Re: OmioCNC report
Yes I remember the spindle stopped and the RESET button was flashing, but I did not look for an error message. There probably was one there but I didnt look. So once you press RESET then what? I usually go back 50 or 100 lines from where it stopped and press START FROM HERE and hit CYCLE START when the safe z height and start spindle box appears and I press OK and CYCLE START AGAIN and off it goes and the spindle lifts and moves back and starts its thing but usually a little bit out, as you say. Also the safe Z height is at 5mm default I think and I have noticed it is not enough and it knocks of a bit of wood off nearby as it moves back. The USB stuff may also be the cause but I had the same thing happen without all the USB gear on too. I think though that the dust-shoe brush length was a problem then getting caught up in the bit. I will try again without all the USB gear and without the dustshoe (now trimmed) and see what happens....stay tuned!!
Its interesting what you say that Safe Z Start Spindle may use relative positioning? May have something to so with it as well?
many thanks..
Originally Posted by Mmpie
Nick, it's pretty hard to miss the error message flashing on the mach3 screen, so presumably it's not this, but considering the changes you've made USB dropout is a distinct possibility. IIRC the spindle will stop and the reset button will be flashing in mach3 which will need to be pressed to connect back to the machine, the error message will be flashing in the little text box next to the reset button. People generally recommend not to have anything else running off that USB bus/chain thing whatever it's called, which in a laptop the two ports are almost certainly going to be running off the same board. So try running it with no other USB devices plugged in
But that said losing all that position sounds like missed steps somewhere, or at least mach3 thinks it's moving when in reality it's not, which shouldn't happen to that extent with the USB dropout problem. You will lose position with that but only by the minuscule distance it takes the machine to physically stop from whatever speed it was going, because mach3 will still think it was in exactly the same spot it was in the moment the connection dropped.
For future reference I have found that restarting mid code in mach3 can be a crap shoot and it's far more reliable to just make a new code file starting at some point not too far behind where you left off (appreciate this might not be so easy with one of those 3D wood carvings) and also jogging the machine at any time during a file will make it lose its place and it will restart relative to the position it's in when you press start. So if it paused/stopped and you jogged it over to that side a bit before continuing the file, that would explain why it went so far over there. I'm not entirely sure why this happens because in my mind it shouldn't. Maybe the restart 'safe z, start spindle, move to coordinates' thing uses relative positioning. Not sure, never looked in to it, just accepted it is what it is and remembered never to move it under these circumstances
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Re: OmioCNC report
Yeah, That will be fine. As long as its at least 1 Ghz and 3Gig of RAM. ( XP will only recognise up to 3 Gig)
If you have a PS2 mouse and keyboard, you could try them as well.
Until you find the problem you won't what the problem was.....Its a pain..we have all been there...
Re: OmioCNC report
Nick, that is almost certainly the USB connection dropping then. Numerous potential causes I think but my problems were down to interference. When this happens the safest and most reliable method to restart is by creating a new g-code file that starts as close the the point it was at as you can get it.
I had too many unexpected results trying to restart from a line in the code, not sure why I never really looked in to it but my codes were all short and simple 2d jobs and easy to redo, unlike those 3D carvings, so it made sense for me to do that.
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Re: OmioCNC report
Thanks everyone for your advice! I have re-run the job with and without the extra USB hub as described previously and both times the job finished and did not just suddenly stop.
As it was working (without the USB HUB) I heard a grunting type noise coming from the machine for about 5 to 10 secs and sure enough, the x axis had skipped over about 6mm ruining the job but it did finish.
Then I ran it with the USB and grunt grunt grunt it skipped a beat again! At this point in time I had no idea where this noise was coming from but I knew that it had moved.
Whilst I was scratching my head, a screen popped up on the computer, your AVG Virus program has been updated! Aha! I clicked on it and it opened but the picture was fuzzy?
I looked at Mach3 screen as well, it too was fuzzy but not as much. Aha! Hmmmm.... maybe I should disconnect this laptop from the internet and uninstall AVG, which I did, as these 2 things are not needed to run my
cnc machine, and they were taking valuable processing resources away from the G-Code possibly causing it to skip a beat when it was uploading or something?
