Welcome to the SeeMeCNC Community

Here is my Mach configuration file for the Chinese 4 Axis (TB6560) boards. These are low cost on eBay and after correcting the opto isolator issue by removing and jumping them, they work great on this machine with lots of torque on X, Y, X AND A.
Note that you will have to unzip the file after downloading - the forum does not allow XML nor would it accept this if I changed the file extension to TXT.
Make sure to setup Mach for Native Units of millimeters. Also, your motor tuning may vary. I am still tweaking my A (extruder) so this one may be off.

Cheers,
Michael

I was wondering about this opto isolator issue on the Chinese drivers. I have been using one of these 3 axis drives for a while now on my mill and have had no issues. Are these issues only experienced when 3D printing or should I consider making the mods on my mill as well?

Regards, Tony

Tony, there is a LOOOONG thread on these boards over on the CNCForum. Go there and search for the TB6560 (or google it). Even with a mill, you should probably make the changes. I got a 4 axis board and had to make the changes on it as well. It is a design flaw and the opto isolators do not actually isolate! So there is no harm in removing them. Some guys actually fix the problem with additional circuitry piggybacked on. But worse case, you blow your parallel port and have to get a $40 replacement. BUT, I have not heard of a single incident of someone blowing their port after making this mod.

I'm going to use my 3 axis board on a little Sherline lathe I converted many years ago with a now no longer made or supported driver. I want to run Mach on it.

cheers,
Michael

Tony,

I think it has something to do with the power of your parallel port as well. We had our prototype machines running just fine with the optos installed. However, some computers have weaker power (milliamp wise) ports, and those are the culprits I'd assume in not having the oomph to push through the opto. Also, a reason I think that the 3D printing side of these boards makes this flaw stand out is the speeds at which we are printing and moving our machines. I'd bet it's safe to say you don't rapid your mill at 1200 in./min rapid speeds do you? (that's about 16,000 pulses per second on the P-port) So, maybe with a slower pulse stream because of the slower movements, the missed steps etc... don't happen as often obviously? I agree 100% with mike, go ahead and do it to your mill. You will notice a difference I bet.

Thanks very much for your replies, sorry for the slow response but I have been away.
Everything you have said makes perfect sense. Do you think that the fact I have not made these mods would cause the machine to run slower than it could? I would love to get those steppers revving quicker

It most certainly does! with the weak optos on the board, your motors will "stall" and generally act up as you increase the speed. It's not really the motors or the driver chips, but rather the signal can't travel fast enough through the optos, and it will start missing steps, skewing etc...

BTW, mike, I have .xml posting enabled, but it's a known form of attack, so hmm

Wow, just got round to doing the mod on the week-end and what a difference. When you said I could get more motor speed I was expecting 10 or 20 % at best. I got 110% on X, 90% on Y and a whopping 280% on Z,
Thanks very much for this massive improvement.
One more thing I would like to know is do you have a picture of the mod for a 4 axis board? I would love to get that one sped up as well.
Thanks again,
Tony

are these the boards that come with the h=1 kit?

tom, John here. Yes sir, we are now shipping the H-1's with the 4 axis versions. It will make it easier not having to wire up the easydriver for sure.

Here's a photo of the 4 axis board with jumpers installed

SeeMeCNC user notes for the 4 axis HY-TB4DV-M 4 Driver Board.

This board is a common import and the manufacturer has some common problems. With only a little effort, you will find this a very reliable, powerful, and inexpensive control solution for your SeeMeCNC 3D Printer. This board makes SeeMeCNC machines the FASTEST available today!

There are no drivers, firmware, bootloaders, version concerns, etc. It's old school cool. Just plug into a desktop PC parallel port and begin.



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Reference document about the 4 Axis Stepper Control Board:


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Copy the following XML file into your Mach3 installation folder. Right click, and extract. Close folder. Choose "Mach Loader" (should be on your desktop after download and install from Artsoft) and you will see this profile automagically listed. This will 'launch' Mach3 with all the right start up settings.


