Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Billy De on September 26, 2017, 11:10:10 AM
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Hi, I am trying to make a simple cut out in wood.....4x12 that i will use as a template....I have use the V-Carve Option, the Inlet Option. When I save its as a DXF...Convert in Lazycam to a Tap...Bring in Mach 3.....All I get is an "Empty" box with nothing in the middle to carve out..
Getting frustrated
Billy
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Try G-Simple ( http://www.gsimple.eu/ ) It is extremely basic CAD/CAM and it is free.
You can design your product and produce the necessary Gcode to load directly into Mach3. There will be some reading and learning to do (from the manual) but you should be up and running in an hour or so.
Tweakie.
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Thanks...We just do Basic Engraving.. Nameplates Seals & Plaques
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Its Not There...No Link to Download
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Got Tired, Brought it over to Engravelab Machine...Export as dxf...Cuts Fill but stops about 1/2 thru a 2x8 name plate
ALEX MARTINEZ.....Cuts as ALEX I
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Looks like the G-Simple website has been hacked so forget about that one.
If you are using an unlicensed version of Mach3 (Demo Mode) then it will only run the first 500 lines of Gcode and may not complete your engraving job. Purchasing a license removes this restriction http://www.machsupport.com/shop/mach3/
Tweakie.
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Figured it out.......Had to re-set the Motor Tuning....So what we have to do...for now....Since this will be used for multiple runs...Set in Engravelab (We have 5.0 on a Windows 98 machine)...Export as dxf....Bring into this one and...VIOLA ! ! !
Hopefully I will have no more questions and my hair will grow back from where I had pulled it out :)
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Hopefully I will have no more questions and my hair will grow back from where I had pulled it out
I think it depends on your age Bill - mine hasn't grown back :(
Tweakie.
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55....:)
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Not much difference there Bill - perhaps I was destined to go bald anyway ;D
Seriously though, I am pleased you are having success.
Tweakie.
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Thank you...Different Animal than the Dahlgren :)
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OK...I am Engraving...Cut out the Box...Ran some test plates...All Good...Shut down, Come Back....Now...Its like it wants to engrave on something the size of a pin head...I just don't get it
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Now...example...x-axis instead of reading +8.00 for and 8" plate at the 8" mark...Now reads +200 at 8 inches.....SMH
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Wow I had to bump my settings from 400 steps to around 9000 steps....Thats Crazy ! ! !...wonder what happened
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Hi,
I think it depends on your age Bill - mine hasn't grown back
Hairs overrated!
Wow I had to bump my settings from 400 steps to around 9000 steps....Thats Crazy ! ! !...wonder what happened
Could it be because of different units?
Craig
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The CNC3040 Was Running at 400 steps...Shut down...went back to do more testing....was engraving "Small"...My Table Size according to the Mach3 Software became astronomical in size.....Had to increase my steps from 400 to 10,000....does not make any sense to me,,,,Now when I run it...its sounds "musical"
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Hi Bill,
I think it is as Craig has already said (400*25=10,000) you have your Imperial and Metric units confused.
Put you steps back to 400 and put a G20 into the beginning of your Gcode. Then it will be in Inch Units and the correct size instead of Millimeter Units and way too small.
Tweakie.
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Should I just un-install everything and start from scratch....I re-set everything...This is just running the table...Not Sending Codes....Size of Table off the charts again....Set it to run 8" and it moves about 1/4 inch....I out it back to 10000, 300, 300 for x and y and 4000, 150, 300 for Z and it runs 8" and read 8"....Will it hurt anything to have the settings like that....I run it at 30% speed
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Hi,
you could un-install and then re-install but I suspect that you'll end up in the same situation. You need to set your machine up in 'native' units
of your choice and then use G20/G21 to set the units for any given G code job. You should not, after the initial set up, of the machine ever have to
touch the motor tuning pages. That you are suggests confusion over units.
Config/Select Native Units should be set to your preference and thereafter left alone. The Steps per Unit setting on the motor tuning page is the
pulses required by the driver to move the controlled point one unit. You can either calculate it or measure it but it won't change unless you change
the gearing of an axis or microstepping of a driver. Likewise the Homing/Limits page is in native units.
Only when a job comes along which is drafted in different units do you use G20/G21.
Craig
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I'll give it a shot ! ! Thank you all ! ! !
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Hi,
you might be more familiar with inch units say, but your machine is constructed with metric ball screws. You could still use inches as your native
units but the conversion will leave them with fractional parts which is confusing.
Do you know what the ballscrews are in your machine? 'No' is not an acceptable answer...find out or measure them until you know...and know for sure
100% otherwise you can kiss any sort of repeatable accuracy from your machine good bye. They will naturally fall into either inch or metric.
