Need Help!- Camsoft

[johnwaa]

I am setting up Camsoft lite on a 3 axis router and I am having trouble getting it to stop on my home limit switch. I use the waituntil #32=0 command in my program but the machine does not stop when it hits it. I can see in the diagnostics screen when i physically hit the switch myself that its state changes but the program does not respond, any help?

[Karl_T]

This is going to take some investigation. Until you get experience, this is where the great techs at camsoft are worth their weight in gold.

Some comments:

Why is your home switch on input 32? Should be on 1, 2, 3, or 4.


Try to replace the WAITUNTIL with a loop and message to make sure where you're at in the code.

:LOOPTRIAL
IF #32=1 THEN MESSAGE In Loop:SLEEP 0.1:GOTO :LOOPTRIAL
MESSAGE Just finished Loop


Learn to read your Logfile. This takes a lot of study but once you're on to it, you can quickly diagnose most every logic error.

Keep in mind its something simple and stupid. I know this because it always is. Actually, not always. I found one really complex problem and proved it, ONCE. That's out of 100,000s of problems.

Karl

[HuFlungDung]

I would agree with Karl. I think I found WAITUNTIL was flakey at detecting I/O events. The only place I used it was:
WAITUNTIL STOP
to ensure that axis motion had stopped before logic continues.

Do you not have any encoders on your machine? I'd be leery of using something as crude as a switch for an exact, repeatable home detection. It could be a shame to sweat writing the logic, only to never have it perform to expectations.

[johnwaa]

I have encoders on this machine and just to see if it would work I set up in my inputio file to make the machine stop if #32 was detected and the machine would stop but not when asking a program to run do I need some logic somewhere else I have even tried asking if #1 detectd to stop and that did not work either

[johnwaa]

To help you understand I am using a DMC-1842 Galil motion card
And a Contect pio 16/16T I/O board and that is where the X home limit switch is wired.
We also have reversed the sensing to the limit switches, what is strange is that I see #32 light up in the diagnostics screen.

[Al_The_Man]

Its been some years since I used Camsoft, but I use Galil all the time, and they have three dedicated commands and dedicated inputs just for homing.
They are FE - find edge, FI - find index, or HM - home, Which encompasses them all.
The direction it homes in depends on the logic level of the dedicated home input, i.e. 1 or 0.
Check the 18x2 manual.
Al.

[Karl_T]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Man Its been some years since I used Camsoft, but I use Galil all the time, and they have three dedicated commands and dedicated inputs just for homing. They are FE - find edge, FI - find index, or HM - home, Which encompasses them all. The direction it homes in depends on the logic level of the dedicated home input, i.e. 1 or 0. Check the 18x2 manual. Al.

I used native galil commands for my homing routine on my CHNC lathe. here it is:

[[HOMEALL]] 'home routine with native Galil commands
LOADING \55:IF \55=0 THEN EXIT
IF#43=0THENMESSAGE Reset Estop
IF#43=0THEN EXIT
IF \140=1 THEN MESSAGE . start of [HOMEALL]
WAITUNTIL STOP2
COMMAND SH 'SH mnakes sure servos are on
COMMAND SP5000 'set slew speed
COMMAND CN 1,-1 'configure limit switches the -1 drives motor in reverse direction
COMMAND FEX 'Find Edge X axis
COMMAND BGX 'BeGin motion X axis
SLEEP .5
WAITUNTIL STOP1
IF \140=1 THEN MESSAGE . FOUND ZHOME
COMMAND SP1200 'set slew speed
COMMAND CN 1,-1 'configure limit switches the -1 drives motor in reverse direction
COMMAND FEX 'Find Edge X axis
COMMAND BGX 'BeGin motion X axis
SLEEP .5
WAITUNTIL STOP1
IF \140=1 THEN MESSAGE . OFF ZHOME
COMMAND SP500 'set slew speed
COMMAND JG-400 'JOG X axis at -400 Don't know if this is really needed
COMMAND FIX 'Find Index mark X axis
COMMAND BGX 'BeGin motion X axis
SLEEP .5
WAITUNTIL STOP1
IF \140=1 THEN MESSAGE . FOUND Z INDEX
COMMAND SP,2500 'set slew speed
COMMAND CN 1,-1 'configure limit switches the -1 drives motor in reverse direction
COMMAND FEY 'Find Edge Y axis
COMMAND BGY 'BeGin motion Y axis
SLEEP .5
WAITUNTIL STOP2
IF \140=1 THEN MESSAGE . FOUND HOMEX
COMMAND SP,400 'set slew speed
COMMAND CN 1,-1 'configure limit switches the -1 drives motor in reverse direction
COMMAND FEY 'Find Edge Y axis
COMMAND BGY 'BeGin motion Y axis
SLEEP .5
WAITUNTIL STOP2
IF \140=1 THEN MESSAGE . OFF HOMEX
COMMAND SP,400 'set slew speed
COMMAND JG,100 'JOG X axis at 100 Don't know if this is really needed
COMMAND FIY ''Find Index mark Y axis
COMMAND BGY 'BeGin motion Y axis
SLEEP .5
WAITUNTIL STOP2
IF \140=1 THEN MESSAGE . FOUND X INDEX
MACHZERO 0;0
'MACHDISP 'make axis display in machine coordinates COMMENTED OUT 12 12 06
COMMAND CN 1,1 'configure limit switches back as needed for rest of program
LIGHT 5;ON 'turn machine homed light on
MESSAGE MACHINE IS HOME
MESSAGE Push Tool Number Button
MESSAGE to load tooloffset
\38=1 'set flag for machine homed
ABSDISP 'change to Absolute display changed 12 12 06

[Al_The_Man]

Unless it is some odd ball homing needed, I tend to use the HM as it does it all in one command, for sequential homing, the BGX,BGY,BGZ etc can be sent sequentially.
Al.

[Karl_T]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Man Unless it is some odd ball homing needed, I tend to use the HM as it does it all in one command, for sequential homing, the BGX,BGY,BGZ etc can be sent sequentially. Al.

Its only been four years sence I wrote this, so it took a while to remember why its so complex and why i went native galil. Luck of the draw had the Z index very close to the home limit switch. If the machine was close, like already at home (normal shutdown position) it would home to one spot. If it was a long ways away, the machine would get up to full speed and stop on the other side of the index pulse. This caused it to home one revolution of the screw different.

So, this routine comes in fast, finds the home limit again at slow speed, then finds the index pulse.

Karl

[Karl_T]

Originally Posted by johnwaa To help you understand I am using a DMC-1842 Galil motion card And a Contect pio 16/16T I/O board and that is where the X home limit switch is wired. We also have reversed the sensing to the limit switches, what is strange is that I see #32 light up in the diagnostics screen.

I can't see any good reason to wire your home switches to the contec card. You're wasting your I/O plus disabling the galil homing routine. The only possible reason I see is that the home switch would need an opto isolator. the home input needs 5 volt.

reverse sensing of limit switches is pretty standard.

Karl

[johnwaa]

We have changed our limit switches to a 24 volt system that is why they are not on the galil card.

[Karl_T]

Originally Posted by johnwaa We have changed our limit switches to a 24 volt system that is why they are not on the galil card.

IMHO, you're making trouble for yourself. Optos cost like $1.50 each on eBay. For myself, I just buy the Opto22 brand and put them all on Opto 22 board. then you get a nice LED to show operation and have everything mounted real neat.

Karl