I re-ran the job and guess what, no grunting sounds... only hassle this time is my 3mm endmill came loose and ruined the job! Dont know why this is happening, I am sure I tightened it good!
I am going to ground the machine as the fuzzy screens probably indicate interference.
Maybe also shield or replace the USB cable with a more capable one.
So maybe I have found the culprit?
Only one way to find out..
cheers..
Re: OmioCNC report
Are you getting this noise, whilst nothing really moves?
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Re: OmioCNC report
No nothing like that. That is a strange sound like its trying to move but getting stuck, maybe the motor or the couplers are slipping?
Mine was a distinct grunt grunt sound whilst it was working.
Re: OmioCNC report
Anti-virus? Auto-update? Two new clues!
PCs aren't great for real-time stuff at the best of times, but when you load them up they are horrible. Whatever you use to drive your CNC needs to be a pretty much dedicated box with nothing other than Mach3 (or whatever you'll use) running. Antivirus software really hurts the predictability and stability of a computer's performance and, when timing is all, it can do the kind of nastiness you're talking about. You get a slow point where Mach3 thinks it's sent the right signals down the USB but they're stalled in a buffer. Computer frees up, buffer gets dumped down the USB and your poor CNC is now trying to drive axes as fast as the USB will go - no wonder it's getting in a jam.
Of course, with no antivirus on a windows machine you'd be mad to have it internet connected. Or sitting on a network that's internet connected unless you're *real* savvy about firewall configs etc.
My next step would be to unplug that computer from the LAN or disable the WiFi, whichever you have going on. Take a copy of your mach3 directory onto a USB drive, format the hard disk, reinstall Windows and Mach3, restore any missing files (eg the USB driver) from the usb drive and start again. If you can't do that, disconnect it from your network and uninstall AVG at least.
FWIW my CNC driving laptop sits on the machine with nowt else installed, no network enabled either. I use a thumb drive and my sneaker-net to get g-code files onto it. Can be a little inconvenient but, IMO, well worth it for the removal of these kind of hassles.
Re: OmioCNC report
Nick, How much RAM have you got in the Laptop?
Re: OmioCNC report
Nice Demo Mmpie....
Re: OmioCNC report
HI dharmic
I agree with all of that! Keep the PC dedicated to the CNC and remove the unwanted un-needed stuff, they just slow it down!
Now that I have removed AVG and Wifi, I will give it a few more goes to see if all is ok before I format the HDD etc..
Now to a further pending problem, why are my bits coming loose in the collets? I put them in pretty tight!
cheers..
Re: OmioCNC report
Not sure, cant remember, who am I, oh no...another senior moment!
Re: OmioCNC report
You really have to crank down on those collet nuts, a lot harder than you might think. It's difficult doing it on those spindles.
But probably not the problem, I doubt you are loading it up enough for that. Have you been clearing up all packaging oil off cutters and collets? They are usually always coated in cosmolene for rust prevention, which also lubricates them. Hit them with a degreaser first. Also make sure there's nothing stuck in the grooves and the spindle taper is clean.
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Re: OmioCNC report
I don't have to crank my collets down harder than what felt an easy "snug plus a bit" with normal double ended spanners. And overtightening will wreck 'em.
Example torque specs for collets here
Make sure you have a clean collet, that it's clicked into the nut, and that it's the smallest collet in the set which will take the tool you're loading. My collets will mostly hold the tool in place - just - when they're loose in the nut.
Re: OmioCNC report
This thread is FAR too big to be helpful. I am interested in a CNC 6040 Chinese package and ebay has the cheapest. But every one of their ads give so little information (w/ broken English). I was hoping to learn more on this thread... after I got to page 40 and my eyes were bugging out while hitting 50... I gave up. It should be against public civility to never have a forum thread larger that 50 pages. lol. Especially if you have 60+ year old eyes. Even after reading thru 50+ pages, I don't know whether the ebay is just as good as this Omino... because I have seen many with issues that the ebay ones sometimes have. I am no electrician or engineer. But I do have other hi-tech tools that I can easily operate without issues. The few other CNC kits that are made with wood seem just too expensive for buying cut wood that I have to totally build. However, I have seen a stress test of 3/4" MDF board against 1/2" aluminum... it was a youtube of a guy pushing his weight on each... the wood didn't move, but the aluminum bowed. I was hoping to see some debate over those differences.
