Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / PWM laser connections

« on: April 12, 2021, 07:43:13 AM »

I have had a diode laser running on my CNC for a while now but can only operate it at 100% so I now want to get the PWM working.
I use a Warp9 ESS connected to a 5 axis BOB via port 1 and have pin 17 connected to the PWM connection on the laser for M10/M11 control. Works well.
I built Tweakie's little NAND trigger unit and connected it all up as below and followed the spindle/laser setup in the Warp9 install manual.
I have tried playing with various M10Pxx/M11Pxx and S********* commands but pin 1 will always stay low (0 volts).
I am either missing or not understanding something here and hoping someone can help please.

Thanks

2

General Mach Discussion / Home build using 2040 Aluminum Profile

« on: March 21, 2021, 01:38:38 AM »

Hi everyone. I am considering building a new CNC router to replace my original (and highly modified) unit and am considering using 2040 aluminium profile for the frame. That seems to be the standard for openbuild laser units but am wondering if it would be strong and rigid enough for a router. If anyone has any experience with this form of construction I would love to hear from you.
Doug

3

General Mach Discussion / Using a Rotary Axis

« on: March 16, 2021, 05:48:52 AM »

I have been using Mach3 to drive my self built CNC router/laser machine with great success. Now I want to be able to etch with either the router or the laser on a curved surface. I have figured out the hardware and how to configure Mach3 but am at a loss with the CAD software. I use Fusion 360 and Inkscape for CAD but cannot figure out how to get them to generate the GCode for a curved surface for Mach3. Are there extension/plug-ins available for these programs or do I need to get different software. Any advice will be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Doug

4

General Mach Discussion / Laser not cutting on axis

« on: November 08, 2020, 05:02:53 AM »

Hi.
My laser has trouble cutting cleanly on the X axis. The Y axis is fine but need to make one or two extra passes for the laser to cut all the way through.
I am using a 7.5W (optical) diode laser with a fixed focus.
I have carefully aligned the laser head in the vertical and have tried some adjustments with focus but no improvement.
Is this caused by the laser dot maybe not being a perfect circle? The laser is Chinese and I can't be sure of the optics in it.
Hoping someone out there might have experienced this before and have a fix.
Thanks

5

General Mach Discussion / Laser 2 Raster

« on: October 28, 2020, 06:31:49 AM »

Hi everyone.
I am trying to download a copy of "Laser 2 Raster G Code Generator" for use with Inkscape. I'm getting adventurous with my laser.
The only place I can find it is on Github but the download from there will not unzip.
Does anyone know of another source for this program.
Thanks

6

General Mach Discussion / Error Art Code 9991

« on: October 10, 2020, 11:39:39 PM »

Getting error Art Code 9991 when I close the program. Can someone tell me what it means please?
Also the screen won't maximise and although the G Code will load, the generated toolpath is nothing like what it should be. In the pic it shows large circles when it should be text.
Any ideas what could be causing this behavior please?
Thanks

7

General Mach Discussion / M10/M11 Control

« on: September 26, 2020, 04:59:30 AM »

Hi Everyone. Newbie here. This might be a dumb question but how do I set up Mach3 to recognise and react to M10 and M11 commands. I remember seeing a Youtube video that showed the Settings page with the M10 and M11 commands on it but have not been able to find it again. Can anyone help please.

8

General Mach Discussion / M10/M11 Control

« on: August 15, 2020, 05:10:18 AM »

New here and have some questions about M10 and M11 commands.
I have built a CNC machine using Mach3 with a USB Motion Controller (Bitcom BSMCEO04-PP). This works well for me for 3D Sculpting and 2D engraving.
I want to venture into the realm of a laser but I am having trouble with the on/off control for the laser. As everyone is aware the M3,M5,etc commands are too slow and I have read that the M10/M11 commands are for this purpose.
I have the latest (?) version (.066) of Mach3 but cannot find  any reference to them in the setup or configuration.
Are these commands only applicable if you are using an ESS?
Are there any instructions/videos out there that show to set these commands up?
Thanks in advance for any help or advice.