Calypso CNC User Forums

Hi There, I'm having an issue with the probing features. My probe shows it is working, but the x,y,z axis don't move. I get an error Probe T# not mounted. I'm very new to this feature in MSM so I'm not sure what that means? I've tried to look in the manual about this but I don't know where to look. I've tried to do a search on this forum, but since I just registered it won't let me search. So can anyone help me?

Pat

Hi,
On the probing page there is a DRO where you set the tool # for the probing tool. MSM checks the current tool number against the number of the probe tool when it starts a probing operation - if they do not match, it tells you that the probe tool is not mounted - as it's a bit hard to do a probe operation without the probe tool...

You need to mount (physically and logically) the probe tool so that MSM knows the probe tool is currently mounted.
Example if the probe tool is #99, then you would mount the probe tool by using the MDI line to do a T99 M6

Dave

Okay I did find a thread about this issue. I'm going through it step by step as directed below. I loaded the tool list that came with the MSM so my tool will be 250.

Hi,
Let's walk thru it step by step -

1) Go to the WC Offfset page, probing tab and look a the Probing Op Parameters panel; top DRO, Left side is labeled "Probe Tool #".
What is the value in that DRO?

From your post I'd expect it to be 2. This DRO defines the Tool # that MSM will use as the probe tool.
If you are doing T2M6 and this DRO is not set = 2, then you are telling MSM to mount a tool number that is not what MSM knows the probe tool to be.

2) Now that we've confirmed the probe tool # setting; let mount the tool.
Go to the tooling page. Upper left panel is the Current Tool panel - this displays the info the the tool that mach currenlty has mounted.
Is the Current Tool # = 2 = the Probe tool # DRO from the probing page?

(I'll use "2" as the assume tool number for the rest of this conversation)

What is the value of the current tool DRO at this step?

3) If the current tool # is not 2, then we need to mount tool #2 (the probe tool).
Use MDI just as you have been to do T2M6
At the end of the tool change sequence, what is the value of the current tool # DRO on the tooling page?
It should be 2.
If it is not 2, what is it?


4) If the current tool # DRo is = 2, then we have the result we expected: we mounted T2 and after the tool change sequence is complete, Tool #2 is mounted. Since tool #2 is also the probe tool, the probe tool is mounted.

5) go back to the probing page -
Try a simple probe operation (ex: the "Probe X+" green arrow).
Do you get a "probe tool not mounted message" when you try this?

Dave


My answers to Questions

1) 250
2) 0
3) Typed in the MDI and still 0. I tried T250M6, T250 M6, T250


Thanks for your help.

Pat

Some more info here. When I have the probe disconnected from the system it actually says the probe is Active. Not sure if this should be right? Also I can't get the tool change button to light up. Also are the videos you have are they for the new version or the previous version? Thanks again

Pat

Hi Pat,

patsgunrepair wrote:Some more info here. When I have the probe disconnected from the system it actually says the probe is Active. Not sure if this should be right?

Ideally the probe should be inactive when disconnected. Whether it is nor not depends on how the break out board and the probe are wired up. Most simple probes (the ones that hobby folks use) are effectively a normally closed switch. So when the probe is connected and not triggered, the input to the BOB is connected to ground. This makes the probe input signal "Active high" in the mach ports & Pins set up.

When the probe tip touches something, the switch opens and the input is pulled up to +5 (typically).

If the probe is disconnected, the input line to the bob may be "floating" - i.e. not grounded and not at +5 - then the input state could be either.

Of course, this all depends on the prob3 in use and the BOB. You may want to check with the probe and/or BOB vendor about the electrical connections for the probe.

patsgunrepair wrote:Also I can't get the tool change button to light up.

99% chance that is a known mach bug - see item 4.1 in the MSM release notes to fix that condition.

patsgunrepair wrote:Also are the videos you have are they for the new version or the previous version? Thanks again

Pat

Well, they are for whatever the MSM version was when I made the videos - which is probably a 1.x series of MSM. But none of the basic stuff shown in the videos has changed significantly since then - so they should still be good for getting going.

Dave

does it matter if the probe is "backwards" won't it still work? Made a touch plate also and it is active until I touch the plate. As for the fixes I did enable those brains and it still isn't working. I'm going to work on this tomorrow any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help.

pat

It is important that the probes and plates be interfaced correctly - that includes them being "off" when not triggered and "on" when they do trigger.
If the probe input line to mach is already active when a probe move is started (any G31 move), both mach and MSM detect that and abort the move. If that did not happen the machine would be moving and looking for a transition from not triggered to triggered.... if the trigger transition is not detected when a surface is found bad things happen - like crunched probes etc.
Dave

Here is the deal. When my probe is hooked up to the BOB the probe active light is off, when I have it unhooked from BOB the probe active light is on. When I have my touch plate hooked up to the BOB it the probe active light is on, when I touch the ends together it goes off. I have done some points clouds with this setup (Probe setup) without any problems, so this has me confused (not hard to do). So I guess your telling me that it should be off all the time the probe active light that is, until either the probe breaks a connection or the two wires touch? Could it be as simple as the two wires from the probe are reversed in the BOB? Thanks for your input here, it is GREATLY appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat

There are a couple of different case here:
1) probe connected to Bob.
From your description this appears to be set up OK. Probe not triggered = probe LED not on and vise versa.

2) Probe disconnected from the BOB.
I don't know how you disconnect the probe but I assume you inserted a jack or something in the probe cable.
This combination is not correct. When the probe is disconnected, you say the probe LED is on - it should be off.
The BOB is seeing "no probe connected" as "probe input is active". This is most likely an electrical problem with letting the BOB probe input float (unconnected) when the probe is not attached.
Fortunately, this is not a huge problem - but it would bother me. I don't like seeing a LED that says an input is active when the probe is not connected...
What this creates is a permanent "probe active" condition into mach when the probe is disconnected. In turn, that means that if you go to the MDI line and try G01 G91 G31 X1 (which should move in the x+ direction 1 inch at the current feed rate), you will get an error from mach saying the probe is already active. What should happen is that the movement should happen for X, it should go 1 inch and then stop.
If you don't ever want a probe move without the probe attached, you may be able to ignore this combination.

3) the touch plate is not the same as the probe. A probe is (typically) an normally closed switch (and thus an active high input in mach ports & pins). A touch plate is a normally open switch (A active low input in mach ports & pins).
The difference is why you can't hook both devices to the single probe input pin at the same time (See chapter 6 of the MSM manual for more info). If you swap the devices on the single probe input pin, you also have to reconfigure between active high and active low when changing devices.

Dave

Dave,

To help clarify connected I have on my control box a twist lock connector, I just untwist to disconnect. The other receptacle has two wires that come from the BOB. I didn't make this CNC so I'm not very familiar to how it is wired. I just know it works. I will look in the manual I got with the machine to see if there is anything about the probe being active when not connected. I would contact the guy that manufactured the machine but he is out of business. As for the Probe active light being on it does bother me, but it might have to be something I need to live with (hope not). Oh is there a way in Mach 3 (Version 3.043.066) that I could change something to remedy my probe ordeal. By the way my version of MSM is 2.0.6., I would like to upgrade to your newest version but not sure if it will work. Also I did enable the tool change button as to your info you sent me, it still isn't working, however I haven't finished reading the rest of the info to see if I need to do anything else. Thanks again.

Pat