A newby trying to use a probe!

[cset-racing]

Hi all,i am new at using forums but i need some help learning how to probe.I have followed all the instuctions that came with the probe and i tryed just about every wizard or add on there is with not much luck but now i am useing sterlings 2.5D probe and all is well except i cant seem to save anything that can be opened in something like Machcload,there seems to be a lot of instuctions missing between the probing part and the machineing part.Please help there is not much hair left!

[stirling]

Hi Chris - wecome to the forum

Not sure exactly where you are in the process but here's a general guide.

Do your 2.5D probe round your object to create the edge profile.
Then do your 3D probe using that profile as per the readme. This will create a "triplet" file of the x,y and z values at each probe point. This file has a .csv (comma separated values) extension.
I've never used MachCloud but I just took a look and it expects a .txt extension. So just change the .csv to .txt and MachCloud will load it.
Now you need to use MachCloud to "drape" the points with a "surface". I did this just now via the Mesh/Ball pivot mesh menu option. You'll see MachCloud "drape" your points. Then you can save that as a .stl 3D model file.
After that I'm not sure what else MachCloud can do for you - as I say I've never used it, but I don't think it does any CAM functions but I'm sure someone will beat me up if I'm wrong .

So what you need to do then is use some CAM software to create a toolpath from that .stl 3d model. Do you have any CAM? If not hopefully somebody will chime in with recommendations.

Personally I use Rhino and RhinoCAM.

Hope this gets you a tad further.

Cheers

Ian

[cset-racing]

G'day Ian,I can't win! I changed the .csv to .txt and now when i start to do the 2.5 probe it stops and tells me a (type mismatch) and i can't get rid of it,i uninstalled your program deleted the download,deleted everything out of Mach3,deleted the folder in program files and any thing else i could find,but when i re-downloaded your program and set it all back up again it remembered all of my settings and just sent a (type mismatch) error again.Is ther somewhere else that it stores your settings.Thanks Chris.

[stirling]

Hi Chris - can you post a couple of screen dump piccys of the "Configure 2.5D probing routine" tab and the "Create 3D probing routine" tab please.

Thanks

Ian