MadModder

Yes it's very odd Moray, and try as I may I can't at the moment see any way of getting further segments.

Looking at the guide to programming the PLC most, but not all, of the FB function blocks listed in the PLC directory are standard ones that do things like transferring data to and from the PLC and NC parts of the controller.

It all looks pretty shell like and empty if I'm honest, and it's really odd that the one FB that looks OK to my untutored eye, is FB_99 for the non-existent W-Axis.

I'm trying to formulate a concise but meaningful question for the Siemens forum about this - they are an odd lot, and the moderators tend to kick things into touch if you are not careful how things are phrased and ramble too much! It's a question of getting all the graphical information into the single picture that they allow !

When the controller is loaded from an empty state you start loading NC Data and PLC Program and data, but then there is an 'ASM' file that no-one can explain what  it is, but I strongly suspect that it is compiled assembler code - the only reference to it I've found calls it a 'dump of user memory'.

I'm tempted to do a reload without the ASM file, and try and go on line to the PLC and see what's in it. If the ASM file IS compiled  assembler code for the PLC then surely the PLC program has to hook into it to use it at various points, and I see no sign in the 'Blocks' I've downloaded.

It's no tiddler at 207Kbyte and takes 30 mins to load !

Once your bot is running properly, overnight prints aren't a big deal.  You might want to add a filament run-out sensor; my last epic print took about 48 hours and spanned three rolls of filament.  If it runs out and the bed hasn't cooled, you can just stop it, pull the SD card, lower the head till it just touches the last extrusion, and delete everything from the gcode file before that layer height, then tell it to print.  That way you keep the zero point!

Cable chains are CRUCIAL to long term printing; glad to see you fitting them!  You have to be sure those dratted wires don't get caught!  Yes, straight chains are MUCH easier to thread.  Use fine stranded wire in them, BTW!

I run mine in the same orientation you are using.

I highly reccomend having a spring loaded build plate.  That way if you crash into it it can move away and maybe not booger up stuff too bad.  Ask me how I know...   https://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/confused0068.gif

My brain and power supply lives in the left corner of the base frame.  You can slip a piece of fiberglass in on top of the base cross bar and screw it down to create a cavity that is partially isolated from the hot cavity.

Mine has feet screwed into the bottom of the Z rails that raise it a bit.

I think I've posted pictures of the Z before, but here's a fresh one.  I had the X and Z cable chains as one continous chain, but connected backwards at the X/Z junction so they bent the other way.  The flip happens at the one with the "X" on the side.  The end of the Z chain is a leftover plate that I bent to shape.  I might have had a few laying around ;-)

Here's the bottom plate of the print carriage

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

This morning I set off with the good intention of getting STEP5 to start downloading block "FB11" and timing with a stop watch when it failed (this is the block that previously had consistently given "Last Segment Not Completed") My intention being to monitor with the Logic Analyser and look at the interactions at about the time of the failure.

To my great surprise the block down loaded error free !

OK on a roll I decided to download the one other block (PB202) that previously had locked everything up and caused STEP5 to crash the operating system - sure enough it whistled through error free - very very odd. I've left the interface settings as STEP5 has modified them on the PC, but the 820T controller is still set up 'as was'

So PC set to  9600/Even Parity/8 data/2STOP/XON=off/CTS=off/DSR=off/DTR=on/RTS=on
  820T set to  9600/No Parity/8 Data/2 Stop/XON=on/CTS=off/DSR=off/DTR=off/RTS=off

No idea why this is now working - but it is!

But the very odd thing is that when I look at the various 'Program Blocks' and 'Function Blocks' there is just not enough 'meat' in them to be the complete PLC program - the only block with any substance is the one that seems to control the 'W-Axis' which is not even used on this lathe.

So something is missing somewhere - there must be a back door into this PLC thingummybob that I've not found.

My wife out helping move dirt and level out a spot for a small electric repair shop I'm planning.
It will be for repairing alternators, generators (auto type) starters  and some types of motors.