Dual-Boot with Mach

Hi, I have a Super 7 that I have converted to CNC driven by Mach 3 (sorry!) and have recently added a Denford Novamill that I have converted to run off Mach 3 with new drives.

On the Myford I haven't had great success threading and I hear from recent postings over here in the UK that a Mach 3 problem is that as it only has one spindle index pulse per rev you can get problems with uneven pitch as the spindle slows down due to tool drag.

With EMC though I see that it can accomodate two spindle sensors, one giving a pulse per rev for indexing, the other to sense speed with many more pulses per rev so should give better results.

So I'd like to give EMC a trial but using the same computer that runs Mach3. To start with I want to continue to use Mach for milling though, so will need to dual-boot Linux with Windows XP on the same machine (a Dell Optiplex).

So just to check, should it be trouble free to install Ubuntu+EMC alongside Windows+Mach or are there any known problems that I should be aware of please? (Obviously I won't want to run them both at the same time! I have enough trouble concentrating on just one machine....)

And another question, the obvious way to get more pulses per rev for the speed sensor is to use the 65-tooth bull wheel on the S7 spindle with a Hall Effect sensor - will EMC handle 65 pulses per rev please?

John.

Hi

Yes, you can dual boot, the Live CD will install on a separate partition and allow both windoze and linux to boot.

Mach does not cut threads worth s**t!
That is why there is a huge thread on the Mach forum where Art trys to convince everyone that it does!
I used it for a while and that was one of the main reasons I went back to linux.

I use a hall effect for index pulse (Z channel) and an optical switch and 120 hole disc for pulse (A channel) and find threading very smooth.

You may find a higher number than 65 is better, but certainly it will work OK.

Welcome to the real CNC world!

Thanks for all the replies, most encouraging! So with rigid tapping, presumably as you reverse the spindle EMC tracks its deceleration/reverse acceleration and adjusts the tool position accordingly? That's cool!

I've successfully got Ubuntu running dual-boot on this laptop so should be OK on the workshop computer, will give it a try.

Thanks again.

John.

Please take note on the general warnings elsewhere about the use of laptops for RT apps.

Quote:

"I've successfully got Ubuntu running dual-boot on this laptop so should be OK on the workshop computer, will give it a try."

Laptop is not the workshop computer....

But thanks for the thought!

Just another related question please: when making encoders for the A and Z channels, should the A and Z edges be aligned, or not aligned, or doesn't it matter?