OK, I have at least a semi-working router! I've moved it out of ICU and into a private room listed as 'in serious condition'.
(Backstory...I'd run PNCconf only to find that the plug attachment order to my G540 didn't match the actual outputs. X, Y1, Y2 all worked, but in different plugs from the expected, and the Z output was on a cruise somewhere in the Caribbean. In addition, the Y joints racked.
After some excellent advice (THANK YOU, BEVINS!), I was able to change the direction on Y2 and eliminate the racking, but Z was still dead. Cut to the present....
The dead Z axis problem appears to have been in the stepgen setup. A friend noticed that PNCconf had mapped Joint 0 to "hm2_5i25.0.stepgen.01" in the stepgen setup for Joint 0 across the board. Similarly, the mapping for the other three joints was advanced by one number.
Having the confidence of the ignorant (and a backup of the original), we changed the stepgen setup to match the joint numbers and the Z-axis came alive! After switching the other cables to what we thought should be the original XY1Y2Z layout on the 540, the Linux demo file ran like a charm with the observation that on the longer curved paths around the 'C's' sounding labored. It just sounded as is the router was working harder there than in other places. The physical connections now match what I originally envisioned as the original plug scheme on the G540.
However....isn't there always?
After the program ran and a suitable period of us doing the 'Happy Dance' around the shop, we took temperature reading on the back of the 540. The average temps between J3 and J1 were in the high 40's (C) and topped at over 55 deg. in the J0 (X) region.
I was a bit concerned about that (bliss of the ignorant, remember?). Using another hunch, we changed the SETPLEN AND STEPSPACE values from 10K/5K to 3K/3K. I let things cool and re-ran the program. This time temps around J0 topped at 43 degrees. On a hunch, I let it sit powered on and idling for 15 min. Temps continued to climb at a steady rate until they read ~51 degrees at J0. I had expected a slight rise in temps for a short while, but 15 min. seems excessive to me.
Questions:
1. Any idea on why the stepgen setups were advanced by 1?
2. I know that Gecko lists 80+ as a soft max, but should the temps continue to increase while the machine is a quiescent state?
3. Is what's been done have anything to do with the 'laboring'? Perhaps I've invalidated the TP setup?
In any case, progress appears to have been made. A hearty THANK YOU to Rod, Bevins, and all others who have helped me get to this point. Of course, any further help will be greatly appreciated.
Sorry this is so long, but I didn't want to miss any information that might prove enlightening. Current .hal and .ini attached. Previous editions are in an earlier post.
Leonard
