Setting Up Allin1DC on an older 2axis Prototrak Mill

[apm]

If you are dead set on having a GFI receptacle, they make a VFD grade. Try a Legrand 2097TRAPLW. It will probably work for you if the noise is causing your trips.

Gary

Gary, thank you very much for the suggestion. No I'm not dead set on using a GFI outlet. In fact I was planning on running the new breaker off the sub panel, and most likely since I think the conduits are filled I would
likely wind up pulling another conduit line over to right over the mill.

However I just looked up that part number you gave me. It's the same form factor as my existing Home Cheapot GFCI outlets, costs $35, and will drop right in to what I already have, all the while meeting code. I don't think I'll be able to run a new circuit for less than that money and amount of time it will take me. I looked up the specs on that GFI outlet, and you're right it does say VFD rated. I guess I did not realize how common the small VFDs are getting for the home market. It's nice to see such a device exists.

Has anybody else ever had this issue before? I did a ton of searching on this website and have not seen anybody report similar issues with the controller I am using. I'm surprised I'm the first one to see this and just want to make sure I'm not overlooking a bigger issue? However if it's just capacitive noise I guess it should be fine? I guess the other question will be how much current is actually leaking out of the circuit, and if upgrading to this outlet will actually work. However for the price I think I'm going to take the gamble.

I'm not the real electrical guru, but do others think this makes sense? Unlike a VFD which varies the frequency of the output voltage, my system is the exact opposite I thought? I have a rectifier circuit and I'm running everything off of straight up DC? Or is the system PWMing or something to control the DC servo motors and that's what's causing the variable frequency type effects that might be triggering nuisance trips on my GFCI?

[apm]

So I got the software working right now. I'm able to control distances, and then it was time to start playing with figuring out how to program the thing up to actually make some parts. So I figured I would start by playing with some of the demo files, however all of them require a z axis and of course I don't have a z right now. I might add one later. Somewhere I thought I recall reading that there is a way to set the program up to allow the operator to do a manual move in the z, and fake it into thinking it has a z-axis even if not set up? Is this true? For most of my work I really just need to CNC for contours and doing odd shapes that are hard with a manual mill. I'm not really looking for heavy duty production, but more like the typical prototype work would do on a prototrek Mill.

Thanks

Adam

[cnckeith]

I use Intercon to create 2.5 D program with manual Z moves

[apm]

I use Intercon to create 2.5 D program with manual Z moves

I think this is what I'm looking to do but how do I convert an existing program to allow me to do this? I still haven't set up an encoder on my z-axis so I only have two on the mill. I do plan to put some encoders at the least on the z soon but currently when I run the existing program that requires a z, I just get an error I thought it was 501 (but I'm not in front of the machine right now). The error essentially tells you that you don't have the axis and then the program didn't want to go any further.

[cnckeith]

what do you mean by existing program? what kind of program, a part g code program or intercon?

post a g code program from intercon, take a look a the g code it produces. if you have g code from some other source, use an editor to edit that g code to look like the intercon generated 2d gcode.

from the cnc12 operator manual "For a manual Z-axis, the 3rd-axis label should be set to
the “@” symbol. This setting allows for two axes posting in Intercon."

[apm]

what do you mean by existing program? what kind of program, a part g code program or intercon?

post a g code program from intercon, take a look a the g code it produces. if you have g code from some other source, use an editor to edit that g code to look like the intercon generated 2d gcode.

from the cnc12 operator manual "For a manual Z-axis, the 3rd-axis label should be set to
the “@” symbol. This setting allows for two axes posting in Intercon."

I went to run one of the sample programs out of the library that came with the installer. I will have to check later to see if I have the 3rd axis set to the @ symbol but the program that came had the Z programmed into it. So then the question is if I have the Z set to an @ symbol will it run a program that has Z moves in it or do I need to delete everything Z related? Ideally it would pause and let me move the Z.

[cnckeith]

go to intercon and create a fresh g code program ,would take less time than me typing this. ) none of the sample programs are setup for 2 axis.

[cncsnw]

If you have your control set up for 2 axis, then you should be able to go to Intercon, load any of the sample programs, and press F10/Post.

That should cause Intercon to write out a fresh CNC file for that program, with 2-axis codes.

Obviously some things, like Thread Milling, will not be possible; but most of the basic functions should post fine in 2-axis mode.

[apm]

Well, I am making progress here, I almost managed to make my first part but then got stuck for the night. I am running the attached program. Right now my plan was to run the program then let the machine return to the (x=-1, y=-1) position which is off the part, crank the knee up, and rerun the program a few times. For my unsophisticated programming skills this seems to make sense for the time being, however eventually I am thinking it would be cool to have the program go to a safe area, have a step where I can crank it up, and then loop back around to the start of the program, but I am not there yet with my programming skills.

Right now the goal is just to cut the basic outer profile into this part. It worked you can see the photo of the first go around;

However when I went to rerun the job I get 412 and 325 limits. See image.

So I went to the parameters and changed 348=0 as suggested earlier which I thought would solve the MPG1 error, but it is still tossing off a 412 error on Axis 3. Why is this? Its a 2 axis mill. Axis 3 doesn't exist.

My Z axis is configured with a "@" symbol, it shouldn't care right?

Also what's the 325 error? The manual says 325="The job was cancelled because of a
limit error." how do I clear the limit error and move forward?

I will say once or twice I have seen if I rapid too fast that I get a legit 412 error on the X or Y so I trimmed back the rapids and that seemed to make the issue go away. I figured that this was the controller having a tough time keeping up with the encoders. However it doesn't say we have the 412 on an X or Y it is on the Z which is an imaginary axis, so I am puzzled.

What's going on here?

Thanks,

Adam

[cncsnw]

When you label a manual 3rd axis '@', CNC12 expects it to have a scale for position feedback.

You could label the 3rd axis 'N', but I suspect Intercon would not post suitable codes in that case.

You could keep '@', but set Parameters 332 and 333 both to 4.0, to suppress encoder signal checks on the 3rd axis. Alternately, setting Parameter 310 to 0 would probably work as well.

The limit error is probably because you still have INP5 and INP6 designated as 3rd axis limit switches on the Machine Configuration -> Motor Parameters table. Change the 3rd axis limit minus and plus input numbers from 5 and 6, to 0 and 0.