New member with questions
- fivefivesix
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23 Feb 2016 13:42 #70509
by fivefivesix
New member with questions was created by fivefivesix
Hi everybody,
I am pretty new to CNC, A friend helped me build a cheap engraver out of scrap pieces from work and some cheap Chinese controllers. I have decided build a better machine, I picked up a C10 BOB from CNC4PC and some Centent CN 142 controllers off ebay. Running linuxcnc from an older thinkcenter. It runs my current machine fine. I am not having any luck getting my machine to do anything other then hold, no movement. I think I have the wrong settings in my step config or something that need to be enabled is on on the bob. Followed the instructions on the bob, but not sure on the values to put in for the centent controllers. Anybody have suggestions?
Thanks.
I am pretty new to CNC, A friend helped me build a cheap engraver out of scrap pieces from work and some cheap Chinese controllers. I have decided build a better machine, I picked up a C10 BOB from CNC4PC and some Centent CN 142 controllers off ebay. Running linuxcnc from an older thinkcenter. It runs my current machine fine. I am not having any luck getting my machine to do anything other then hold, no movement. I think I have the wrong settings in my step config or something that need to be enabled is on on the bob. Followed the instructions on the bob, but not sure on the values to put in for the centent controllers. Anybody have suggestions?
Thanks.
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23 Feb 2016 14:08 #70510
by andypugh
Replied by andypugh on topic New member with questions
The C10 has an overall enable pin. That needs to be taken high to allow the other pins to operate.
You can jumper it to 5V from the adjacent 5V board supply. (ideally that connection would be through the e-stop circuit and a software-controlled relay)
You can jumper it to 5V from the adjacent 5V board supply. (ideally that connection would be through the e-stop circuit and a software-controlled relay)
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23 Feb 2016 14:36 #70511
by fivefivesix
Replied by fivefivesix on topic New member with questions
I have a jumper from the 5v board power to the enable connector. My plan is once it is working to wire the EPO for steppers to the enable.
Even had one of the guys I work with check the card for bad connections and checked the chips for shorts. BoB seems to be in working order. The parallel cable works on the other machine so should be able to eliminate that. I can not hook up the controllers to the other machine to test since the old machine is common as ground and the Centent is +5v for common.
Here is what my tabletop engraver looks like.
Even had one of the guys I work with check the card for bad connections and checked the chips for shorts. BoB seems to be in working order. The parallel cable works on the other machine so should be able to eliminate that. I can not hook up the controllers to the other machine to test since the old machine is common as ground and the Centent is +5v for common.
Here is what my tabletop engraver looks like.
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23 Feb 2016 14:47 #70512
by andypugh
Replied by andypugh on topic New member with questions
Maybe try inverting the step signals in stepconf?
What step timings did you use?
What step timings did you use?
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23 Feb 2016 15:14 #70520
by fivefivesix
I have tried inverting and tried from 200 nano to 20000 nano on step and space. Started with the profile for the Gecko 201 since I was told it was "basically" an earlier version of the 201 and Centent is not overly useful in their spec sheet. Stared with step 500, space 4000 hold 20000 and setup 1000 have tried many different settings with the same result.
It is the story of my life that it will end up being something simple that I missed, at least that is what I hope.
Replied by fivefivesix on topic New member with questions
Maybe try inverting the step signals in stepconf?
What step timings did you use?
I have tried inverting and tried from 200 nano to 20000 nano on step and space. Started with the profile for the Gecko 201 since I was told it was "basically" an earlier version of the 201 and Centent is not overly useful in their spec sheet. Stared with step 500, space 4000 hold 20000 and setup 1000 have tried many different settings with the same result.
It is the story of my life that it will end up being something simple that I missed, at least that is what I hope.
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24 Feb 2016 07:41 #70560
by Rick G
Replied by Rick G on topic New member with questions
Did you double check you do have 5 volt on the input of the drivers?
How did you create the configuration? Stepconf?
Rick G
How did you create the configuration? Stepconf?
Rick G
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24 Feb 2016 12:50 #70569
by fivefivesix
I used the drop down menu for the Gecko 201 since it is my understanding that this is an older design of one. Have tired tweaking the step and space but they have for the most part been wild guesses. I have not been able to find what I should be putting for a Centent driver in the step config.
Replied by fivefivesix on topic New member with questions
I have 5v at the driver pin, I switched the common from 5v back to ground and was getting about 3v from step and direction to ground. It appears to have output from the card. going to hook up the output of the card to an oscilloscope and see what the pulses look like.Did you double check you do have 5 volt on the input of the drivers?
