I am getting frustrated here. My Avid Pro (5x10, nema34, using Mach4) “stutters” or “hangs up” as the gantry travels along the bed. It happens in all axes and in all feed rates. I can’t pinpoint patterns to when the machine does this. it appears random to me.
I am using an older laptop that I have wifi shut off. I cannot control the security settings on this computer (I teach HS woodshop) and my IT person is unwilling to allow this computer to have changes made to it. It is running Windows 11.
It is getting frustrating to operate. This has gone from a machine that worked from day one to a one I can’t trust to cut a straight line at a consistent depth.
I was an IT director at a state university here in GA for 15 years, and I understand your IT person’s concerns but, they should be able to isolate that computer from the network and allow you to configure it as needed. If you are not an administrator on the computer, you won’t be able to do much in the way of configuring it. Windows has a lot of things going on that can interrupt CNC operations.
Is this your personal CNC or one that belongs to the school? If it belongs to the school or it is part of your official duties, you need to be able to do your job. I would explain that to them and if they are still inflexible, I would go over their head. Exceptions can always be made.
In Mach, the computer is responsible for moving the machine in a smooth way, so this is very likely your issue.
Did you re-run the SCU tuner? This is a utility that comes with mach that tunes up your PC to try and prevent this sort of thing.
Another way you could solve this is upgrading the controller. We have a lot of people coming from Mach and moving to our EX controller. One primary advantage to the EX is that the computer is NOT responsible for moving the machine live, there’s a motion planner board in the control box so it actually runs reliably regardless of many different PC types and issues.
I am interested in the new controller, and I have it in my “wish list” for next year. That said, my state has really clamped down on budgets the last few years, so who knows.
I had an older laptop that barely ran Mach4 and I had problems like this. That machine did not meet spec for CNC12 so one way or another I needed a new computer. First I upgraded the computer and my Mach4 issue went away. I have since upgraded to the EX Controller/Servo system and couldn’t be happier. The computer I ended up getting is a mini tower from Dell that was about $800.
I realize budgets are tight where you are, but it sounds like without a less than a $1K upgrade for a new computer your CNC is a five figure boat anchor. Maybe that argument will sway your IT folks.
I promise I am not in sales, but if you did upgrade the existing laptop you have might actually work great for EX. CNC12 (The software for EX) is WAY less dependent on a performant computer for reliable motion.
So if a new computer is $800 to $1k, and a new EX control is 2.5k, but you can keep the old computer, for not much more you’re making your machine WAY better.
But, if the budget is zero you might be some tuning/tweaking away from getting your system to work better.
You might ask IT if they have some other computers you can try as well. Sometimes it’s just a particular computer doesn’t play well
I was experiencing the same issue - I just got a new laptop with windows 11. Mine may not be as serious as yours as I only had the vibrations in code heavy programs where windows 11 just wouldn’t communicate the code fast enough. I changed countless settings over the course of a few days and nothing worked. Finally I found a workaround in Mach 4.
My fix was running the constant velocity setup wizard in Mach 4 (Wizard > select wizard > McCVTuningWizard). It allows you to pick which axis you want it to apply to and then what tolerance you want - i went with 0.001” and it has worked great.
Some people have also had good luck running a Windows 11 installation that has some of the bloatware already stripped from it, such as Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC - see Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC