Unable to get VORTEX running using GSender or Edge

Add-ons & Modifications 🌀 Rotary Axis
1

I have a Longmill MK2 48x30 with inductive sensors installed on it. I use Vectric Pro to create projects for it. I’m using Windows 11. I have used it successfully for almost two years on scores of projects.

I want to be able to make some 2” threaded wooden screws for a workbench. To accomplish that I ordered the Sienci Labs VORTEX with the closed-loop motor and upgraded to the SLB. I installed them carefully following the online instructions, such as they are.

I have tried – in earnest – to get the Vortex to work with my CNC using GSender & even resorted to trying all 80 versions of Edge (at least five times each) to no avail. At this point I’m quite ready to toss the vortex in the trash, sell my Longmill for scrap and buy something else that just works.

The first issue I have is the online videos and instructions that reference options in the GSender firmware are NOT the same as my version of GSender (1.4.12). For example, looking at the firmware settings shown on Sienci’s instructions for settings using the closed loop motor under

  • Option 4 – “Invert stepper enable pin(s)” has options for the X,Y,Z,A (however my version of GSender only has one option – on or off.)

  • Option 22- “Homing cycle” shows eight options in the instructions. (My version of Gsender has just one – on or off.)

  • Option 37 – “Steppers deenergize” shows options for the X,Y,Z,A axis (my version of GSender only has one option – on or off.)

Resetting GSender to the “default” settings for my Longmill just seem to make it worse – nothing works right. Some of the instructions say to use Edge, while others show what appears to be just the stable version of Gsender. Which version works?

I have tried to adjust the settings using GSender but only get erratic results. Sometimes I can get some parts to work, others not. For example, trying align the “Y” axis will often just jam the bit into the vortex head after touching it – and yes – the probe connections are in & working. And then, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it locks the X axis out, sometimes when I rotate the A axis, it moves the CNC along the X axis and then getting the Y axis realigned won’t work. Other times it just locks up all the motors and nothing will move. It’s worse trying this using Edge.

I feel like have done my due diligence trying to make this work as instructed with no success. I have carefully gone over the software and hardware instructions MULTIPLE times. I have tired starting from clean installs of GSender, and attempted to follow every single step in the instruction videos over and over. I have checked my hardware settings (correct dip switches, plugs in the right slots, etc.) at least 200 times. At this point I have no clue what I’ve done wrong.

What I would really appreciate are several things:

  • A Line-by-line “default” firmware setup in GSender for the Longmill MK2 48x30 that will actually work with the Vortex – something I can save and revert back to. I mean EVERY line, not just 4, 22, 37, etc. (or the same for whatever version of Edge will run the Vortex on my Longmill.)
  • What settings I need to change in the firmware using GSender 1.4.12 when switching to the Vortex (or the same for whatever version of Edge will run the Vortex on my Longmill.) I don’t trust the online instructions because they contain options I cant see.
  • Any other secret batcode g-codes needed to make it work (not including the $103 = 79.012345679)

At this stage I’m totally open to suggestions. I really want this to work. I’m just not optimistic at this point.

3

Maybe a stupid question but in the rotary tab you are set to 4th axis?

4

@Loal I can try to help, but before getting into the vortex issues, I do have a couple of questions. To start, let’s set aside what I am sure are comments that you are making out of your understandable frustration. For example, your comment about trying “all 80 versions of Edge”. There are nowhere near that many versions of Edge.
My questions:

  1. Are you now running gSender 1.4.12? Not any version of Edge.
  2. You said that you have been running your Long Mill with VCarvePro and Windows 11 successfully for a long time. Have you run successful projects with that set up after you installed the SLB? Forget about the Vortex for a moment. I’m asking about “flat” projects.
  3. I am running an older Long Mill, and SLB and the Vortex closed loop motor. I do not have limit switches. In my firmware, I see the same settings for $4, 22 and 37 as shown on the Sienci instructions. When you say that you reset your firmware to the “default” settings, what did you do to achieve that?

I don’t know where you saw that you need to use Edge, but nothing requires us to use Edge. Edge does have some features that gSender does not. Edge is beta software. We choose to run Edge or gSender. Obviously, if we want the unique features of Edge, we need to run Edge, recognizing that there may be bugs in it.
There is no point in me sending you my firmware settings as they will be different from what you need. The big difference is that I do not have limit/homing switches.

If you want to start by replying to my questions, I can try to help. If not, no worries. I strongly suggest that you open a support ticket with Sience no matter what you decide. I am not tech support.