How did you create the configuration? Stepconf?
Rick G
I used the drop down menu for the Gecko 201 since it is my understanding that this is an older design of one. Have tired tweaking the step and space but they have for the most part been wild guesses. I have not been able to find what I should be putting for a Centent driver in the step config.
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24 Feb 2016 13:49 #70571
by cncbasher
Replied by cncbasher on topic New member with questions
the centent is
pin 8 dir
pin 9 step
pin 10 +5v
connect +5v to from the bob to pin 10 ( important )
and ground from the bob to pin 12( of the 5v supply )
and the direction & step to the approprate pins on the bob
pins 1 & 2 are your supply for the steppers from your psu's
you should have a current resistor between ground pin 12 & pin 11 of between 12k -15k
i'm not too happy with them being fixed at 10 microsteps , but we shall see .
settings in your hal file say :
setp stepgen.0.steplen 1
setp stepgen.0.stepspace 0
setp stepgen.0.dirhold 35000
setp stepgen.0.dirsetup 35000
will get you started .
pin 8 dir
pin 9 step
pin 10 +5v
connect +5v to from the bob to pin 10 ( important )
and ground from the bob to pin 12( of the 5v supply )
and the direction & step to the approprate pins on the bob
pins 1 & 2 are your supply for the steppers from your psu's
you should have a current resistor between ground pin 12 & pin 11 of between 12k -15k
i'm not too happy with them being fixed at 10 microsteps , but we shall see .
settings in your hal file say :
setp stepgen.0.steplen 1
setp stepgen.0.stepspace 0
setp stepgen.0.dirhold 35000
setp stepgen.0.dirsetup 35000
will get you started .
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25 Feb 2016 01:47 #70590
by fivefivesix
Not sure how to update the hal file, how would this relay to step, space, hold and setup in the step config screen?
Replied by fivefivesix on topic New member with questions
Thank you for wiring info,the centent is
pin 8 dir
pin 9 step
pin 10 +5v
connect +5v to from the bob to pin 10 ( important )
and ground from the bob to pin 12( of the 5v supply )
and the direction & step to the approprate pins on the bob
pins 1 & 2 are your supply for the steppers from your psu's
you should have a current resistor between ground pin 12 & pin 11 of between 12k -15k
i'm not too happy with them being fixed at 10 microsteps , but we shall see .
settings in your hal file say :
setp stepgen.0.steplen 1
setp stepgen.0.stepspace 0
setp stepgen.0.dirhold 35000
setp stepgen.0.dirsetup 35000
will get you started .
Not sure how to update the hal file, how would this relay to step, space, hold and setup in the step config screen?
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25 Feb 2016 09:56 - 25 Feb 2016 09:56 #70606
by andypugh
Once you have things pretty much working then you probably need to stop using stepconf and start using a text editor to tweak the HAL file directly. HAL has more flexibility than any GUI Wizard can ever cover without becoming more complicated and impenetrable than text-editing.
As for what the numbers mean, they are very similar to the stepconf numbers, except that the step length and step space are not controlled by the step-generator directly in most configs, instead the "reset" function is used to control the step pulse length, and the base thread frequency ensures adequate step space. The "reset" function is a simple function that is called some time after parport-write and just checks that it has been at least reset-time nanoseconds since the parport step pins were set high and if so, sets them low. If not, it waits then resets. There is a slight performance advantage to be gained from putting other base-thread functions in the "gap" between parport-write and parport-reset so that the system is working rather than waiting.
Replied by andypugh on topic New member with questions
]Not sure how to update the hal file, how would this relay to step, space, hold and setup in the step config screen?
Once you have things pretty much working then you probably need to stop using stepconf and start using a text editor to tweak the HAL file directly. HAL has more flexibility than any GUI Wizard can ever cover without becoming more complicated and impenetrable than text-editing.
As for what the numbers mean, they are very similar to the stepconf numbers, except that the step length and step space are not controlled by the step-generator directly in most configs, instead the "reset" function is used to control the step pulse length, and the base thread frequency ensures adequate step space. The "reset" function is a simple function that is called some time after parport-write and just checks that it has been at least reset-time nanoseconds since the parport step pins were set high and if so, sets them low. If not, it waits then resets. There is a slight performance advantage to be gained from putting other base-thread functions in the "gap" between parport-write and parport-reset so that the system is working rather than waiting.
Last edit: 25 Feb 2016 09:56 by andypugh.
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