I'm in need of some CNC advice

[Tom Baugues]

I have a small CNC that was built for me by a friend to learn with. I used it a few times and created a few small projects. It sat unused for about 6-8 months until I recently tried to use it but I cannot get it to move. Windows 7, 32bit, Parallel port cable, and usb cord. When I turn on the CNC I can see a light coming on and fan running on the power supply as well as a light on my break out board. When Mach3 is running and the CNC is turned on all the stepper motors appear to have power to them as they freeze in their current position. When I use the keyboard to try to jog the motors I cannot get any of the stepper motors to move. Hitting the "page up" or "page down" keys do not cause the stepper motors to move. I checked all the wiring and they are all tight. I thought perhaps something might have happened to the break out board so I replaced it with an identical board but that didn't help.
I then replaced the parallel port cable but that didn't help. I've checked the parallel port address and although it was set at 0x378 I'm questioning if this is correct. I've never changed anything however when looking at my device manager on my PC it shows my parallel port address as either CC00 or C880 as seen in the screen shots here. I tried changing the address within Mach3 to match my PC but that still didn't get my stepper motors to jog. So...I'm kind of lost as to where to go from here. Any advise would be much appreciated. I'm very new to all of this but willing to learn.

 

[Leo Voisine]

I don't know all that much about the electrical or computer stuff when it comes to the CNC machine.

Back in 2014 when I was planning on my second machine I decided not to build a machine unless it was a complete kit because of this sort of issue.

Wish I could help.

 

[Jonathan Shively]

Tom, I cannot help with this problem at all, but wanted to say, "it is nice to see/hear from you!!!"

 

[Tom Baugues]

Thanks anyway guys. I'm not sure if my issue is on the computer side or the CNC side. It's frustrating when this kind of stuff happens. It was all working great. The PC just doesn't seem to be communicating with the CNC. I'll keep digging until I find the answer.

 

[Don Baer]

Is the keyboard communicating to the computer, try sending a x or y command to the mach 3

 

[Darren Wright]

Any limit switches on the cnc? There is a page in Mach3 for debugging and seeing if they are responding in mach3 when you manually trigger them. It’s been a while since I ran mine, but will look when I get out there tomorrow. I’m also assuming you toggled the estop/reset to enable control?

 

[Tom Baugues]

Any limit switches on the cnc? There is a page in Mach3 for debugging and seeing if they are responding in mach3 when you manually trigger them. It’s been a while since I ran mine, but will look when I get out there tomorrow. I’m also assuming you toggled the estop/reset to enable control?

This is where I'm having my issue. Triggering a limit switch and/or the E-stop does not cause a reaction in the software. PLUS Pushing keys on the key board do not cause a reaction to the CNC. It has to be a communication issue somewhere. Tonight I pulled my parallel port out of my computer. I need to find another one to replace it to see if it might be faulty. I'll have to look around on e-bay or find a shop that might have some parts to sell.

 

[David Johnson]

And here it was thinking about trying my own cnc
David

 

[Darren Wright]

This is where I'm having my issue. Triggering a limit switch and/or the E-stop does not cause a reaction in the software. PLUS Pushing keys on the key board do not cause a reaction to the CNC. It has to be a communication issue somewhere. Tonight I pulled my parallel port out of my computer. I need to find another one to replace it to see if it might be faulty. I'll have to look around on e-bay or find a shop that might have some parts to sell.

I used this one with my parallel port driven cnc… Syba 1 Port DB25 Parallel PCIe x1 Expansion Card WCH382l chipset IEEE1284 SI-PEX10010, Green https://a.co/d/6AtzD1W

 

[Darren Wright]

Sounds like the board was showing up ok in the device manager. What was some of the other tab information in that properties window for it?.

Can you do a pic of the full mach3 screen when you’re trying to jog?

 

[Darren Wright]

I’ve been looking up info on your breakout board. Have you used a multi meter to check for 5v power? It should be supplied by the usb cable and shoiuld show 5v on the two terminals on the back connections at the end the usb plugs into.

 

[Tom Baugues]

I’ve been looking up info on your breakout board. Have you used a multi meter to check for 5v power? It should be supplied by the usb cable and shoiuld show 5v on the two terminals on the back connections at the end the usb plugs into.

Thanks Darren, yes I have the 5 volts. I checked for that. The CNC seems to have all it needs. and the PC seems to be running Mach3 properly but the two don't talk to one another. It's really weird. I've got another parallel port board ordered. I'll throw that into my machine and see if that helps. The USB provides the power but the Parallel port cord provides the signals. I have continuity within my cord but not sure if the port itself is working properly.

 

[Tom Baugues]

Thought I would follow up on my cnc issues. After failing to get anything to move I decided to try a completely different computer. I had an old desktop unit that had windows 8, 64 bit system in it. I took it to a local repair shop and had them replace the 64 bit operating system with a fresh copy of a Windows 7, 32 bit system. Mach 3 requires the use of a 32 bit system when using a parallel port connection. Anyway, I picked up the renewed computer and after a bit of loading software and reloading and restarting I finally got things to move on my cnc. Still not exactly sure if my problem was computer hardware or software related. However, I'm able to get things to run and that is a step forward. I clamped down a piece of scrap wood and loaded a small test file and it ran the process ok. So now at least I'm back to where I left off a year or so ago and can go about the process of learning how to design projects and use the different programs required to make a cnc project complete.

 

[Darren Wright]

That's great news Tom! So are you still considering a new cnc?

 

[Leo Voisine]

Tom that is fantastic.

I would you to use that machine and get familiar with CNC routing, before shopping for a new machine.

Nothing like a little experience before shopping

 

[Brent Dowell]

So now at least I'm back to where I left off a year or so ago and can go about the process of learning how to design projects and use the different programs required to make a cnc project complete.

I've got a few machines in my shop that have been neglected for far too long. I'm suspecting I'm going to have rolled all the way down to the bottom of the learning curve for a few of them, but hoping to get them back up and running in the new year!

 

[Tom Baugues]

That's great news Tom! So are you still considering a new cnc?

Tom that is fantastic.

I would you to use that machine and get familiar with CNC routing, before shopping for a new machine.

Nothing like a little experience before shopping

The current plan it to continue to learn how to use the software programs I have and make small items with my current CNC machine size limit. If the bug bites real hard then I may consider something in the future but I think I need to outgrow my current setup first. I played with my design software today and learned alot. Remembering is going to be the key however I honestly can say that what I'm learning make sense to me and I'm understanding why to do.......as well as what to do. Maybe this old dog can learn a new trick or two.