Strange problem Connecting up C6 Lathe to Mach 3

[bagusy]

Hope someone can help as Syil customer support does not exist (I think they need to be told what the word means !)

Have a nice shiny C6 CNC lathe all ready to go. Problem is it came with a very simple pamphlet for the manual version and no other documentation, and there is nothing useful on the Syil website.

Ok, it is not exactly rocket science connecting the C6 to the control box and plugging a parallel cable between the box and computer. (BTW I have the speed sensor plugged into the Y ref socket - but have tried it in the A ref socket as well)

The problem is I have loaded the C6 profile from the Syil website into Mach 3 on the PC, but nothing I do on the Mach 3 makes the C6 do anything.

I turn on the mill, then the control box, then the PC. Once the PC has booted up, I get the following lights on the control box:

A Z Y X
Running (green) ON off off off
Direction (red) ON ON ON ON
Limit switch (green) off ON ON ON

I load up Mach3Turn - no change in the lights.

I try to jog the x & z axis etc and although things happen in the software, I get nothing from the mill. No satisfying clicks, movement, or anything. And no change in the control lights.

When I press the limit switches, the corresponding light on the control box goes out - but that's it.

I have the power switch set to the right (2) as that makes the control box come on. If I turn it to the left (1), the green lights next to it comes on and I can manually start the spindle - but the control box does not light up. (This is where an instruction manual would come in very handy - SYIL !)

I hope someone can help me - am I doing something stupid or is something faulty? I have tried to get help from Syil - but have heard nothing from them.

Thanks

[syil canada]

I would check to see first that the driver for mach3 is working, in the mach3 directory file there is a file / icon named "DriverTest" click this icon and it will run a program to test the driver for mach3.

if your computer passes i would then start looking @ the kernel speed, i personally know that the 25 000 to 35 000 will not work no my machine, i then set it to 45 000 and presto i had movement. once the kernel speed has been changed mach3 needs to be closed and re opened.

try this and post the results.

[bagusy]

Thanks for that.

1st time I ran the "DriverTest" it said driver installed. I ran it again and it did a test and completed.

Started the program and it works! I guess the driver was not installed - strange since that should happen when you install the software.

The kernal speed was fine left at 35000.

Now the problem is starting the spindle. After loading the profile, in the Ports & Pins --> Motor Outputs - only the X & Z are set with pin numbers in them - everything else has a red cross and 0 in all pin numbers. Is this as it is supposed to be? I would have thought that Spindle (or A or Y) would have been set to control the spindle.

I have also made sure I unticked 'disable spindle relays' in the Spindle Setup section.

Any advice on this part please?

Thanks

[MadMax]

It drove me crazy, but I finally realized that the C6 has no spindle motor control. All it's got is a fixed speed induction motor and pulleys for you to manually move around.

Trace the wire to the controller box. All it connects to is the spindle encoder.

Out of curiosity, did your C6 seek home in the right direction? The first thing I had to do was reverse some of the homing directions to get X and Z to home in the right direction. Off the bat, my config file had the travels going the wrong way to find the limit switches.

[gglynn81]

The problem is I have loaded the C6 profile from the Syil website into Mach 3 on the PC, but nothing I do on the Mach 3 makes the C6 do anything.

How do you load the profile in?? Not sure how to do it...is it through mach 3 loader? if so how does it work!!?? many thanks

[metalworkz]

Put the profile in the Mach3 folder, and when you start Mach3 there should be a profile selection window that allows you to choose the profile you want to use. Select the correct profile and hit OK(enter) There is a 'Mach3 Loader' icon on the desktop normally which pops up the loader list and then Mach3 opens up. What does the Diagnostics page look like? Are there any Yellow home switch LEDs lighted up?
Regards,

[gglynn81]

Hi Wes,
Yes the yellow homing switches are lit up, after I loaded the profile. Now however the home x and home z switches dont do anything. I can jog and the axis' move smoothly. but I cant get it to find home!
Thanks again

[metalworkz]

Hi gglynn81,
I don't think the yellow homing switches should be lit when you first start up. I would normally jog the axis to move away from the switch but if they stay lit even when the axis are moved they may be set up wrong in the Config tab,Ports and Pins tab, Input Signals tab, find the Active Low setting area for the Home switch that stays lit and click the red X to make it a check mark(green). This should turn the Yellow LED off and now maybe it will find Home also. Do this for both affected switches. Now when you first load the Mach3 controller check the diagnostics page to be sure the LED lights are not on. I do not have the C6 yet but this what I have had to do with my SX3 mill. I have wanted to get the C6 for some time now, I will look forward to see some things you have done with yours and read about it here. I hope I have been able to help in some way.
Regards,