No XYZ cursor key control on Mach2

[alnicov]

As of yesterday the cursor keys and Pagegup and Pagedown have no manual control over any axis movement. All the settings seem to be the same and the latest version of Mach2 has just been installed without any improved effect. I've been using the same version, 6.11N since May '05. Do I need Keygrabber to fix the problem?

[ger21]

Just reassign the Hot Keys, Under Config>HotKeys.

[alnicov]

The assignments are correct and reassigning them didn't work. Is there a troubleshooting wizard that will diagnose the problem?

[ger21]

Do the DRO's change, or does nothing happen at all?

[alnicov]

All the DRO displays work. Also, the mouse and joystick screen, and MDI will move the axes. Everything else works fine, it's only the manual hot keys that do nothing.

[ger21]

You're saying the DRO's are changing, but the motors aren't spinning?

[alnicov]

Ger21,
Yes, the motors are operating great. In fact, everything works fine except for cursor control of the motors. I can run the machine in program mode, with the screen joystick, or MDI. Only the cursor keys are disabled for some reason. As far as I know, there has not been any changes made on my part.

[ger21]

Try backing up your .xml file, doing a complete uninstall, reboot, and then reinstall. That's all I can think of.

[alnicov]

Ger21,
I tried your suggestion and it's still the same. I also tried a new computer with an XP OS and got the same results. Mach3 however, will show a numeric change in the DRO but the motors do not respond. I'm beginning to think it has something to do with a hardware issue. Any ideas? Thanks BTW for all the help you've given.

[ger21]

If the DRO's are changing, then the motors should be moving, so yes, it does sound like a hardware issue. Check the parallel port pins first and see if you're getting signals there. Just a guess, but maybe try increasing the pulse width.

[alnicov]

I'm not sure how to test the pins...as in a voltage reading? I've never tried that and wouldn't know what to do or look for. I did use the hardware wizard to reinstall the driver and that didn't help. It must be OK. OCX test is positive. Also, I changed the pulse width to 5 and that made no difference. One thing I did notice with the motor tuning window; if an axis is selected the up and down cursor keys would rapid move that particular axis, but only when the window is open. At this point I'd bet it's the breakout board.

[ger21]

Originally Posted by alnicov One thing I did notice with the motor tuning window; if an axis is selected the up and down cursor keys would rapid move that particular axis, but only when the window is open.

That's to help set up your tuning, it's supposed to do that.

If the arrows work there, then I would think your breakout board is fine. Unfortunately, I don't have any other ideas. Try asking on the Yahoo group or the support forum at www.machsupport.com