Messages

381

General Mach Discussion / Re: Shuttle Pro Plugin some questions...

« on: February 15, 2013, 07:33:11 AM »

I dont remember mine creeping.

382

General Mach Discussion / Machine control strategy questions

« on: February 12, 2013, 10:42:21 AM »

  I am running a RepStrap consisting of a hot end with parts from various sources and using Slic3r and Mach3 to print.

   I typically ref my machine at the beginning of a print or during that working seesion (I am not running limits or home switches on this particular configuration just yet). After reffing I use an M8 command to turn on my heater controls. All is working pretty well in those regards, however at the end of my print I use a G28. Not knowing any better this does 2 things, it rewinds the extruder and gets the filament out of the barrel so clogs are less of a problem and eventually ends in an M30 which turns off all outputs. These are great features. especially in printing where a part might take 6 hours or more. Babysitting was not my intent.

   The questions I have are,

  1. Is there a way to have the A axis only retract a specified distance from where the program ended instead of all the way back to 0? This value would always change (at least with each different print).

  2. Is there a way to initiate the M30 before the G28 automatically?

 Also I notice the G28 runs very slow at the end, most likely reading the last feed rate posted? These questions probably belong elsewhere but you know how it is. Thanks

383

General Mach Discussion / Limit switch activated "triggered"

« on: February 10, 2013, 08:53:19 AM »

Maybe I missed it. I don't see any reference to a ground. Do you have a star ground?

384

General Mach Discussion / Pulsing too fast

« on: February 08, 2013, 08:46:55 AM »

A working PC would have been cheaper than the SS.

385

General Mach Discussion / Re: limit switches triggered after sitting idle for a few minutes

« on: February 04, 2013, 09:17:29 PM »

Have you opened the controller to see if any and or what grounding practices are being used? Start there and then work on cleaning up the problem. I promise fear of starting is much worse than solving it.

386

General Mach Discussion / Re: Vise placement/reference?

« on: January 18, 2013, 03:40:52 PM »

Thanks all. That clarifies a few things only to open more!

387

General Mach Discussion / Re: Vise placement/reference?

« on: January 18, 2013, 01:36:48 PM »

I appreciate the input. At the present I dont use fixtures or should I say my stock is my fixture. I have made a fixture a few times but try to work around if possible. I can see as I get a bit better positioning repeatability on all sides will be critical (though I am thinking about using a rotary table to catch 4 sides without needing to change the set up of a part) If production was of a concern then I could see it being a necessity. More just trying to understand the positioning concepts better. It might have been more of a CAD or machining question.

388

General Mach Discussion / Vise placement/reference?

« on: January 18, 2013, 12:00:14 PM »

   So I have been running Mach for a little. During this time I have learned a few things, mostly the hard way. Concepts sometimes hard to understand as a Noob to most of the processes.

   Now I am thinking easy repeatability for the majority of my tinkering. At present I place my vise in the middle of the table with the fixed jaw to the rear away from the operator, up near the column ( a G0704). I had been placing my stock in my vise on parallels etc and then using the lower left corner (of the stock) as my 0,0,0 point. This works but involves a constantly changing position. Then the light bulb pops on regarding the many articles read referring to referencing from the fixed or static jaw. Seems simple enough. Home machine, touch off to rear jaw on X & Y, set this point as zero in both of those axis. Great now we have a place that will always be the same as long as the stock is confined within the walls of the vise jaws, right? Doing this, does this necessitate moving the placement of my parts creation in the lower right quadrant of my CAD? It seems like it would. Not that it is a problem, just a realization (I think).  Edit: after reading my own question, if my stock extended outside the jaws on my X or Y axis, wouldnt it just be moving my stock into the adjacent quadrant in CAD?

   If that were true, wouldnt the same technique be used for Z reference off of the parallels? Place the parallels in the vise, zero off the top off the parallel and all moves in Z would be positive? Or just maybe starting above a known location? I am not having a problem keeping accurate (in my mind, results have all been in the .002-.004 range which is simply amazing to me so far) but could definitely alway see room for improvement and repeatability. Anything that would simplify set up would be great.

                                                           Sorry if this seems basic. I was used to sitting in the back of class in my school days to see the girls in front!
                                                           I have learned more on these forums regarding math, electronics, computers and machining than I ever did in schools.
                                                           I am not blaming it on the schools either.
                                                            

389

General Mach Discussion / what pendant?

« on: January 01, 2013, 10:43:36 AM »

I should have been more clear. Mine is a Shuttle Pro 2 also. It is the outer rings functionality that I like most. The rest about durability, comfort of use and resistance to swarf or coolant are all valid points and would be more so if I was in a position to actually manufacture something.

390

General Mach Discussion / what pendant?

« on: December 31, 2012, 11:35:16 AM »

I started off with one of the Shuttle Express pendants originally designed for video editing, which does have a (sort of) MPG.  However I never found it very satisfactory, so now have an Xbox wireless controller.  This has only joysticks but I find it much better.  It would be nice to have an MPG tuned so that the wheel mimics the "feel" of manual drives but that seems not so easy to do.  The Xbox controller is cheap and I found installation very easy using the downloadable plugin.  The wireless is a delight, I was always getting the cable of the Shuttle would around me.

That is an interesting reply in comparison to my experiences. I am just the opposite. I really enjoy the versatility of the jog wheel of the shuttle pro. I would think the joysticks would be very odd and hard to control but I have no experience with the PS2 or any other game controller.

I do have an MPG and a second parallel port or have run it previously. Personally  I wasnt impressed with the operation of the wheel. You did have adjustability of step size (x1,x10,x100) but it was tedious to constantly have to change the setting. I have seen a Hood video lately of an MPG thru his CS Labs system that has very good control. All movement is real time, no buffer. Whereas the shuttle pro changes by pressure on the wheel. Both have their merits most likely. I was faster on the SP. I do like the look and durability of the VistaCnc pendant.

 My SP is subject to damage quite easily if dropped, though I have been lucky so far. Well til I mentioned this ;-)
Also I am not sure if the second PP doesn't slow the system down.