FAQ ESS (Ethernet SmoothStepper)

 

Please look at our FAQ Mach3 page for more details on how to make the ESS work with Mach3.

 

 



Where do I find the ESS's documentation?

ESS Documentation

 



Where do I find the ESS's schematic and connector information?

ESS Schematic and ESS Connectors

 



Where do I find the ESS's mechanical drawing?

ESS Mechanical Drawing.

 



How do I supply power to my ESS

Powering your ESS.

 



How do I connect the ESS to my PC on a hardware level?

Connecting the ESS to your PC.

 



How do I connect the ESS to my PC on a software level?

The Getting Started guide will walk you through this.  Remember to set up your network with the SCU first, and then set up Mach.

 

 



How do I update the drivers on the ESS?

The ESS plugin file for Mach3 or Mach4, contains:

  1. The plugin software for Mach3 (or Mach4)
  2. The ESS's Microprocessor firmware
  3. And the ESS's FPGA firmware

Each time when you start Mach, all 3 of these files are used (or uploaded) and therefore automatically keep everything in sync.  There are no other drivers to worry about.


If you want to update to a newer version of our plugin, just download (and install) the latest plugin version from our software page, and then select that version when you start Mach.

Select Plugin Version

 

While I show multiple ESS plugins in the above picture, we have received reports that it can confuse Mach3 once in a while.  Therefore, we recommend that you only have 1 version of the ESS plugin in the  C:\Mach3\Plugins\  folder at a time.  It is okay to have an ESS and a USS plugin in there at the same time.

 



Why is the default gateway being set to the ESS, it's not a router?

You are correct, the ESS is not a router. However, this is done to trick windows.

If you leave the Gateway field empty, and you connect the ESS to the network card, the adapter will switch from "Network cable unplugged" to "Unidentified network". If the Gateway field is set to the SmoothStepper's IP address, Windows will instead show it as "Network 4" or some other network #. Leaving it as unidentified network, just seemed like a potential point of confusion. 

 

 SmoothStepper Network

 

That is a lot easier to associate with your ESS compared to "Unidentified network".

 



Which Network Services do I really need with my ESS?

Windows gives you a bunch of default Network Services by default:

 Default Network Services

 

If you are only connecting your ESS to that specific Ethernet Adapter, you can disable a bunch of those services.  Why?  Because Windows will send a lot less information out over the SmoothStepper Network.  For most people it won't make a difference, but it could help.  

 Optimized Network Services

 

 



What do I do after a "Invalid Bootloader Signature" Message?

This message means that Mach3 was unable to talk with your ESS when you launched it.  Typically this is caused by Mach not shutting down and releasing the ESS correctly on the previous run.

To fix this:

  • Close Mach
  • Power off your SmoothStepper, and wait 5 seconds
  • Power the SmoothStepper
  • Start Mach again

Mach3 should then be able to successfully connect to, and then work with the ESS.

 

ESS Invalid Bootloader Signature

 

 



What do I do after a "CM_AOK" Message?

This message will only occur right at startup. The most likely cause is insufficient power (less than 5V) being delivered to the ESS.  If your ESS's Ethernet Jack has a yellow Flashing LED, this is a very good indication of this.

In some cases you may see 5V being delivered from the power supply when it is not hooked up to the ESS, so it is important to measure the supply's voltage while the ESS is hooked up and trying to talk with Mach. 

Here is the article detailing the ESS's power requirements.  It is also possible that you are using a BOB that may require more current that your power supply can deliver, which could cause the supplied voltage to drop.

 CM_AOK

 



I see a yellow flashing light on my ESS's Ethernet Jack.

When the ESS is powered and connected to your PC, the ESS's Ethernet Jack's Yellow LED should be on steady and its Green LED should flash on when data is being transmitted (typically from Mach).  (The Green LED may not flash if the SCU or Mach is not talking to the ESS.)

If the Yellow LED is flashing, that is bad, and indicated problems with the Ethernet link. One likely cause is a loose or bad Ethernet cable.  Please check to make sure that the cable is connected firmly on both ends.  If that doesn't fix the issue, try replacing the Ethernet cable with another one.

Another likely cause is insufficient power (less than 5V) being delivered to the ESS.  In some cases you may see 5V being delivered from the power supply when it is not hooked up to the ESS, so it is important to measure the supply's voltage while the ESS is hooked up and trying to talk with Mach.   Here is the article detailing the ESS's power requirements.  It is also possible that you are using a BOB that may require more current that your power supply can deliver, which could cause the supplied voltage to drop.

 

Ethernet Jack

 

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