Mach3 PlugIn Clarification with UC300ETH

[rey8801]

Hello!
I have recently got a UC300ETH to replace the current USB Smooth Stepper (USS) on my 4 axis CNC. Unfortunately there is no information online (at least I can not find it) regarding the Mach3 plugin setting and functions. Installation is pretty straightforward, but I am now left with few questions regarding how the UC300ETH/Mach3 plugin handle Mach3 settings. I see that there is a plugin diagnostic and setting pages (pictures attached) where you can define "Input functions", "Setup" (for encoder and system frequency), "Analog IO" (with some setting for SRO and FRO?).

My main questions for now would be:

1_What is the difference between setting the Input functions in the plugin or in the classical "port and pins" page of Mach3? Do we first need to define the inputs pins and ports in the Mach3 "port and pins" page and then only assign a function in the plugin page?
3_In the Setup page. Does Max step rate have to reflect the higher Step signal in the system? Does it override the computer system frequency setting that you assign in the first tab of "port and pins" (25KHz, 45KHz ecc...)
4_Analog IO page. What do FRO, SRO, SR PWM and the adjacent numbers mean?

I think the best would be to make a short Mach3 plugin manual where you cover how the plugin and UC300ETH is handling all the tasks...such as backlash, inputs, probing ecc.. and what has to be done to set it up correctly. I am sure other will be interested in knowing more about it.

Thank you!
Best,
Alessio

[rey8801]

Ah forgot to mention that I am using plugin version UC300ETH V1_013. That's what I got from the website. I think there are newer ones but I guess they have bugs and that's why we are back to the older one.

[rey8801]

I have just found this manual for the UC300 USB http://cncdrive.com/MC/UC300%20datashee ... 0guide.pdf
I it the same for the UC300ETH? That gives more information for sure, although some questions remain open. Specifically questions number 1 and 3 (Apparently I skipped the number 2, sorry )

[cncdrive]

Yes, the UC300ETH is basically the same as the UC300USB was, they are pin to pin compatible, but the UC300ETH works with ethernet and the UC300USB works with USB.

You can set only a few things on the UC300ETH plugin page in Mach3.
Most of the things you set in the MAch3 setup just like with a printer port.

The things which you have to set in the plugin are the things which do not exist in the normal Mach3 setup,
these are the Analog I/Os, because there are no analog I/O settings in Mach3.
The FRO (Feedrate override), SRO (spindle rate override)
kernel frequency, because the UC300ETH support much higher frequency settings than what is available in MAch3, it can do 400kHz max while in the mach3 settings there is only 100kHz max. so we put these settings in the plugin window and the setting overrides the setting of the mach3 normal settings.

[rey8801]

Alright, thank you for the reply.
Then what about the input function. Should I set the inputs in mach3 port and pin and only define function in the Uc300 plugin? Does that make any difference? I am asking because I see you can assign also action and not just label the input.

The other doubt is in the kernel frequency, I guess you want to stay as close as possible to the actual real one for the stepper, to have the best cominication between the motion controller and the motor. Set it higher than needed will give a loss in resolution. Is it right?
What is it the buffer time below? As default is 300ms, should we change it? The only think I can think it's the windows time where Uc300 will wait to exchange cominication with the pc.

Thanks a lot!

[ger21]

As CNC Drive said, you set up the ports and pins in Mach3 for most things.

Kernel frequency has no effect on resolution. You r drives likely have a maximum input frequency. Make sure the kernel speed is lower than this.

[rey8801]

ok but than what does the input function tab in the plugin? After I set port and pin in the standard Mach3 input page, what can I get more from the plugin Input functions tab? I don't think that it's just for labeling them. I guess it can do something on top of Mach3 does.

OK for the kernel frequency. I have mentioned it because that is the case with the Smooth Stepper where you have to set the kernel speed as close as possible to the actually step frequency in used.
The question still stay about the buffer time. Default is 300ms. What it is exactly? I know what it does in case of Smooth stepper, but can be different with another motion controller.

Thanks

[cncdrive]

The input function page of the plugin allows you to connect input pin triggers to Mach3 function (button) calls.
So, you could make an input pin state change to call a Mach3 function.
E.g. you could connect a button to an input and make it execute a Cycle start or Cycle stop, Feedhold etc.

The motion buffer is the time length the motion data is buffered.
The lower the value the higher the chance that the motion buffer will run empty and then the motion will stop while the motion data buffer fills up again.
The motion data has to be buffered because Windows is not realtime and so if Windows gets overloaded starts would hickup the motion, but with the buffer only the buffer starts to go low and if the Windows overload ends before the buffer gets empty then there will be no problem, no hickup in the motion.
Usually 300msec fits all Windows and all computers.

If the motion buffer is set higher also causes things like the Feedhold to act slower, because in Mach3 the only way to start a Feedhold is to empty (Execute) the buffered motion data, so if the buffer is 300msec long then it will take 300msec to Feedhold from the Feedhold button press.

[rey8801]

Got it!
The input function does what I was hoping for. The fact that you can connect an input to a function is brilliant. Well done!

The buffer time is the same principle used with smooth stepper but there the default is 1sec. So 300ms will be already a big improvement for me. Feed hold will intervene much faster.

Thanks a lot for the explanation!