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Author Topic: Using a Flashcut CNC Box in Mach 3  (Read 10815 times)

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Using a Flashcut CNC Box in Mach 3
« on: March 07, 2010, 08:18:37 PM »
Hello, I am very new to CNC machining and I am trying to get a mill with a flashcut CNC conversion to work under mach 3, as the flashcut box does not support the new live version of the flashcut software. So far I have been unable to make the machine jog using Mach 3. I read somewhere that there is a trick or two that is needed to  get mach3 to run on the flashcut box.
So far I have set up the ports an pins in exactly the same manner as the tutorial, although I believe that since the flashcut box is proprietary they do not use the basic pin 1 step y pin 2 dir y setup.

My setup for running mach3 is an LPT cable (not a crossover) directly connected to the flashcut box that runs the motors, and so far I haven't gotten any stepper motors to move.

Offline Hood

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Re: Using a Flashcut CNC Box in Mach 3
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2010, 02:17:16 AM »
You will really need to find out which pins the flashcut uses, do you have any documentation or a link to online documentation?
Hood
Re: Using a Flashcut CNC Box in Mach 3
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2010, 01:28:58 PM »
Alright, so I have found the pinouts for what I believe to be all the flashcut boxes.
I attached the pins as an image, but here is the pins written out in case that does not work.

Pin 9   X direction
Pin 10  A step
Pin 11 Z step
Pin 12 Y step
Pin 13 X step
Pin 14 Enable All

Pin 19  A direction
Pin 20 Z direction
Pin 21 Y direction
Pin 22 Internal VCC +5V (connected to 23)
Pin 23 OPT VCC  (Input) (connected to 22)
Pin 24 Internal GND  (connected to 25)
Pin 25 OPT GND  (connected to 24)

So although I have the correct step and direction pins set in mach 3, the steppers are not moving.
I am guess that this has to do with pin 14, Enable all. Is there any way to set mach 3 to give an "enable All' command? I would assume it would be a +5V signal, rather than an active low.

Offline Hood

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  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
Re: Using a Flashcut CNC Box in Mach 3
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2010, 01:56:01 PM »
What you will have to do is take a cable and chop it up so that the pins match what you set in Mach. The Parallel Port has 12 Outputs and 5 Inputs so you will need to match it to that.
Pins 1 to 9, 14, 16 and 17 are output pins
Pins 10 to 13 and 15 are Input pins


For example if you take
Pin 13 on Flashcut and connect it to Pin 2 on the parallel port that would be your X Step
Pin  9 on Flashcut and connect it to Pin 3 on the parallel port that would be your X Dir


Hood

Re: Using a Flashcut CNC Box in Mach 3
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2010, 06:21:12 PM »
Alright, chopping up a cable is do-able.
Is there a setting in Mach 3 that I can use to give a constant 5v signal on pin 14?

Offline Hood

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  •  25,835 25,835
  • Carnoustie, Scotland
Re: Using a Flashcut CNC Box in Mach 3
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2010, 04:41:26 AM »
There is the Enable that you can use for that, it will switch with the state of Mach, ie when in reset no Enable, when out of Reset you get the Enable.
Hood