I confess I use usb control on my zx45 mill. it is a uc100 running under windows xp, it runs at 100khz allowing me to use a higher microstep of 1000 pulses per revolution and really making the motors smooth. but if I forget to shut down any programs I had running like my cad or cam software the uc100 will loose communication and stop working. that's probably a lack of available memory.
A good test g-code file is the roadrunner that comes with mach3, with lots of constant velocity moves, any loss of steps will show up If the machine does not return to exact zero when the code has completed. I use a marker to mark the ways with a fine line, run the program at 60ipm and then see if the lines come back to complete alignment. if they are off at all the machine is loosing steps.
not every version of mach3 works for every application. If you find a version of mach3 that works do not update, they tell you that on their site. machines shipped from cnc venders with mach3 are shipped with older versions and ask you not to update stating the version the machine was shipped with is the only stable version they suggest. hence the mach4 version they are trying to get running now.
mach3 has never worked correctly for threading on a cnc lathe, some get it to work some don't and that is a major reason for the different platform mach4 is being written in. mach3 cannot maintain sync with the spindle pulse for long thread lengths, it looses track an the next pass will destroy your thread. if you stay under about an inch and a half it works most of the time.
uc100 usb does not work for lathe either, it cant send real time spindle sync through usb without lag. I worked with the company for months beta testing and no answer was found as of 8 months ago. I haven't tried the last update I just went back to parallel port control on my lathe.
my point in all of this is mach3 is not stable for every computer and any version, add to that different versions of windows different bios, processors, motherboards ect and the problem becomes clear. " which one of all of these is causing the problem??? "
my lathe is running the version ending in 22 my mill is running 66 but there was a version I was using that was better. I lost track of what one it was when beta testing uc100 and swapping my controller from the lathe to mill. I think it was 44.
the problems in mach3 are not instantly apparent, sometimes it takes months before a certain order of code causes a problem. there are tons of vaguely covered settings people will tell you to set to this or that, but what works on your pc may not work on theirs.
once you have your machine is stable I'd suggest to leave it alone and not try tweaking.
I'm not knocking mach3 it is just great. I can't afford a Haas and without mach3 I would have never gotten into cnc.
Ray if you do get your pc to work with win7 64 bit a lot of people will want to know how, but your solution may very well not work for them.
Haas and other manufactures have an advantage over what we are doing, they use a computer to do only one thing. run their software on their machine and that is all it was ever intended to do.
my 3 cents
)
steve
