally they are spring loaded and the point where the spring trips is not repeatable and seems to depend on the speed of tripping.

I think this is all fine for limit switches where a few thou won't matter to avoid a crash but not for homing. Once I figured out how Mach's soft limits work I've had no problems with limits.

For my purposes I milled a simple box with a 1/2" spring loaded plunger with vertical travel restriced by a flange. The bottom of the box is insulated. When the tool touches the top of the plunger a circuit is completed. This is fed back to Mach 3 on a second parallel port. Touching the top of the plunger is the reference height.

A simple macro lowers the tool in 0.1" steps until contact then raises in 0.01" steps until clear. Lowers in 0.001" steps and finally raises then lowers in 0.000125 steps. Repeatability is better than half a thou and typically within a couple of motor steps.

[lsces]

For my purposes I milled a simple box with a 1/2" spring loaded plunger with vertical travel restricted by a flange. The bottom of the box is insulated. When the tool touches the top of the plunger a circuit is completed. This is fed back to Mach 3 on a second parallel port. Touching the top of the plunger is the reference height.

One of the other advantages of the kress spindle is that it is double insulated, so a croc clip on the tool and a croc clip on the work is all that is needed for touch down - until you are machining plastic boxes

I've been playing with the slotted optical sensors we use for the tacho display to do the home switch, but even those have a little hysteresis in their actions. Where the placing of the job is critical, such as double side machining, a reference hole drilled through on the centre line is better anyway, and other work I tend to have jigs that I can align to so a home switch on the machine is not as useful ... needs to be onto the jig.

[JohnLucas]

One of the other advantages of the kress spindle is that it is double insulated, so a croc clip on the tool and a croc clip on the work is all that is needed for touch down - until you are machining plastic boxes

I've been playing with the slotted optical sensors we use for the tacho display to do the home switch, but even those have a little hysteresis in their actions. Where the placing of the job is critical, such as double side machining, a reference hole drilled through on the centre line is better anyway, and other work I tend to have jigs that I can align to so a home switch on the machine is not as useful ... needs to be onto the jig.

Quiet right about jigs and/or reference hole.

I only did the plunger for Z set so mill could jog quickly down without crashing into a solid gauge.

Optical sensors (the simple type where a slit cuts off light from an LED to a phototransistor) will never work because defraction becomes an issue when dealing with a few thou.