X3 spindle control

[Jed]

Has anyone who has a cnc X3 set up spindle direction control with mach3?
I see that cnc4pc have a variable speed control but it doesn't have direction control for the X3.

[P Riedie]

Use the C11g board.
This will control spindle on / off and also the speed but it won't handle direction.
you will still need to use the forward reverse switch to do this.

For the odd time you need reverse it's not a problem. In 10 years of using CNC's commercially I have never had any need to use G04.

PR.

[skullworks]

P Riedie :: I use the G04 Dwell command fairly often.

I used M04 on some insert tooling that is made in right/left pairs. - Take the used inserts from the R-hand cutter and use the unused side in the L-hand cutter. Get full use out of the inserts I bought.

And getting this control funtion working is needed - Rigid tapping is coming... ( For EMC2 )

[arturod]

Jed,

If you really need to use M4 and have the sieg reverse the direction of the spindle you will need to implement a set of relays that will reverse the polarity of the motors. This relays would controlled by the electromechanical relay on the C6-Variable Speed Control http://cnc4pc.com/Variable_Speed_Control_Board.htm. Proper safety precautions must be taken within the control software so that you will not damage the motor or circuit is you inadvertently change the polarity of the motors while it is still turning.

I have been asked before by users to offer a board that already comes with the relays so the user would only have to change the wires that go to the motors, but I feel the demand for such a board would be very low since very few people would really need to change the direction of the spindle. The potential for users running into trouble by miswiring, or reversing the motor while turning would also create unwanted troubles.

Another thing that you might want to consider is to use the C11 or C11G boards that already come with all the built in features that you would need for converting a sieg. http://cnc4pc.com/Multifunction_CNC_Board.htm and http://cnc4pc.com/C11G_Multifunction_CNC_Board.htm

These features are:
- Full optoisolation.
- Built in relays for turning the spindle and coolant pump.
- Built in Safety Charge Pump. (This is a must if you pretend to use relays to start motors).
- LEDs on all I/Os that show the status of all the pins at all times.
- Speed Control that connects directly to the speed controller that comes with the sieg.

Thanks,

Arturo Duncan
http://cnc4pc.com

[phomann]

Originally Posted by Jed Has anyone who has a cnc X3 set up spindle direction control with mach3? I see that cnc4pc have a variable speed control but it doesn't have direction control for the X3.

Jed,

Have a look at the DigiSpeed-XL I sell.
http://homanndesigns.com/store/index...&products_id=2

It as an on-board relay for direction control along with a number of other handy features. The on-board relays are designed to operate the coils of a larger power relay that would perform the spindle direction switching.

PM me if you need help on the wiring.

Cheers,

Peter.

[Jed]

Thanks for the help.
Looks like I'll be purchasing one these boards and some relays then!