Just want to add my input here. I am also using a Galil 1700 board. I have unchecked both boxes under "motor options" in the Galil plugin. My DRO's now display the actual axis position as returned by the encoders. If I power down the axis and move the table, the DRO's display the actual movement of the unpowered table. Might be worth trying on Your system. Are any of You using a pendant for edge locating? If so which one. I was looking at Peter Homanns pendant, but am not sure about it working with Galil controllers. Any input?
Thanks,
Kenny

Do any of you guys use probes or tool setters?  I just bought a Galil 2160 control and amp-19540 for the mill I am setting up.  I posted in the plugin thread but I think I may be the only person reading it.

Thanks Jeff and Dmrrell,

Jeff I'd like to see the schematic when you are done with it.

Thanks DM, good to know my micro-switch implementation (I use ramps too) willl hold out. The voice of experience is awsome!

--Scott

At present, the Galil plugin doesn't support probing. I need it too and am trying to get it working. The Galil plug-in is still in its infancy and needs some work to implement features that the stepper guys currently enjoy. But, the Galil controller is my way of choice.
Kenny

I have a similar quesiont about pendant interface.

The pendent I'm using is the one that came from Camsoft (http://www.cnccontrols.com/hhpendant.asp) -- hoping to use it with Mach 3. 

It's rotary encoder is wired directly into the aux-encoder (4th axis I think) input on the Galil.  I had to write a lot of script to get it to work properly with the old controller S/W.

When I get the pendant working with Mach 3 I'll post any VB script (or whatever extra code).  During my conversion I'm re-documenting (lost the original) my wiring to the I/O lines and will post it if anyone is interested.

Anyway right now; The e-stop button is wired to the e-stop I/O line on the Galil (duh) and the buttons and lights are wired to various other I/O lines.  As for the controller -- I paid *way* too much for it, especially when you look at the pendents on ebay right now, that I think they are pretty nice. Although with the pendant I have I was able to get away with no face panel at the user console, but am now thinking that's not such a good idea because you might not be near the pendant when you need it.  Or if the thing gets tangled up somewhere you are out of luck until you reach a mouse or touch screen...

Could probe and tool setting be handled by custom script in Mach 3?  I'm too new to Mach 3 to know what's possible here.

I was thinking of getting a hand held too but it doesn't make any sense for me to get one that hooks up to mach.  It would be kind of silly to get a hand held that hooks up to my laptop but one that plugs straight into the galil control so I can do simple stuff without even bothering with mach--now that's intriguing.  I don't know if you have a stand alone or not but QSI makes some terminals that work with the ethernet galil controllers and the qterm-g55 hand held looks affordable.
http://www.qsicorp.com/product/industrial/qterm-g55.php

If anyone is using one of these and has some feedback on it I'd be very interested to hear it.

I have a similar quesiont about pendant interface.

The pendent I'm using is the one that came from Camsoft (http://www.cnccontrols.com/hhpendant.asp) -- hoping to use it with Mach 3.

It's rotary encoder is wired directly into the aux-encoder (4th axis I think) input on the Galil. I had to write a lot of script to get it to work properly with the old controller S/W.

When I get the pendant working with Mach 3 I'll post any VB script (or whatever extra code). During my conversion I'm re-documenting (lost the original) my wiring to the I/O lines and will post it if anyone is interested.

Anyway right now; The e-stop button is wired to the e-stop I/O line on the Galil (duh) and the buttons and lights are wired to various other I/O lines. As for the controller -- I paid *way* too much for it, especially when you look at the pendents on ebay right now, that I think they are pretty nice. Although with the pendant I have I was able to get away with no face panel at the user console, but am now thinking that's not such a good idea because you might not be near the pendant when you need it. Or if the thing gets tangled up somewhere you are out of luck until you reach a mouse or touch screen...

off topic -- Now thoses hand-held terminals are interesting!  I've gathered some parts to (some day) make something like those, on the cheap -- now I don't believe I could finish my LCD pendant for less $$$.  Well worth looking at IMHO.

Does the Galil Plugin reset the PID values? 

I tuned my servos using the WSDK, which stores the PID values on the card (I don't think it's an actual "burn") when it's done.  If I exit the WSDK, and run in again, the PID values that are shown before I run any tests are the same as before.  No change = "good".  It's always been "set and forget" before this.

If I run Mach3 + Galil plugin, then exit, not even run a job, then run WSDK or DMCTerminal program to query the PID values... they are reset back to the system default.  Changed PID values = "bad", "very bad".

It appears that Galil plugin is doing some kind of reset or master reset of the card?  A regular reset shouldn't cause a problem because the values are supposed to be stored in flash memory. 
--Scott

The Galil plug-in does not change the pid values in teh Galil card. After tuning your system, or making nay other setting changes to the bard itself you must 'burn' issue a BN command to the card so the settings are saved in the eeprom. Any changes not burned are lost on a card reset (soft reset that mach does or power cycle.)