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If your motors go 'dead' when you reset the e-stop, check this: Following MHackney's post screen shots above, and specifically referring to the "OUTPUT SIGNALS" tab on the "PORT & PINS" dialog box, you might need to reverse the "Active Low" settings. We had to do this on one of our PC's at SeeMeCNC headquarters. If the 'enable' pin and "Active Low" settings on these outputs are reversed, the stepper will receive power during an "Emergency Stop". Then turn off when the E-Stop is reset. Simply open the "PORTS & PINS" and go to the "OUTPUT SIGNALS" tab. Then reverse the setting under "Active Low" for each "Enable 1, Enable 2, Enable 3, Enable 4).


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Setting your axis calibration is pretty easy. Don't feel overwhelmed at all the settings. However, you should refer to the Mach documentation.

Look right above the emergency stop reset button. "Set Steps per Unit". You will choose an axis, move a specified amount, measure, then enter actual distance moved. Mach will make adjustments to your motor tuning 'steps per' based on your data entry.



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And a photo of the 4 axis stepper control board.

DIP SWITCHES IN THIS PHOTO ARE SET to go with the 'Mach-Loader' Profile above. The A axis for extruder (not spindle) is Slic3r ready! The photo also shows jumpers installed on a HY-TB4DV-M:

~PartDaddy~

Fantastic, thanks very much.

Some Slic3r Profiles to get you printing:

http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=641

Currently working on the jumpers settings for the 4 axis board. What did you use for the jumpers? Kinda looks like staples. Also wondering what the top jumper setting is, hard to see PIC attached.

Thanks for all your help,

Mtizle

Looking at the 4 Axis board the 12v and Ground terminals have 3 wires connected. Just to make sure I have the correct wires connected they are as follows:

12V Terminal
1 from power supply
2 from Thermostat

Ground
1 from power supply
1 from Heat resistor (Hot end resistors)
1 Thermostat

Pic included

Thanks for any help,

Mtizle

Hey mitzle. John here. You will want to bring 3 yellow 12V lines from the PS and 3 black gnd lines from the PS to the 3 axis board. Run seperate power/ground lines from the PS to the heater board, this will help with any signal interference. The axis board can be "noisy" and running the lines from the PS seems to eliminate this. Also, your hot end resistors ground wire comes back down and doubles up on the thermostat boards ground wire. That's fine. And you should have a jumper from the thermostat board going into the COM (center lug) on the relay terminals, and then the NO terminal runs up to the other side of the heating resistors.

And you should have a jumper from the thermostat board going into the COM (center lug) on the relay terminals, and then the NO terminal runs up to the other side of the heating resistors.

Can you give me a visual example of this? Don't really understand the procedure. Took a look at the thermostat board and I think in my wiring diagram has it this way.

Mtizle

Created an updated Wire diagram for the 4 Axis board. Added jpg and pdf files. Wanted to add the visio file also but not allowed. Next will be the 4 axis Jumper and Dip switch settings. Edit Diagrams Verified.

Mtizle

4 Axis Board Dip switch and Jumper Settings Diagram. Settings were taken from photo found on this post by Seemecnc admin. Would it be alright to use solid core wire for the Jumpers? Looks like you used some kind of staple or solid core material. Edit - Diagrams Verified - Went ahead and used 22 gauge solid core wire for Jumpers, added a pic of my finished board with Dip and Jumper settings.

Mtizle

Anyone have a Motor Tuning profile for the Z axis? On the first page of this post are X, Y, and A but no Z.

Mtizle

Ok, Here is my Z Axis tuning. It's been working great for me.
cheers,
Michael

Thank you so much,

Mtizle

Can we please have a mach3 setup and board swich setting post.. Official Post.

I know I should know everyones name, but at the moment I don't. So I don't know who to listen to.

The current posts don't seem to match. So PLEASE post an official setup in the document area, where the manuals are. It will releave the frustration.


Alan

Unfortunately, we can't post the Mach XML file here. I wrote the manuals and the configs in this thread that I posted are what I'll put in the 4 axis Electronics Manual. Just look at my screen shots at the start of the thread. I inadvertently left out the z motor tuning, that was posted yesterday.

Cheers,
Michael

Mastercaster all diagrams posted by me have been verified to be working diagrams.

Mtizle