Setting up EMC

[rmacster]

Hi all,

1st post. I have setup a Sieg x2 mill with Xylotec's 3 axis kit (425oz motors) and a CNCFusion ballscrew conversion kit.

I got EMC up and running, and most everything seems to work great.

My only KNOWN problem is that the + and - buttons don't move any axis. The motors move slightly but revert to their original position instantly. I'm thinking that I may have a problem with my microstepping setup. But I am completely guessing.

Also, does anyone have an example of a nice limit switch setup for my type of setup?

Thanks much guys.

Rick McNeely

[cyclestart]

Originally Posted by rmacster Hi all, 1st post. I have setup a Sieg x2 mill with Xylotec's 3 axis kit (425oz motors) and a CNCFusion ballscrew conversion kit.

Welcome to the zone Rick. I have the same hardware. Did you purchase the "ready to run" Xylotex kit? If so it should be good to go in 1/8 microstepping.

My only KNOWN problem is that the + and - buttons don't move any axis.

Hmmm, that's not good. So no movement by any method ?

But I am completely guessing.

That's how I do most of my tuning. The emc documentation can be difficult to follow. Would you post the contents of the file "stepper_inch.ini" ?
(Assuming you work in inches). I'm far from an emc expert, but maybe the answer can be found there.

Also, does anyone have an example of a nice limit switch setup for my type of setup?

Do you mean the physical mounting of the switches? I have posted the same question in the benchtop mills forum. No replies so far. The way my home switches are currently mounted is very crude. Think 'mechanics wire'.

[rmacster]

The system runs the example file and all axis move like I think they should. I did reverse the x-axis and change the port address. It's only the "Jog" (Correct name?) buttons that don't work. Otherwise the program works well. The setup is difficult. I love linux, but these setup files are typical of old-school Linux setups.

The Xylotex was a "ready to run" system.

Anyway. Thanks for the help. I'm completely new to cnc, and machining for that matter. Lots of fun so far.

Rick

[samco]

I use axis - and the jog keys are the arrow keys for x and y. Page up/down is z.

sam

[cyclestart]

Sorry, I misinterpreted the original post. It's my special gift.

Our machines are virtual twins. Jogging works fine here, both on-screen button and keyboard using the axis interface. There was some jogging bug in a past release of emc2. Can't remember the exact details, but if you have the latest stable version (1:2.1.7 ?) this shouldn't be the issue.

I'm sure by now you have experimented with the jog speed slider and the incremental/continuous options. The only other thing that comes to mind is differences in our config files.

There's a good chance the developers can suggest a solution quickly. Unfortunately they prefer irc and don't post in these forums very often. Friendly and approachable guys.

[rmacster]

I did not know about the keyboard shortcuts for jog. Thanks for that. I will check my version when I get home. That could be an issue. I downloaded the live cd a while ago (Maybe three months?) so maybe I need to get a fresh copy.

If all else fails I'll give IRC a shot.

Thanks guys