Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Arrow keys don't work after a run

« on: August 02, 2018, 01:29:58 PM »

Weird. My USB keyboard arrow keys + Pg down, page up - don't work within Mach 3 - but they DO work if I'm in another app like Notepad. Sometimes they don't work from the get go - today, they worked after initial boot, but after running a job, they didn't work. The Home key worked, and I can type letters and numbers into the MDI field. I re-checked if the keys worked in Notepad - they did.

It isn't the presence/absence of the onscreen pendant you bring up with the Tab key.

Quitting and restarting Mach3 brought them back just now - but hasn't always in the past.

Any ideas?

2

General Mach Discussion / Z axis rapid speed control

« on: June 12, 2018, 10:54:56 AM »

My system (Mach 3, Syil X5)  occasionally loses steps on Z axis rapid retracts. Which of course means the tool doesn't clear the work before an XY move and all hell breaks loose. I've gone to G1 retracts but ....

1) What is the right way to control the speed of Z axis rapids without affecting other axes?

2) I already have the acceleration set very low.  But this problem seems intermittent. The machine is quite new. Any suggestions for a good way to diagnose the real culprit?

Thanks in advance - perennial newbie.

/Greg
http://www.blowsmeaway.com

3

General Mach Discussion / Easy question, I think - 4th axis feed speed

« on: September 16, 2014, 10:48:48 PM »

So I'm playing with my new 4th axis to learn it. G0 moves are fine. G1 A moves are PAINFULLY slow - about 1 degree every 5 seconds at F2. Now - I understand that the diameter of the work being turned impacts surface IPS- and some googling suggested there was a setting for diameter somewhere - but I cannot find it. I tried the alt-F6/Settings A axis radius setting - didn't seem to make any difference.

I can wrap all the A moves in my code with F100 and back to F2 after - and that works - but ... there must be a way to get a reasonable feed rate with 1-3" diameter work somewhere equivalent to the X and Y axis feed speed.

??

Thanks

/Greg
http://www.blowsmeaway.com

4

General Mach Discussion / 3 Axis to 4 axis Gcode conversion utility?

« on: September 14, 2014, 11:30:13 AM »

Hi - I do some engraving on round objects - just using the wizard. Until now I've only had 3-axis mill so I've only engraved length-wise on barrel-shaped objects, setting a compromise depth deep enough to get the entire letter engraved. I just inherited my father's mill with a 4th axis. I seem to recall having seen somewhere a utility that takes 3-axis Gcode and "wraps" it around a round object creating 4-axis code. Can anyone point me to this?

Searched but couldn't find it.

P.S. - I don't use CAM - I write my Gcode manually (or use the Wizard)

Thanks in advance

/Greg
http://www.BlowsMeAway.com