Temporarily Disable Signal to Servo Amp

That worked! other than a few typos like and2.0.out0 is actually and2.0.out.

However, now as soon as I disable the PID with the pid.z.enable pin I get a following error in about 3 seconds.

Haven't tried while the z-axis was locked though. Maybe I won't get a following error.

EDIT: I can actually see the z-axis slowly drift down when I disable it, so no wonder I am getting a following error.
-Hunter

It now works great! Thanks for all the help.

See the images and videos in this link (I added descriptions to each photo) for before/after: photos.app.goo.gl/A1DKWGkwW2Jyicae8

I can still get a following error if the z-axis is too high and travels down a bit before it hits the lock plate. Might try to fix this later, but as long as I get the z-axis height exactly right it works great. Tested like 10 times and no stuck lock plate, no servo driver faults!

-Hunter

You cam set the min_ferror to a bit higher value in the ini file to prevent joint error.

hunterlong wrote:

Yeah, you are exactly right. Right now I don't have any sensor to indicate that the lock plate is in position, I just fire the air solenoid and assume it is. There is a switch I could wire up that is activated when the plate locks.

Here is a video of the lockbar working, and me accidentally dropping my edge finder because I was videoing and not paying attention

photos.app.goo.gl/AH9BLkDeBQpQepMd8

-Hunter

Perhaps you are trying to make this entirely too complicated. You say there is/was a switch that was triggered when the lockplate is enguaged. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the original control simply ran the servo amp's enable signal through that switch. So that when the locking plate was engaged the amp was automatically disabled. You could either do the same (and leave Linuxcnc unaware) or bring that signal into hal to disable the PID with a piece of hal logic.

You know that is a really good idea Todd. Why didn't I think of that!

However, it is working now pretty well so I will keep that in mind in case I start having trouble again!

-Hunter