I have installed and configured MachStdMill, however I am not able to display the RPM.  I am using the same spindle pulse generator that I used previously and I know that works.  Furthermore, the Hardware screen indicates that the index pulse is being detected and the pulse is detected when I use the "automated setup of inputs" feature.  

When I click the RPM button, the button turns green, but no RPM is displayed.  With the spindle turning and an index pulse being generated, I attempt to use the "Calibrate Spindle" function, but when I click "AutoCal", I receive the message "Start Spindle at any speed".

I assume the problem lies with a configuration setting that I have missed.

Any suggestions for correcting the problem will be appreciated.

Regards,

Osker

Try a M3 or M4 in the MDI line.

RICH

Hi Osker,

Would you clarify for me what you mean by the "RPM button"?

The spindle controls in MSM are labeled "CW" for clockwise spindle rotation, "CCW" for counter clockwise rotation, and "Off" for stop spindle.
These controls may be found on the run page and the fly out page.

There is a RPM DRO on the run page - but it is not a button that can be clicked. So I don't think you mean that control as you said the "button turns green" and the DRO label can't do that.

BTW - Mach only shows RPM if the spindle is running.

Given that you said you used the ports & pins auto config facility, your P&P mappings may have changed as a result.
Are you sure you have the index signal on the port & pin that mach thinks is the index input?

Dave

Dave,

Thanks for clarifying that "RPM" is a DRO - not a button.  I thought that it was a button because it changed color when clicked (Run Screen).  I am away from the shop, but yesterday I tried clicking the "CW" and "CCW" and did not see RPM displayed.  I will try that again, as well as entering M3 or M4 in the MIDI line. 

BTW - the spindle was turning.  I connect to my computer via a breakout board that has LEDs that indicate the state of the input.  The LED for the spindle input blinks consistent the pulse being generated.  So, I am confident that I am getting an index pulse and I am reasonably confident that I mapped the P&P correctly.  Just to be certain, I will check the mapping again.

More later, once I have tried the suggestions.

Osker

Just confirmed that the P&P is mapped correctly and also tried entering M3 and M4 in the MIDI screen.  Entering M3 or M4 causes the Dwell to momentarily turn green, but produces no RPM readout.  The same thing happens when I click on "CW" or "CCW".

I plan to hook a scope to the index input and check to see if I am getting a clean square wave, but it worked before. Any other thoughts on what I need to check?

Osker

Last night, I checked the index pulse and it is a clean square wave with about +5V peak-to-peak.  I tried changing input ports and and reconfigured MachStd Mill settings accordingly.  Tried entering M3 and M4 (separate entries) in the MIDI screen and clicked "CW" and "CCW". Each of which caused the Dwell to momentarily turn green, no RPM readout.

Unless someone has a recommendation for what I should try next, let me rephrase my question to the following:

What is the process for setting up and enabling the RPM function in MachStd Mill?

Regards,

Osker

Dave,

Thanks for clarifying that "RPM" is a DRO - not a button.  I thought that it was a button because it changed color when clicked (Run Screen).  

Osker

Osker,

DROs and Buttons are very distinct visually and follow a consistent pattern. Please refer to section 2 of the MSM manual for more information.

Re all DROs turning green if clicked - this is a "feature" of mach that I personally really, really dislike - allow me to explain...
Mach has a concept of something we call "DROs". They are the controls on a screen used to display numeric values.
They can also be used to input values from the operator into Mach.

Alas, there are multiple DROs that are defined by Mach that ONLY output values for the operator to see. It is impossible to enter a value into them and thereby change the internal value that mach uses.

The actual RPM DRO is one example of this. It is "display value to user only". We'll call this type of DRO "Read only" - i.e. the user/operator can read the value, but not set it.

Some confusion comes about because Mach uses a single screen control for ALL DROs. This makes all DROs act as **IF** you can input a value to them - which is very confusing from a user interface design viewpoint.
If you click any DRO in MSM it will highlight green (in fact any DRO in any screen set will highlight if clocked) - but this does not mean that you can input a value into all DROs. Yes I know that is not intuitive - but is what mach does and MSM has no control over it.

As explained in section 2 of the MSM manual: To make this a bit better, Read/Write (RW) DROs in MSM have a inner green border - this indicates visually the DROs which will actually accept a value. Read only (RO) DROs do not have the border.

A true RO DRO screen control is part of the V4 wish list...

Dave

What is the process for setting up and enabling the RPM function in MachStd Mill?

Regards,

Osker

Hi Osker,
I'm not trying to be flippant, but the way the index pulse and RPM DROs work in MSM is the same as in any other screen set.
The index pulse goes into mach, assuming that Port&Pins is configured correctly, mach counts the index pulses when the spindle is running). Mach makes the counted value available in the RPM DRO. A screen just places the RPM dro on a page and mach updates the value as mach does other DROs.

If you are not seeing the RPM value when the spindle is running, the most probable cause is that the index pulse ports & pins setting has a configuration problem.

There are other less likely things that could have happened - for example a screen set could place a DRO that is visually labeled as the RPM DRO but which might accidentally be some other DRO value. This would be a screen set bug. While at this point in time, that is not likely for the RPM DRO in MSM, I will go double check it when I get a chance to get into the shop.

Dave

There are other less likely things that could have happened - for example a screen set could place a DRO that is visually labeled as the RPM DRO but which might accidentally be some other DRO value. This would be a screen set bug. While at this point in time, that is not likely for the RPM DRO in MSM, I will go double check it when I get a chance to get into the shop.

Dave

Hi Osker,
I had a chance to double check: I started up MSM (Parallel port), set the S word and started the spindle via the CW button - it shows the actual RPM reading form the index pulse in the RPM DRO on the Run page.  My check was done with Mach 3.43.22 and MSM 0.3.15 (Beta 11).

Ok, I know you said you had scoped the input index signal and it looked good.

Let's follow the signal chain....

!) Index electrical signal is good (at where ever you tested it).
2) Are you Parallel port or smooth stepper?
I'm going to assume PP (there are way more PP machines than SS based machine).
3) On the MSM hardware - PP driver page: look at the pin you have the index pulse physically connected to. does it blink when the spindle is running? (It won't blink at the spindle RPM rate as a back ground process samples the pins to drive the screen LEDs. but it should blink when spindle is running and not blink (may be either on or off - depends on your hdw) when spindle is not running).
If this is good then we know the index pulse is being seen by mach at the port/pin physical level.

Now we go up a layer to the logical signal level:
4) go to the hardware-signals page. Is the index LED blinking?
If so, mach is also correctly mapping the hdw input pin to the logical index signal.
If is is not blinking, the port&Pins mapping is probably the issue.
IF some other logical signal led is blinking instead of the Index LED, that is a clue as to what is wrong with the P&P configuration.

If both the hdw pin LED and the logical index signal led are blinking when the spindle runs, but you are not seeing the RPM readout, then I'm stumped for right now.

Dave

Dave,

Thank you for your efforts, but we are both stumped.   You were correct to assume my system is a parallel port system.  On the MSM hardware - PP driver page, the index pin (#12) does blink with the spindle turning.  It also blinks on the hardware-signals page.  I entered S 429. clicked CW and also CCW, both with no RPM readout.  You have not asked, but I am running the most current versions of Mach3 and MachStdMill, as described on the website.

Any other recommendations will be appreciated. 

Osker