Mach 3 DRO question

Hi,

I have Mach 3 software on a disc and I have a mill that I would like to fit Glass scales onto it, can someone point me in the right direction.

I would like to just use the Mach 3 DRO using Glass scales but what would I need in order to do this, im really more thinking about the wiring up of it all.

Would I need a "breakout board" in order to connect the glass scales(which I have not purchased yet), as I cant find any info on how you connect the glass scales to the computer.

Any advice to start off would be great, im not wanting the cnc motor option but would like to use the Mach 3 dro instead of buying a dedicated DRO.

I think I read somewhere that you should buy Quadrature type glass encoders as thats what Mach 3 needs? maybe someone who has done this could let me know I would be grateful

Thanks in advance

Regards

Richard..

Hi Richard

Found this link on the Mach 3 website **LINK**

Someone wanting to do the same. Not much to go on though.

Les Jones may have a better idea he has done a lot of work on DRO's. He's on holiday till the 10/6.

You may have to build and interface to match the output voltages and the encoding if any.

There is a YADRO which does want you want but doesn't use Mach 3.

HTH

Cheers Michael

You are trying to do the wrong thing. Mach 3 drives stepper motors or servo motors with the right number of steps to drive each axis to where it needs to go, counting the steps on its DROs as it goes, displaying the movement in mm or inches. It does not count steps from an external transducer like a scale.

Hi,

Thanks for the replies guys, I found that a pc based dro is available from machine dro so I may look into that, I just thought since I had mach 3 I could use it but I think on reflection it would be too messy to use as just a dro and like you say its really only there to show what the output is doing, I didnt think of that.

Many Thanks for all your help

Regards

Richard..

Hi I have a caliper2pc interface and software working with basic scales but it also supports glass scales. I have to say its a really good piece of kit with all the calculation options that you get on the top end DRO systems.

I bought it direct, support is great too - always had an answer within a few hours.

**LINK**

Regards

John

Hi Richard,
I do not know know anything about Mach 3 software or how it gets its position feedback information. Reading the link that Michael posted it appears that it has inputs to accept quadrature information. I would expect this to normally to be from rotary encoders on the servo motors. This is the same type of data you get from glass scales. The problem I see is that if there is any backlash in the system it would make it very difficult to make the feedback loop stable. I would think it would be essential to use ballscrews. I would not suggest trying to make it work with normal leadscrews unless you are very good at maths. (Differential equations an Laplace transforms etc.) and capable of modifying the feedback loop software to take into account the backlash.

Les.

It doesn't, Mach3 depends upon the stepper system being correctly set up and not losing steps, there is no feedback.

You can use inputs and scales to display positional data in Mach3 DROs (not the active ones under progrm control) but the software will not reference the data in real time or use it for positional correction