Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: camtech on August 20, 2007, 02:10:55 AM
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well folks i have finally tweaked my cnc machine , and have all my switches in order , and have figure out how to set my soft limits for all 3 axis.
i think i have finally gotten my area to cut in.
however i wanted to test it by using the road runner g-code.
1. how do i keep the roadrunner within the limits and soft limits.
im not for sure im asking the right question. it will run until it hits a limit, than i have to reset.
which brings e to 2. i cant get the limit switch override button to work in the settings.
no pain no gain...................Robert
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On the program run screen at the top centre are scaling dro's enter .5 or less in both X & Y and press enter, this will scale the roadrunner down to fit your machine.
Graham.
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Hey Robert,
Here is a simple Flash wizard I did quickly.
-Download the Scale.swf
-After starting Mach with your screen
-View/Load Screen (Drop down to select "Flash Screens(*.swf)")
And choose the Scale.swf where ever you have it located.
-After loading the Scale.swf Load your Gcode file
-You can either scale to size (Scale width, Scale Length, Scale Height) or Scale To Area (scale all)
After getting the size you want
-View/Load back in your screen
I can enhance this method and add a button to your screen and also a "return to screen" so you dont have to reload or load the flash screen....or if you are using a Flash screen you can find it in the tool box...
Please be careful and always do a slow test run first ;)
Http://alphagraphicdesigns.com/help/Quantum/Scale.swf
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where do i get this file from ,i downloaded the file and it appears to open in media player,is that correct.
and i want to make sure im asking the right question.
it appears when i run the roadrunner it will go outside the softlimits that i set, or it will go outside the limit and stop.
what i think i did correctly when setting up soft limits i was also setting up and area that i can cut in. boundries so to speak.
so now that i think i have and area to work with, i know want to test te area, so i loaded the roadrunner.
and the machine will take off running and it will appear it running the code , and i can follow the path , but when the runner gos to one of the limits it stops.
so does this scale solve that problem of staying in the parameters of the limits.
no pain no gain........Robert
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Robert,
you can change the view by clicking the 'Display Mode' button, this will show you the position of the roadrunner within your soft limits, if you do a scale and then 'Regen Toolpath' the display will reflect the new sizes.
Graham.
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Robert,
If I understand you correctly the Roadrunner Gcode is larger than your machine.
You'll need to scale it to fit the size of your machine.
View/Load Screen (Drop down to select "Flash Screens(*.swf)")
Load the Scale.swf in Mach
Http://alphagraphicdesigns.com/help/Quantum/Scaling.swf
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Good job Zealous. ;)
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Thanks Brett,
What I was thinking is to have the toolpath displayed on a CNC table and you could just grab the corner and scale it, maybe have a selection to toggle "keep proportional.
I could grab the values of the softlimits to display the current table size correctly to the toolpath...I was lazy and did this one the quick way ;D
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as i said before where do you get this file from because i dont see it , there is no file with that name as far as i can see.
and i would not know if the file the road runner is big or small.
this is my first time ever building a cnc and using this type of software.
i will say this about mach3 itis not user freindly and it reads as if you do this for a living.
i have set my soft limits which seem to change everytime i turn on the macihine.
i did go to views /load screens/ flash and i dont see this file you say is there.
i also have not registerd this program , so that might be the problem, and im not for sure i want this program . so far i have learned more from you folks than i will ever get from the manual.
and i have a fast updated computer and i still cant open all of the video files.
and as for setting the scale , im not for sure what that did for me.
no pain no gain.......................frustrated Robert
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Robert.
There is a learning curve that comes with Mach. Thousands have made it through it though, it's not impossible. If you want to build your on CNC, this is as good as it gets. Otherwise, you may want to look at buying a system that is all set up. They generally come with a learning curve as well. You should see the stack of books you get with a Fanuc controller. My self and lots of others are here to help you as well as the videos and manuals. If you don't have the patients to learn, most will not have the patients to teach. Everyone that has replied to this thread has machines that are running.
OK, here is what scaleing will do for you. Say you have a part that is 5 inches by 5 inches. If you scale it to .5 it is now half the size. 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches. If the road runner is too large for your machine, you can scale it down so it fits. In the picture you will see a dotted line in the view. That is the machine boundries that are set by the soft limits. On the left you will see the scaleing dros. Click in those and type .5 and hit enter. Do all three axis and hit Regen toolpath under the toolpath screen.
Brett
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Hey Robert,
Yeah the link might be hard to find to the file, it is below the post I made. It might be easer to download the swf if I provide a link:
Right click on this link and "Save Target as"...or go back to the post and find the Icon "Download":
http://Http://alphagraphicdesigns.com/help/Quantum/Scale.swf
The Scale.swf just does the math for you; you can just simply grab a calculator to do the same as its doing and type in the scale.
For example if you wanted to scale the part down to 5 inch by 5 inches
The road runner is currently X: 7.7282 Y: 6.3797 Z: 0.3
So to scale that down to: 5 inch without stretching the shape it would be Scale X: 0.6470 Y: 0,6470 Z: 0.6470 because 1.0 is the current size unscaled (%1.0).
So to do the math it would be the total Width Length and height divided by the desired amount
X: 5/7.7282
Y: 5/6.3797
Z: 5/0.3
The flash wizard just does all this for you quickly without mistakes ;D