Mach3 Plugin for the UC400ETH

[Tweakie.CNC]

Does the plugin support the motion coordinated commands M11Px / M10Px and are they M11Px for ON and M10Px for OFF please ?

[cncdrive]

Hi, Yes, our Mach3 plugins supports these codes and yes, M10 is off and M11 is on in Mach3, inverse to how it works in the UCCNC.
And it is not supported in our Mach4 plugin at the moment.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Excellent. Thank you for your quick reply.

Tweakie.

[Tweakie.CNC]

I have another question regarding the Mach3 plugin please...

Can the UC400ETH output the Mach3 generated digital PWM signal ?

If not can you recommend a suitable BoB that can be used with the UC400ETH to generate a digital PWM signal.

Many thanks,

Tweakie.

[cncdrive]

You mean the Spindle speed PWM? Yes, our plugin supports that, but you know that the spindle commands are not motion syncronous, so it can have small delays and so they are not really good for laser control.
This is why usually the Z axis direction signal is used in Mach3 to control the laser or the M10/M11, but in Mach3 the M10/11 does not have a PWM duty cycle parameter, so that does not work in MAch3, it is only implemented in the UCCNC. In Mach3 the M10/11 is only a "digital" on/off switch, no PWM is possible, because the command has no parameter.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Many thanks for the information, you have been most helpful.

Tweakie.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Hi,

I am having a problem with the M11Px / M10Px commands not acting at the instant of axis movement but exhibiting a delay.

The pic illustrates the issue where there is a gap at the beginning of each character outline and a trail at the end (the end trail is longer because the axis is then at G00 speed).

I am not using the Sxxxx command or adjusting laser power, just turning the laser ON with M11P1 and OFF with M10P1.
I attach a copy of the Gcode I have used.

Tweakie.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Further to my previous post…

I fully appreciate that Mach3 is now obsolescent and I do not expect CNC Drive to do any additional work on their plugin. I am just wondering if a solution to the problem I am seeing already exists.

Tweakie.

[cncdrive]

I'm not sure how much delay is that, but it is sure that the M10/11 signals are not as instant/delayless with Mach3 as it is with the UCCNC.
If I recall there could be 1msec delay.
I don't know how much delay is seen on your image?! I mean if it is much more than 1msec or not?

[Tweakie.CNC]

Over a number of test runs switching the laser ON and OFF at a federate of 600mm/min (1mm/100mS) I am getting reasonably consistent switching times delay of 150mS.

Tweakie.