Need Help!- Help with setup = my geckos keep faulting out

[Capteod]

I am working on a new machine, my first with larger servos and choose to use a Dell C640 laptop computer and seem to have totally eratic responses. I cannot tune the drives to get steady motion.

Here are the specifics of my installation.

Computer Dell c640 2.0GHz 512MByte memory
System: XP Pro

Control box by campbell design
Interface card MACH3 Combo by Sound Logic
Power supply for servos: 65Vdc 10 Amp
Gecko Drivers : 320

Machine: Industrial Hobbies IH-10
Servos:
x & Y: 675 InOz
z : 1125 InOz

My first thought is that the system is noisey and I am getting it from the 12 ft of cable, even though I run the Power and Encoder in separate shielded cables. I have put 0.01 Ceramic Caps on the encoder lines to ground.

Is there any reports of problems with the combination of laptop computer, mach3, the Sound logic Combo Board and Gecko 320 drives?

[Mariss Freimanis]

How are the motors geared to the load?

Mariss

[Capteod]

Good to hear from you Mariss:

I decided to go with the big toys and this is my new system.
motors are geared 8 to 1 and the encoder is actually on the ball screw. encoder is 1000 count actual. Gearing is zero-backlash with double helix instrument grade gears.

The final system will be using the CNCBRAIN, but until I get it on the bench and test it out I need this machine running. Any thoughts are welcome.

Gene

[Mariss Freimanis]

Move the encoder to the back of the motor temporarily if you can and try it again. That will prove if your gearing is truly backlash-free. It takes less than 0.5 degrees of backlash to really mess things up.

Mariss