A well-functioning configuration for ChinaCNCzone 3040Z-DQ

Here's someone with a similar machine:

Todd Zuercher wrote: Did the manufacturer or seller supply you with a Mach3 configuration file? If you happen to have that xml file Stepconfig in Linuxcnc can import it to help build a linuxcnc config.

Thank you. I already thought about this method.

I sent a letter to the e-mail of this company.
But this is a Chinese company, everything can be very difficult there.

Ogogon.

PCW wrote: Here's someone with a similar machine:

Thank you, I've already seen this video. But it's very strange.

It seems that its author performs ultraminimal tuning, without having almost no information about the equipment.

For example, it does not adjust the limit switches of the axes.
The value of the microstep for some reason is 2, although it should be either 8 or 16. (The card of XYZ axis does not have microstep switches, it is preset for production, and the microstep for the TB6560AHQ chip have the maximum value of 16.) The photo of the board is attached.


This video is very strange and does not cause trust.
If I'm wrong, please explain why.

The guy goes through the basic setup of a parallel port LinuxCNC machine
I dont see anything that seems wrong.

You can choose whatever microstep ratio the driver board uses
His was obviously 2. Yours may be different, Since you don't seem to
have complete documentation you will probably have to experiment
or reverse engineer the driver board to figure out the micro step settings.

Even if someone had a pre-configured hal/ini setup it may not match your hardware so probably the best way forward is to just setup a configuration file set with stepconf as the guy in the video did and then fix any issues as they arise

I went to the manufacturer web site, and went looking.
I managed to download Mach3 from there, and even went as far as installing it (briefly) but it did not seem to come with any pre-configured XML files for the machines.

www.chinacnczone.com/en/software-driver_l282_1.html

All a bit odd.

andypugh wrote: I went to the manufacturer web site, and went looking.
I managed to download Mach3 from there, and even went as far as installing it (briefly) but it did not seem to come with any pre-configured XML files for the machines.

www.chinacnczone.com/en/software-driver_l282_1.html

All a bit odd.

This is a typical business in Chinese.

They can for years produce complex equipment, not understanding how it is arranged. The main thing is that it sells well.

I chatted with their support team. They sent me to the seller. The seller is mysteriously silent.
I understand what is happening - they are happy to help me, but they themselves do not know the answers. But they never admit it.

This is the great Chinese civilization.

Ogogon.

PCW wrote: probably the best way forward is to just setup a configuration file set with stepconf as the guy in the video did and then fix any issues as they arise

I watched the video carefully, which was taken by a Guy With a Can of Cola (GWCC) and wrote out all the settings. They are like this:



With these settings, only the Z axis gives me signs of life. The others pretend that the "Axis check" mode does not concern them.

Ogogon.

OK so a couple possibilities are that:
1. Your breakout is different (different pinout), This seems unlikely but relatively easy to check with a voltmeter or a LED on the actual step/dir pins
2. The step timing is too short ( no harm to double it )
3. Hardware issues

PCW wrote: OK so a couple possibilities are that:
1. Your breakout is different (different pinout), This seems unlikely but relatively easy to check with a voltmeter or a LED on the actual step/dir pins

We'll have to buy DB-25 connectors and solder the LED indicators.
By the way, how should this port be configured at the BIOS level?

There was a certain prehistory with this CNC.
When he came to me, I assembled the control car on a small fanless AMD card. LCNC worked without problems and it did not even occur to me to make a backup copy of the configuration. I thought that this will always be so.
I did not like the computer very much, Debian had a poor agreement with its video controller, the jitter was big enough. But, all the same, he did that he needed him.

Further, of course, the computer burned out. I assembled another machine, on an Intel processor. Of course, all the hardware in it is different. Another BIOS, another printer port. Now he shows his obstinacy.

PCW wrote: 2. The step timing is too short ( no harm to double it )

I tried to increase two or three times. The result has not changed.

PCW wrote: 3. Hardware issues

Perhaps there is something here. I swapped the X and Z axis connectors on control station. The X axis began to run with a mildly buzzing buzz.
The Z axis, which worked before, froze and does not work.

But, at power-up, the manual shafts on all stepper motors do not rotate freely. Obviously, the controller works and includes microsteps on all axes.

There is one more thing - I found a video from the ChinaCNCzone company. At least there is a logo printed in the corner.
So, the Chinese voiceover, explaining how to tune Mach3, leads to a completely different setting of pins in lpt and inversions on pins.
I'll wrote up a list and lay it out.

Ogogon.

I thought you were a seller when i made my comment about sending one for free ! My bad !
Start stepconf wizard, make all outputs as "unused", make pin one "X step" go to page with X axis settings, press on "test this axis" or similar, see if anything moves, if it does not, go back to "pins page" make pin number one as unused and pin number 2 as X step, test, repeat.
For this to work you have to check if the motor drives are enabled by turning them by hand, meaning they have to be locked and not move easily.
If they are not enabled, use "amplifier enable" instead of "X step" and test till you get locked motors, then go back and try the X step version, but do not disable the output that enabled the drives ( usually pin 1 or 14 or 16 or 17, on some chinese bob's pin 9 ).