now I get the com port not found message
never mind,out of frustration, I hit the red button.
Sorry.
nope nothing works.
I’m done
Read through this thread as you went through all of this before.
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So I just went through the motions with the Xloader and everything runs backwards.
Sorry guys.
I just don’t get a good grasp of this stuff.
So I just saw that $3=3
I had this problem before.
I need to have $3=4
But I cant make it change.
its weird.
when something like this happens I cannot exit out of picsender.
I literally have to unplug things before I can start over.
Robert,
I don’t have the luxury of going to a new computer.
This one is only a few years old with windows 10
Jeff?
I have picsender 2.7
I will down load the latest version and try it.
If you are going to use PicSender, you have to make sure that the Spindle.txt and Laser.txt files have the correct grbl settings in them. Any time that you start PicSender it will load in either the Spindle.txt parameters if you have the spindle selected, or the Laser.txt parameters if you have the laser selected.
This means that if you change any grbl parameter outside of PicSender the next time that you start PicSender it will overwrite the grbl parameters with the ones stored in the spindle.txt or laser.txt files.
The spindle.txt and laser.text files are (to the best of my knowledge) only used by PicSender.
If you want to use PicSender, then you have to learn how to use it properly or you will continue to be frustrated.
If you don’t want to use PicSender, then you can manage the grbl parameters with your program of choice and the spindle.txt and laser.txt files will be ignored.
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I did set up some special files for his machine, but we found out later on that he needed to make some changes so the files are out of date. However, the entire sequence is in the other thread, and it has the changes documented.
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Good morning Gents,
Yes, you guy did in fact help me through this process before.
But if I don’t do something on a regular basis, I simply don’t remember it.
Larry,
I did find the file that you sent me and have it loaded.
I also want to continue using picsender.
However now X and Y are traveling in the correct direction but Z runs backwards.
Also if I make only one move in the Z, the program shuts down and I get a message of a tripped limit switch.
I think you guys sent me to get hub for some grbl information and that is where I found that I had to change $3
I’m going to go there again to see if I can learn something.
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I’ll try to get you some more information later today.
This is the info you’ll find. I’m sure it may be confusing, so please post what is presently in your $3 setting, and we can then tell you what to change it to, if you need the help.
$3 – Direction port invert, mask
This setting inverts the direction signal for each axis. By default, Grbl assumes that the axes move in a positive direction when the direction pin signal is low, and a negative direction when the pin is high. Often, axes don’t move this way with some machines. This setting will invert the direction pin signal for those axes that move the opposite way.
This invert mask setting works exactly like the step port invert mask and stores which axes to invert as bit flags. To configure this setting, you simply need to send the value for the axes you want to invert. Use the table above. For example, if want to invert the Y axis direction only, you’d send $3=2 to Grbl and the setting should now read $3=2 (dir port invert mask:00000010)
Setting Value----Mask--------Invert X-----Invert Y------Invert Z
0----------------00000000-------N--------------N--------------N
1----------------00000001-------Y--------------N--------------N
2----------------00000010-------N--------------Y--------------N
3----------------00000011-------Y--------------Y--------------N
4----------------00000100-------N--------------N--------------Y
5----------------00000101-------Y--------------N--------------Y
6----------------00000110-------N--------------Y--------------Y
7----------------00000111-------Y--------------Y--------------Y
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Once again, thank you for all of your help.
It will be this afternoon before I am able to get out to the shop again.
Yes, I did go to the github web site and looked at the invert mask settings.
I think that $3 should be “4” for me.
I wont be able to check it until I get home.
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Wow,
It sounds like I’m being scolded here.
I do not use Easel because of a lack of internet in my shop.
The only internet I have where I live is through my phones hot spot. (and that’s not the best connection)
Yes, I once again (just this past weekend in fact) gone through all of the wiring and everything is solid.
I think (with the help of Larry, Phil, John, Jeff, and Inventables) the problem has been narrowed down to the controller.
I now have the new controller installed, but because of my lack of understanding as to how computers and CNC works,
I am struggling once again to get it going.
With their help I already resolved one connection issue that I would never have resolved by myself. (I never knew that different control boards would connect to a different com ports)
So now its down to getting the X,Y,Z going in the correct direction.
Once I get this resolved, I can then run some program’s and see if it freezes up.
This all along (for months) has been the problem that I have had.
If this new controller works, and does not freeze during a program, or in-between programs, Inventables will be making a permanent engineering change based on these results.
They just happened to pick a newbie to the CNC world.
Robert,
yes I understand that but without a reliable internet connection this is my only option.
Besides that, I really need to learn this stuff.
I find it fascinating yet frustrating (sometimes) at the same time.
Jan, I put a post here that describes PicSender grbl parameter maintenance. I thought it might be of general interest so I put it in that thread.
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Larry,
I did go to that thread and it is indeed very informative.
I now have the machine moving in the correct direction.
I finally ran a successful homing cycle.
However, when I try to run a program I now get these messages.
Many of the X-controllers were sent out with faulty USB bulkhead cables. See if you have a USB cable that will connect directly to the X-controller PCB.
Connect the computer directly to the board inside the X-controller and see if that works.
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