Common inch specs are 0.2 pitch or 0.25 pitch. If you measured them with metric calipers the numbers would be 5.08mm or 6.35mm per turn.
A common metric spec is 5mm pitch (ie per turn). You can see that you'll will need to measure accurately to establish whether your screw is
imperial or metric (5.08mm verses 5.00mm). Once you have established what the screws are doing the calculation to find the actual 'Steps Per'
is not too bad.
Craig
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OK...I Reformatted Drive, Re-installed XP, Mach, Lazy and Drum roll please.......IT WORKS ! ! ! !
Thank you all for your help ! ! ! !....
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Well Spoke too soon...Back to doing the same Crap....Had Settings at 400, 2000, 300.....Was working.....Today.....
SSDD.......12" = 0.5 " of Movement....I am using Inches.... I am at a total loss
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Hi,
did you get around to accurately measuring your ballscrews? If this is a Chinese machine, you mentioned 3040 in a previous post, then
the ballscrews are almost certainly metric. If that's the case the native units of your setup should be metric also.
Native units are about setting up the machine, they have no relevance to what YOU consider normal, they are what the MACHINE considers normal.
Craig
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Yes. I re-set as Metric.....Standard......Same thing.....I go with the suggested inputs.....400-2000-300 x and y and 400-800-100 on the z.... outputs on ports & pins x 16 & 17......y 4&5.....Z 6 & 7...
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Hi,
I suspect that your machine is interpreting Gcode in different units at different times.
If you have a Gcode job which is drafted in inches code G20. If the job is drafted in mm code G21.
Clearly you are most comfortable with inch units. I would therefore set your machine up so when you fire Mach up its in inch mode.
Note that's not the same as native units, you'll set those once and never have to touch them again and you will not see or hear of them
either.
On the Config/General Config page, near the middle and top is a box called 'Initialisation String', add G20 to it. Now when Mach fires up it will
be in inch mode.
Craig
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Hi,
please confirm Config/Select Native units. Are they metric or inch?
Craig
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Hi,
what does
400-2000-300 x
mean?
Craig
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400-2000-300 x is the Motor Speeds....I set Native on re-install to Metric....
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Hi,
well that all sounds OK.
Try this on the MDI page:
G21 <enter>
G0 X100 <enter>
G0 X0 <enter>
The X axis should move 100mm (nearly 4 inch) and then back again.
Now try:
G20 <enter>
G0 X4 <enter>
G0 X0 <enter>
The X axis should move 4 inches and then back again.
What happens?
Craig
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It is working !!!! but now moves super duper slow....8 move 6....2 moves 2.....4 moves 4 etc
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OK Figured out the Speed thing.....Now....The Z Axis Moves UP to Engrave...Down...to Move...Its Backwards....
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Hi,
on the Z Dir pin check active low or uncheck it if already checked.
Craig
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When I Do That...Z Wants to Drill to the Bottom of the Table the Unit Stands on...It was Checked....Un Checked it and it was drilling to China....Pun Intended :)
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Hi,
not quite sure whats going on, but its going in the right direction?
Craig
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When I UnCheck Z Dir Pin...Page up Moves Z Down...Page Down moves Z UP...When It Zero's it wants to Drill below the actual ZERO mark...A LOT........What I Do Notice is this....X +0.000......Y+0.000 Z-0.000....Z Shows A Negative
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Hi,
I think your Z0 is way out. Usually machine Z0 is the very top of travel. Work Z0 is the surface of the work.
Do you have home switches and are they configured?
Craig
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I reset The Machine "Home"...zeroed.....What happens now is that ....I hit the STOP button...and the Z Goes below the Zero Mark Setting.....So Close......Everything is how it should be except the Z... My Motor Settings are Where they should Be....X and Y Behave Perfectly...... But Not The Z
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Hi,
one possibility to check is that the stepper driver has the right microstepping setup.
Could you change say the X and Z motor wires over just to check?
Craig
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I don't think I can...Maybe Swap the pin Numbers ???
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I know I have said this before, But I am Such an Idiot...Problem was coding from LazyCam..It work Perfectly and I am not going to TOUCH ANYTHING ! ! ! ! Thank you Tweakie.CNC and Joeaverage for all your help....Like I stated before...So used to the Dahlgren and Engravelab....Now all I need to do is Make a Vacuum Attachment :) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ! ! ! !
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New Wrinkle...When I Set the Cut Depth in Lazy Cam...Could be .12 or 1,500,000.00...It does not drop below actual Z zero...
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I Just did a Table Offset of .12...Seem to do the trick for now
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Excellent news, I am pleased that you have it sorted. :)
Tweakie.