But it seems the Omino has pretty good customer support (from what little I got to read). Is that true? Is the X6-2200 really worth the $2k or maybe I should chance an ebay 6040 and pay $1k less.... Also, are the Omino shipped from China or are there US warehouses like many vendors on ebay? I despise paying lots of money for something that takes forever to be delivered. If I want caveman delivery, I'll move to the mountain caves.... lol.
Re: OmioCNC report
'Better' can be subjective.
The OMIO is definitely better equipped. Proper linear rails and ballscrews, and proper motor drivers instead of those crappy 3 in 1's a lot of the eBay ones have. The rails in particular make a big difference, and the positional accuracy is really very good I must say, on my machine at least. These things give you a machine that can actually be used.
Quality is much the same.
Customer service? What's that?
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Re: OmioCNC report
Good advice, will do!
Re: OmioCNC report
Snug and a bit is what I used to do until I got a couple of failures, first 6mm Endmill in an Omio Supplied Collet, took metal from the inside of the collet and second 3mm ball end 4mm shaft on 4mm Omio Collet. I think the second failure had something to do with the dustshoe hairs as it does not look like metal fibres stuck to the bit. Anyway, where can I get a proper torque wrench for my er11 collets? I have looked on your links (very helpful) and on ebay but only found wrenches not torque wrenches. Can you show me where to get them or what you are using. thanks..
Re: OmioCNC report
I haul on a spanner and shout "CLICK" when it feels right. I have a legit torque wrench somewhere but don't drag it out of its shiny box very often. What you can do is the math that says 60 foot pounds is 25kg pounds at one foot. Spanner's about a foot long, so work out what it feels like to pick up 25kg and that's the haul on the spanner.
Yeah, thread started off as a "here's how it worked out for me" but it's gotten a little unruly over the years.
Omio ships from China only. Omio's pre-sales support is good. Their post-sales support is utter rubbish. Once they have your money, you're on your own. This is why I paid the extra premium to have Paypal coverage in case what turned up was rubbish.
If you want to get an equivalent machine shipped from the states or if you want decent service and support (which means getting it locally, pretty much), expect to pay double because someone has to purchase and hold stock in the hope that someone like you will come along, they have to support it, and they have to earn a living doing so.
Omio's extruded aluminium section bed is quite flexible but there's nothing stopping you from replacing it or bolting down a 3/4" ply spoilboard onto the top to stiffen it up.
I bought mine because it had ballnuts instead of ACME screws, linear rails instead of curtain rods, and had a halfway decent rap from wherever I could find a reference to it. Occasionally they drop the ball and there are a couple of horror stories in here somewhere, but I've not been disappointed and it seems most people are in the same happy boat.
I would not buy or recommend something like the Omio for continuous or commercial use - unsupported downtime is too expensive. But for lightweight home / prototyping stuff I'm still really happy with mine.
Re: OmioCNC report
Thank you so much for the quick replies and summary. That was what I was trying to find in the many pages of this thread. It pretty much turns me away when the vendor ships only from China. I do realize the ups /and downs of holding a USA inventory. So that may be the reason I continue leaning to ebay w/ USA inventory. Of course I am glad I waiting before pulling the trigger... so now I can be a bit more careful of what the ad says. As I said, I am not an electrician.. I didn't know the difference between .8KW and 2.2KW for spindle... but I do know the difference in getting shocked and electrocution... lol. Just jokin... But regardless of which kit I get.. it appears I will be a on a steep, long and perhaps expensive learning journey no matter which vendor and model I choose. Thanks again for replying and also allowing me to rant a bit...
Re: OmioCNC report
Hanging 25kg off a 1 foot spanner sounds like a heck of a force! Do you call that snug and a bit?
[QUOTE=dharmic;2212946]I haul on a spanner and shout "CLICK" when it feels right. I have a legit torque wrench somewhere but don't drag it out of its shiny box very often. What you can do is the math that says 60 foot pounds is 25kg pounds at one foot. Spanner's about a foot long, so work out what it feels like to pick up 25kg and that's the haul on the spanner.
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