Topics

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General Mach Discussion / Mach3 + NEW UC100 - erratic operation

« on: May 20, 2023, 07:13:13 AM »

My old XP computer died last week.  I tried a newer PC with a fresh 32-bit WIN10 and a PCI parallel port, but no luck.

So I bought a UC100.  I thought it worked after a quick test.  I had control of x,y,z on the keyboard. But then when I went to use it this morning, it's not right.
 
On a ref-all-home, it stopped on the Z.  Like it went past the switch.  Someone else said they had a ground issue after going to the UC100.  I'm not sure how to trouble shoot that.

After more testing time, it seems like I need to start with moving one way on X with the keyboard before using Y or Z.  But then is stops after a few short moves and I loose control.  I can't just run a program either - the spindle CW F5 button flashed and MACH stopped at around the 3rd line.

I think I'm close.  IS there something to setup up after moving to the UC100?   This is an old K2 machine.

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General Mach Discussion / Upgrading from Mach2 to Mach3 - basic help - slow Z- Jog, etc.

« on: September 10, 2011, 08:24:57 AM »

I just got my Mach3 install finally running.  I learned to use my machine on Mach2.  I did some basic cuts in Mach3, but need some help making it user friendly.

The first thing is, how do i make the Z-axis jog more touch sensitive?  That may not be the right word, but I use that to set the tool on the wood surface.  Its just way too jumpy.  I slowed down the jog speed to 60%, but that doesn't seen to make the jog go just a little with a bump of the page down.   

3

LazyCam (Beta) / 3d radius?

« on: May 19, 2011, 07:53:39 AM »

Can Lazy CAM make a radius on the edge of piece I cut?  I'm not sure the buzzwords, but I think its a fillet or a 3d radius.  I'm pretty sure it can only do very basic 2d stuff, but I thought I'd ask. 

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LazyCam (Beta) / depth works when I start at zero, but not when I change the cut start

« on: April 02, 2011, 07:55:30 AM »

I made a new simple trace to make a cut out mount a plastic cover.  If I set the cut start to zero, and the depth to -0.15, it work as planned.  However, all the other programs on this piece have a start height of 1.7323.  I'd like to paste this into another program, so I need to match that.  If I change the cut start to 1.7323 (or 1, or anything else), the dept goes right to -0.25.  I even tried tricking LC by making a tool with a max dept of -.15, but it still cuts to -0.25. 

Any ideas?  I have read the manual and looked for bugs, but I didn't see any.

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General Mach Discussion / Lost keyboard control in Mach 2 - help

« on: March 30, 2011, 07:51:12 AM »

I'm not sure what to do here.  I lost the arrow control using the keyboard.  I tried the backup keyboard.  The windows shutdown button works, so I figure its connected.  The mouse works to load a program.  I can even run a program, so the controller is working.  i just need the KB controls to set the height.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

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G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / All I have is G-code, help with approach to make mods

« on: March 16, 2011, 07:59:23 PM »

First, hello everyone.  This is my first post here.

I recently bought a working CNC machine to build guitar bodies and necks.  Part of the deal was that I’d get copies of all of the code.  I was supplied with only the G-Code, but no CAD or CAM files.  I’m unable to get anything else.

After a month or so, I can use the programs relatively efficiently.  To cut a compete guitar body, there are around 10 programs that are run on the front and back, with 6 different bits.  The front is all done while being screwed down to plate that fit in a specific spot on the table.  The screw holes are removed when the back is cut.  To do the back, there is an outline of the body that is cut into a plate that is mounted to the table.  I have known offset for cutting either the front or the back.

The computer with the machine has mach2.  I downloaded and bought mach3 to run on my notebook for testing.  I’m not sure what configuration goes into changing to mach3, so I was just planning on sticking with mach2 for now.

I have the following goals for making mods to the programs.

1.   On the front side, I’d like to cut different shapes of bodies.  So long as the neck programs are run on the same location, all the hardware will still work.  I took the program for the outline and ran it through a g-code to DXF converter.  Then I had someone from work that knows CAD do some mods.  It shows up as 7 layers, so he stripped the top layer, then made a slight mod to the shape.  I took that file into lazycam and did the procedure like on page 63 of the manual and set up a .5 dia cutting tool with .25 inches per cut.  Then I generated new g-code.  It seems to run in mach3 as a simulation, but on the mach2 machine, I can’t see the profile.  When I run the program, it just pulls the tool to the corner and stops.  The original test worked when the lead-ins from the original code where part of the cutting path, but once those were removed, something is wrong.  Any tips on how to finish this off?  Is there a better way?

2.   In one program, there is some finish routing that is close to being accurate to the original intent, but not quite.  It looks like if I switched from a 1/4 inch round end bit to one a little bigger that it would be perfect.  Maybe 9/32 as a guess.  A buddy of mine said I should be able to simulate that with cutter compensation, but that looked really complicated in the mach2 manual.  Is this even possible to try different simulated cutter sizes like this?  This program is the most complicated, so I’d rather not start from scratch.

3.   In another program, 3 cavities are cut on the back for the guitar electronics and hardware.  Then a little lip is cut to let a plastic cover fit.  That last lip cut is just a bit too small, so the plastic covers need to be sanded to fit.  It even worse if the body had a lot of paint. I pulled that lip into a separate G-code program.  I was thinking I could do either of the techniques above, but would rather just make them a bit bigger in the original code.  I’d rather not run even another separate program.  Is there an easier way?

Any help would be appreciated.  I’m spending a couple of hours a day on this trying to get everything going.

Chris