Gmoccapy plasma help

I have a 5 axis test board here with proma 150 with thcud component running. It run's good.

I have spent lot's of time to write my own linuxcnc program in python code. It costed me much energy but at this
moment i think it's a good investment in the future. Now i can beat mach3 and windows in every way.

Grotius, I have just a simple $20 Sainsmart 5 axis BOB, and was attempting to run a Proma 150 THC.

You can use my linux configuration for testing your equipment. It works fine on your above set up.
Let me know.

My goal is to expand the program with rs485 modbus RTU for controlling, this function is working sinds 1 week :
2x analog input ( 1 input is plasma voltage, linked via voltage divider ratio 1:50 )
2x analog output ( plasma power and air pressure for my own brand plasma machine' s)
multiple digital in and outputs.

I have 22 inch touch screen working.
Draftsight is working

Almost i have my goal with linux. But i will investegate the external offset's a little bit for future thc function.
This is an easy function to combine with direct voltage input from plasma inverter in the python code it's easy' er to control.

Grotius,
if you don't mind sharing your linux config that would be very helpful in giving me more clarity how to get my Proma 150 running. Once I see a couple of working configs I can get a better idea of how to make mine work. I tried Tommylights config but was getting Z joint and limit errors that I was unable to resolve after extensive efforts. Trying your working config may be exactly what I need!

Got my Proma SD over the weekend and having decent success with it so far but am ready to get the 150 going so I can have better corner lock abilities. The SD does seem to do well on corners but I'm looking forward to building a rotary tube cutter going soon and I think I will certainly need the 150 with its LCNC driven motion to be effective.

I'm also interested in getting a touchscreen going too..but one thing at a time. Thanks for sharing your background with me, very inspiring. Keep up the great work.

Hi Plasmaguy,

Please inform me about your current parport pin settings for the system.
If you give me your i / o list i will make a config for you.

After that i need your personal mail, to send you my config. My config is usable but still not ready for integrating in the Linux
distribution. That will take a few month's from now.

Tube cutter's work the best without thc function. You only need the arc on signal from your plasma source.

If you buy a Hanns-g touchscreen, this one is working within 5 minutes, you need a few steps to do :
nice usb touch screen

Grotius, I sent you a PM and attached are my current port settings as well ashal & ini files in case it helps.

Hi Plasmaguy,

I see your machine is not working at the moment. Your port adress is not valid.
Did you have the machine working with any config? please sent the working config so i can see what you are doing.
Pictures are welcome. If the config work's but some things are not working. Please write down what is not working so i
can collect data.

very, very important is your motor tuning. So tune your machine as nice as possible. And this data is then used for your config.

Grotius,
my plasma table has been working for the past month or so using the Axis configuration I posted above. Do you need me to post the entire configuration folder?

What has not been working is only the Proma 150 THC unit which I attempted to implement to my table. I tried the Tommylight configuration which I was never able to get functional due to some Z axis errors I was unable to resolve. If you look at the last post on that thread you can see my table functioning without the THC.

I have not used a proma but from what I am seeing, you've copied a setup for a mill and you are still using some pins for a spindle which a plasma does not have so there is nothing connected to the proma.

At this point, you can't use stepconfig anymore. You must edit your hal file in a text editor as it does not know a plasma machine.

What I would expect to see is you be using the THCUD component in your Hal file
linuxcnc.org/docs/html/man/man9/thcud.9.html

This component has inputs for the Proma up and down signals.

John Thornton has a sample config for download here
gnipsel.com/shop/plasma/plasma.xhtml
Download the THC Up/Down comp.

If you have a chance to look over on page 13 of Tommylight's THC threa Tommylight's THC threadd you'll see that I already edited his .hal & .ini files, complete with the Arc OK, torch UP, torch DOWN and Probe Switch pins to fit my setup but for whatever reason I can't get that to work due to joint 2 (Z) errors. I took all the numbers from my functioning .ini file and plugged them into that config without any luck. Why they would work perfectly fine in one configuration and then not even be able to move the axes in another configuration is beyond my ability to comprehend.

In fact the machine would only turn on without an immediate error if I checked the "ignore limits" box: I was able to get the X & Y axes moving but only once before it would throw the limit error as it tried to allow me to get back within the table limits first and then the machine would turn off as I could never get the axes moved far enough to be out of whatever the limit error was being caused by. At least it would appear to be a limit issue from what I understand and I spent much time editing different parts of the .ini file back and forth, especially the limits figures, without any success.

Tommylight looked over my files I posted to his thread and could only find one minor error which on further investigation on my part was actually correct. I posted more info in response to his suggestion but have yet to hear any further feedback although it's been close to 10 days now.

In my feeble mind I can't help but wonder why there is not the ability to hook up a THC with something similar to the stepconfig program. Getting a functional THC with Mach3 was certainly not this difficult. Mach3 took me maybe a half hour to get THC going, this has taken me more hours than I care to recount. It's frustrating trying to reinvent the wheel. Does it have to be that way? I'm not sure at this point, but I doubt it. Seems like every page with info concerning LCNC plasma is "under construction" and has just enough info for someone with a computer programming background to make sense of. Looking at a sample config for me the uninitiated is like looking at chicken scratches in the dirt and trying to make sense of them! Maybe I just have too many irons in the fire and am overthinking things to the point that none of it is gelling for me.

Also I wanted to point out that my plasma table is running fine using the mill setup because the plasma torch is turned on and off using the mill spindle control, F9. My thought is that the spindle on/off label is just a matter of form and not substance? The plasma cutter is still getting a signal despite how the F9 is labeled, it can't tell the difference.

Having a rant is not going to help you get your machine going. Neither is ignoring advice. But it is a good way to discourage further help.

The fact of the matter is plasma is an orphan process in the world of CNC.
Linuxcnc configuration is controlled by two text files. stepconfig was written to make it easier to get a basic working config. Then its up to you to finish it off by hand.

Hal file configuration is well documented and immensely powerful. Adding a component is not that hard. You loadrt it and then you addf it to a thread. Then you connect signals to it.

I apologize, I wasn't intending to rant, and I think the suggestion is a bit misplaced and counterproductive, I was just pointing out what's going through my mind with the thought of making this easier for the next guy. I still suspect there is an easier way for those of us who don't see the simplicity as you do. If you are discouraged from helping me then the best thing would be to ignore me rather than making smug remarks about how it's not that hard and so forth.

I'm glad you see the simplicity in it but in perusing the pages of this forum I see that I'm not the only one who has had difficulty seeing the simplicity. Some of them gave up and went other routes.

As far as ignoring advice, I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to that I ignored? If you could point that out to me I would be glad to see what have I overlooked? I assure you it wasn't willful.

You said to "load it and you add it to a thread". As I tried to convey in my "rant", I am not a computer savvy person and am just switching over to Linux from a lifetime of using Windows. "Load it" how and what do you mean by a thread? If you don't dumb it down for me a bit then it's falling on practically deaf ears and we are both wasting our time and efforts.

Rant:
verb (used without object)
1.
to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way; rave:
The demagogue ranted for hours.
verb (used with object)
2.
to utter or declaim in a ranting manner.
noun
3.
ranting, extravagant, or violent declamation.
4.
a ranting utterance.