You could hook all of your limit switches to 1 pin. Mach knows which axis is moving. This would save you pins and the purchase of any new equipment. 5th axis? What software?
right now i have a c35s bob
uunless im doing it wrong ..im out of inputs
estop 10
probe 11
x y and z limits 12..13..15
i want to hook up an index signal for tapping... and also want to add a 5th axis down the road...
can you guys recommend a BOB that will allow me to do this ..
or can i add an expansion board ....
your input is appreciated as always
rick
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You could hook all of your limit switches to 1 pin. Mach knows which axis is moving. This would save you pins and the purchase of any new equipment. 5th axis? What software?
A lazy man does it twice.
hey boss
i tried using pin 11 for all limits... it wont work... im using c35s with the rj45 connectors... im thinking it automatically grabs a pin because of the way the rj45s are setup......the limit switch loom i bought is rj45... im not sure i can assign one pin... unless im doing it wrong..i tried assigning all linits to one pin ..11 then 12 then 13 ... but only one axis at a time would home ... its like the rj45 setup has already decided what pin its going to use..
unless theres a way to make mach forget what pin it used to have assigned to a particular limit i think im stuck
im working on a harmonic drive based trunnion table... planning in using powermill
Yes if all of the limit switches are connected to a single pin, only one axis will be in motion at a time during the homing sequence. Since I only home during the set up, there is no time advantage.
A lazy man does it twice.
You could add a second parallel port card to the PC for additional inputs. Not sure how that works in Mach 3 but easy to do in LInuxCNC. The cards are super cheap (~$10) from various china sources.
Mike
you might find its easier to wire the switches to the terminal block
how are the limit switches wired now ?
if its like this
with 3 pairs of series connected normally closed switches
you can not simply wire the 3 wires to the RJ45 pins 2,3 & 4 in parallel
the simple solution is to cut off the RJ45 connector and wire all switches in series and connect them to 1 input
alternatively find or build an AND gate interface to use the limit switches and C35 as supplied
original input wiring
using AND gate to connect 3 axis limit switches to 1 C35 input
john
Last edited by john-100; 10-09-2016 at 05:34 PM. Reason: add revised diagram with AND gate plus pull down resistors
rewiring is what i didnt want to do... since i am a beginner the rj45 stuff mades it clean tidy and easy ... for dummy like me LOL...
i can add another parallel port card but i dont think its as easy on mach as it is on linux for extra inputs..
and since i want a 5th axis capability.... i think im going to have to get a c32s or c62 and a c24 parallel port card
i see output expansion cards but i dont see any input expansion types...
if you had been happy building an adaptor this could of freed up some input pins _
alternatively by adding a second printerport and C10 bidirectional board
mach3 can either give you an additional 4 outputs and 13 inputs or 12 outputs and 5 inputs
since you only want to use ready made boards with the RJ45 connectors
it looks like the CNC4PC C32 dual port multifunction board and second printer port is the only option
as they don't seem to make a version of the C10 bi direction board with RJ45 connectors
John
Last edited by john-100; 10-09-2016 at 05:07 PM. Reason: add missing text from diagram
It's probably even easier in Mach3.but i dont think its as easy on mach as it is on linux for extra inputs..
Gerry
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Plug in the 2nd card and assign the address in Mach. Assign the pins. That is it. Though I didnt say it before, those RJ45's suck. I went that route at one point.
A lazy man does it twice.
expanding on post 12
for any one taking a DIY approach to connecting the a ready made switch assembly like the A32R2 to the single RJ45-8 input
one possible solution avoiding cutting off the RJ45 connector from the switches
version 2
I must admit I would connect the limit switches directly to the C32 breakout boards terminal block
John
Last edited by john-100; 10-10-2016 at 01:11 PM.
i agree the rj45s make it hella confusing for me because theres no way to see which pin the contacts are assigned to..i know that now LOL