Mach 3- motor tuning-steps per

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Sawman101
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Mach 3- motor tuning-steps per

Post by Sawman101 »

howdy folks, i have a 2 part question that I believe should be an easy one for those pros out there.
my small cnc router uses mach 3 with ESS. i have 2 nema 23 stepper motors moving the x-axis..they are slaved x-axis,a-axis.
i recently noticed while going through my different settings and screens in Config/motor tuning that the 'steps per' were slightly different
on the x-axis the settings are as follows: steps per= 1018.487835 velocity= 300 acceleration= 15 G's= 0.0388528 step pulse= 2 Dir pulse= 2
on the a-xis(slaved) the settings for 'steps per' = 1089.487835 all other parameters are identical.

first question is obvious, should the 'steps per' values be identical?
second question, if so-how do i know which one is correct?
thank you in advance, db

ger21
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Re: Mach 3- motor tuning-steps per

Post by ger21 »

1) Yes, they should be identical.
I suspect that Mach3 may ignore the slave setting, but I'm not sure. If it doesn't the two sides will move different distances.

2) Set them both the same, and measure to see if the machine travels the correct distance. Adjust as needed.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

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TReischl
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Re: Mach 3- motor tuning-steps per

Post by TReischl »

There is a section in the Mach manual that discusses how to calculate the correct number of steps. It depends on how you have the microsteps and any gear/belt ratios. It is a good place to start, in my case it was dead on accurate. Funny how that works.

The reason I suggest starting there is that if your system has any backlash measuring can lead you astray unless you make sure you always approach from the same direction when measuring.
"If you see a good fight, get in it." Dr. Vernon Johns

garylmast
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Re: Mach 3- motor tuning-steps per

Post by garylmast »

In Mach3, under Settings, at the left bottom you can see the Axis Calibration. Very simple and actuate way to set the correct number of steps per Axis.

Gary
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Sawman101
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Re: Mach 3- motor tuning-steps per

Post by Sawman101 »

thank you fellas, i will take the advice and info wisely. thanks again,db

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