Hello,

I am trying to help a friend who is working on a cnc mill conversion. He has a smoothstepper board to connect using a usb.

we have tried for hours to get motors to jog using arrow keys. motors 'grind' but can not get "smooth" or consistant motion. (this word "smooth stepper" seems to be just the opposite). What is the frequency supposed to be? can you set the frequency? we can 'hear' the motor 'trying' to turn, but sometimes no motion. sometimes the same arrow key will make the motor go in opposite direction. Also, in the jog feature, if it is set to 'step' it grinds more; whereas in 'continuous' is 'whines'.. Also, what is the setting for the smoothstepper config: "4mhz" or 128 khz??? is all confusing and frustrating and no good documentations for getting things to go. is there a correlation between computer processor speed and frequency, or step speed? Is there a way to know what all these settings are supposed to be?

can someone send screen shots of what the setup screens look like when this smoothstepper usb board is used?

We keep trying all kinds of motor tuning settings... follow motor tuning video, nothing provides good motion.

screen shots would really help to see what someone else has working.

I have a similar controller for a cnc conversion I am working on. But I am using parallel port, and my controller is working good. So what is the deal with this "not-so-smooth" stepper board?

Anyway, help is needed to make my friend's machine work.

Thanks for any input or suggestions.

HOMER

First stop: http://www.soigeneris.com/documentation-content.aspx look in SmoothStepper section for "SmoothStepper Installation Tips". That should answer most of your questions.

I think mine is set at 245 or 275

Hi Everybody,
I am also having troubles trying to load my "SmoothStepper" USB Controller card.
I am running Windows 7, 32 bit system with the latest version of Mach3. I have "Probotix" hardware , as in Breakout board and motor controller cards.
My stepper motors refuse to move. I have now noticed that there is nothing in my .XML file. Not even the profile file that I had set up on the parallel port system that I placed in the Mach3 folder after I download the smoothstepper USB controller.
I guess that there is a problem with the system writing to the .XML file. But I don't understand why it has not written anything to the .XML file and deleted all the info from my profile file. If that is the reason for the lack of movement in the stepper motors.
I have followed the installation instructions to a Tee. I have the LED's on the SmoothStepper card doing exactly as the instructions said they would, but unable to get steppers to move.
Please, can anyone help before I slit my wrists. I have been on this for two weeks now and haven't moved forward one inch, or one centimeter.

Please Help

Terry

Look in the lower right hand corner of the Mach3 screen. Mach will display the name of the profile you are using there, what is the name of the profile you are using?

Hi Jeff,
Thank you for your quick response to my problem.

I have disconnected the SmoothStepper card for the time being and have just re instated the parallel port because I have an urgent job to cut.
Now there is a problem with the parallel port software, I have spent a fair bit of time this morning trying to get it to work again.Also the VDF has decided not to run the spindle. It's  problem is that all it wants to do is for it's LED to flash at me, wont let me re input settings into it. So once again I'm on the internet trying to find out why.

This is all tying me Jeff. But I will beat it.

Regards
Terry