new Taig 4-axis mill and EMC2

[nickydubs]

hello fellow EMC and/or taig users,

i've recently aquired a new taig 4-axis mill, with shaft encoder feedback. i'm trying to get it set up to run with EMC2, but i'm having difficulties. here's what i've done so far:

when i run it in EMC, a BDI that i can only assume is distributed by Sherline since images of their equipment are all over it, i can get all four axes moving and Z and A trigger an E-stop when they move too fast/are stalled. when X or Y are stalled the numbers in EMC just keep moving. i am also unable to turn the spindle on or off.

then i downloaded a live CD of EMC2 running in ubuntu. using the standard configuration for a 4-axis stepper i get nothing, it won't move a single axis or trigger the spindle on or off. the only configuration i can get to do anything is the one for the NIST lathe, which does some odd things. when run in the Axis GUI i can control the X axis and the Z axis, but not the A or Y which are not displayed anyway, even though Y is in the config file. however, when i use the Mini GUI the Y axis pops up, it works, and the Z will not allow any movement larger than a click or two in either direction. i cannot control the spindle in either GUI.

so, my questions are these:

does anyone have a config and HAL file they're using for their Taig that i could start with, since adapting the config for the NIST lathe doesn't seem right?

is the feedback from the shaft encoders entirely within taig's control box, and if so why won't it register a stall with the X or Y axes?

is there anything about EMC that makes it worth my trouble, other than the supposed ease of setup?

thanks,

nick

[acondit]

Nick,

I don't know very much about your Taig, but the question that comes to mind is: Are you sure that your Taig is using steppers and not servos?

Most stepper setups don't yet use encoders for positioning but rather rely on the count of number of steps per rotation. Servos require encoders for positioning.

Alan

[nickydubs]

it's definitely steppers. the encoders are for missed steps.

[unterhaus]

you can't just use a setup that comes with the distribution, you have to change the settings that adapt it to your hardware. You might want to check on the EMC IRC channel, I hear there is usually someone on there. There is also the EMC users email group and the integrator's manual. Linuxcnc.org is the place to start.