Datron retrofit. Early days for this Mach3 conversion. We have the bed and motors but no electronics from the old machine apart from the spindle driver. Using TB6600HQ drivers on existing steppers for now. I need to understand how the Z probe works so I can interface it to Mach3 somehow. Any help much appreciated, CNC is new to me, electronics / software less of a problem. Kind regards, David
I have a script for Mach3 using Z-Probe and an edge-finder. If it is ok, I’ll post it here.
Hi Peter, any info for this machine gratefully received. Photo shows Z probe housing. David.
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you need help on z drive or z-probe, in a photo you have z drive. z-probe when you run machine you set tool height that z prob., do you have moter on z drive?
@David_Richards_djrm Sorry, I haven’t any infos about this machine. My script is for using a simple touch-probe, without electronic circuits.
@Peter_Spiess ,Thanks anyway Peter. I’m using a simple touch probe just now and am interested in x y edge finder too. Hope to get the retractable z probe working eventually. Photo shows probe retracted from beneath. David.
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On mach3 you just put x,y coordination for z prob.
Nice 
@Peter_Spiess : it is possible to give the where is possible to find you scrip ??
And a second link showing a page for automatic measuring tools (but only in german language):
http://www.emagu.de/mach3-werkzeugmessen.htm
@Peter_Spiess Thanks, is there anything else required for these scripts. I have the latest stock build of Mach3 installed. I have a touch plate connected to bb with probe input configured already.
Nothing else is required. Settings and other things you’ll find in Google. Searching “mach3 probe setup” is a good beginning.
@Peter_Spiess The Z probe part of the macro looks similar to what I have already. I was about to try an x y edge finder, thanks again.
I’ve dismantled the Datron Z probe, it appears to use serial protocol to communicate with the control system. It could be tricky to get this working, I don’t know what is expecting me to send.
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You’ll find the script for x-y-edge-finder also in my file. It’s a part of it.
@David_Richards_djrm Well, without any infos about the signals it is difficult
.@Peter_Spiess I made some progress this afternoon and traced out the connections and connected 12 VDC and serial comms. The unit responded to Ascii 0 and 1 to deploy and retract the pprobe. Ascii = returns two bytes the value of which is the probe distance from full extended. the range appears to be 0x6041 to 0x7f5f over the approx 8mm. The little red switch when operated manually deploys the probe.
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I now have what looks as if it could be the makings of a usable Z probe. To do this I have programmed an Arduino to communicate with the Z probe using the protocol I previously discovered.
The probe is now deployed by writing to a modbus register and the measurement reading this is then relayed back to the Mach3 through another modbus register. When deployed the Z probe offset is continuously measured onve every 1/4 second.
This arrangement allows the whole process to be integrated into Mach3. and a table Z surface profile to be measured - in theory anyway, thats for another time.
The software is a modified version of the Arduino modbus interface here: https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=21105.0 together with the software serial library which is used for the probe communication. Both melded together by myself for this purpose.
I’m just learning to drive the Mack3 screen designer and have some simple screen DRO display showing the workings of the system. I also used the Modbus configuration utility to simplify the regiter reads and writes used in the brains screens.
I shall also be using the arduino to send the actual spindle rpm which is available to me as a 0-10v voltage from the spindle controller. The spindle speed is already controlled by Mack 3 from the BOB i’m using already.
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