2 Likes
5

Thanks for your response. I was being somewhat sarcastic with the comment about all the versions of both GSender and Edge - but there are quite a few of them, and they do say -frequently- if one version doesn’t work to go try another one (which I did - a LOT). Each of the instruction videos on the Vortex uses a different version of either GSender or Edge with one actually saying you should use Edge while the instruction are in GSender. I am going to try turning the option for the limit/homing switches completely off as I think that could well be part of the problem.

To answer your specific questions:

  1. I have the latest version of GSender (1.4.12) installed. I have also tried numerous versions of Edge.

  2. I have ran a number of “flat” projects that came out correctly / as expected since I installed the SLB. That hasn’t been an issue so far.

  3. I do not see the same options under $4, 22 & 37 in GSender as shown in the online instructions on the Vortex on Sienci’s website. They show multiple options, where I only see one - essentially on/off. I’ll try and capture some side-by-side images and post them.

Resetting Gsender to a default setting is an option in the firmware. How that “default” was determined I have no idea because it generally doesn’t work well in flat projects and not at all with the Vortex. But, it was an effort on my part to return to a stable baseline while trying to solve the issues.

I cannot get the Vortex to work at all using just GSender 1.4.12 . I can sometimes get it to sporadically cooperate using the latest version of Edge (1.5?) but no successful projects yet. I’m headed out to the shop to test a drawing now. I’ll post pics if it works.

I haven’t opened a help ticket because when I have done that in the past it took them a long time to respond and I ended up having to solve the problem on my own in the end.

Appreciate your time. Thx.

6

I have tried it both ways. Neither worked.

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@Loal I can’t understand why the values that you are seeing for $4, 22 and37 are not as shown in the instructions for the closed loop stepper version installation. I suggest that you reset to defaults using $RST=$ in the console. Then,power cycle the SLB.

I have not seen a video saying to use Edge and I don’t intend to look for it. It’s simply not true.

You have said that re-setting the SLB to default values does not “work well in flat projects”. Can you be a bit more specific?

I assume that you had no issues with homing turned on when you were running flat projects. Correct?

You have installed the vortex post processor into Vcarve and saved the gcode for your rotary project using it. Correct?

8

There are official Sienci Labs Vortex rotary instruction videos where they say to use “Edge” with the Vortex rotary. It would be one thing to say you had never seen them and leave it at that, it is quite another to outright say someone is lying – without evidence – as you did. You didn’t even bother to look.
Here are two examples that flat out say to use “Edge” when using the Vortex Rotary:

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https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx3GV7kDH-7DAVtjKa5wFhPNZgv8mDY9uX

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Despite that, the online instructions ALL refer you to GSender.
• Resetting the GSender firmware to the “default” for the Longmill MK2 48x30 changes all the settings to the point the CNC becomes unstable for me. Perhaps this is because of the settings needed for the inductive sensors, don’t know. Still working that out. All I know is that the “default” setting does not work.
• Homing works fine on flat projects.
• I have the post-processor installed into VCarve and save rotary gcode projects using it.
Here are the differences in what I see in GSender, and what the online instructions show:

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1 Like
9

Loal, again another stupid question are you connected using grbl/hal? Also your firmware looks old you should try upgrading firmware to the latest version.

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@Loal I will try to address your comments as you made them.

  1. I never said that anyone was lying. I said that it is not true that you need to run Edge to use the Vortex. That is a fact. You can look at my rotary projects on the forum. I have never use Edge for any of them. The statement in that video is wrong - period. It may have been true when Scott said it. It is not true now. Am I calling Scott a liar? NO. I am saying that he is mistaken.
  2. From your screencaps, it appears that you are connecting to the SLB on a usb cable and connecting using grbl. The usb connection is fine. However, the SLB requires a grblHaL connection. I may have realized this before now, but you have said that you have been successfully running flat projects since going to the SLB. I would not have thought that was possible with a grbl connection. Connecting the SLB through grbl is going to cause all sorts of problems. Clearly, though, your experience shows that it can still work with some limitations. It’s good to know.
  3. Default settings are LIKELY not working because you are connecting an SLB using grbl.
  4. You don’t say which post processor you are using. No matter. That is not the cause of your problems so far.
    I have taken this as far as my competence will allow. I will repeat that you should open a support ticket, but I understand that you would prefer to solve this yourself.
    When you solve it, please report back on the solution so that others can benefit from your experience.
11

@Loal Did you get your issues resolved, Loal?

Note the Sienci has pinned a comment on the Vortex video correcting the error about needing to use Edge with the Vortex.

12

I was able to get an initial rotary project completed, but haven’t had time to work on it more. Getting switched over to grblhal helped a bunch. Thx.

13

Switched to grblhal and it helped - thanks!

14

@Loal I’m glad to hear that you worked things out. I’ll close the thread.