Messages

1521

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: January 14, 2018, 08:45:33 AM »

Hi Dan,

If it helps...
I know nothing about wood but as a comparison, the image in post #1001 is on plywood which was purchased as Birch Ply and the image in post #1003 in on what Ger21 suspects is Beech.

Tweakie.

1522

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: January 14, 2018, 08:32:42 AM »

Hi Dan,

I don't really know if hard woods perform better or not, certainly a lack of the hard growth rings (often found in pine) is preferable. I think you just have to try different woods and see.

Just thinking out loud...
The original Mach3 plugin was only able to provide a maximum 50% pulse duty cycle so lower powered lasers could struggle to achieve the best results. Auggie has adjustable PWM pulse duty cycle (0% to 100%) so I am confident that good results could be achieved with as small as a 150 mW diode laser (although feed-rate may be painfully slow).

As we have already said Auggie is free software but it requires the 57CNC which incidentally is also an excellent motion controller for use with Mach4.

Tweakie.

1523

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Z 0 help

« on: January 14, 2018, 02:41:44 AM »

So I will need to put a 10k in line at the bob. This will go between the bob and the probe wire?

Best to connect a 10k resistor between the probe wire and +5 Volts (at the BoB end).

Tweakie.

1524

Mach3 and G-Rex / Re: Keyboard keys

« on: January 14, 2018, 02:33:32 AM »

On the Mach3 main screen is the Jog ON/OFF button illuminated (green around border) ?

Tweakie.

1525

Tangent Corner / Re: Pyrography.

« on: January 14, 2018, 02:25:14 AM »

Hi,

You could try turning off Constant Velocity and see if that makes any difference.

Alternately there was a Russian software that possibly made a better job than G-Ray, you could try that; https://sites.google.com/site/nikromsoft/home/programmy/drovopal (you may need to use Google or Microsoft Translate).

Tweakie.

1526

Mach3 and G-Rex / Re: Keyboard keys

« on: January 13, 2018, 05:51:28 AM »

Have you accidentally clicked on the   Jog ON/OFF Ctrl-Alt-J   button ?

Tweakie.

1527

General Mach Discussion / Re: DRI input does not work

« on: January 13, 2018, 05:43:34 AM »

Which version of Mach3 are you using ?

When the MDI box goes blank do you get any message in the Status window ?

Click on History and see if that gives any clues as to what is going wrong.

Tweakie.

1528

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: January 13, 2018, 04:21:30 AM »

Hi Art,

I still get many emails and questions about the original plugin and 8 bit image reproduction (from folks all over the world).
Although the plugin is easy enough to use it is not always that easy to achieve good results. The overall set-up is perhaps a bit too complex.
On the other hand, with Auggie (and of course the 57CNC) it is very easy to get good 8 bit image results first time.
I agree, the M3 enable then ON with feed-rate moves and OFF with rapid moves combined with a system to allow changes in the PWM duty cycle without breaking the CV chain is definitely the way forward. I think this method of control is by far the simplest and as you have said, would equally apply to many different systems, not just laser.

Tweakie.

1529

General Mach Discussion / Re: very slow Feed issues with setup , calculated steps per not working in mach3

« on: January 12, 2018, 07:31:54 AM »

You must be gifted - the cheap endmills hardly ever break, it is usually always the expensive ones that go.  

Tweakie.

1530

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: January 12, 2018, 02:48:33 AM »

Thanks Art for the kind words. I thought my post would make you smile. 

Back in the day, I started out with Mach2 then moved on to Mach3 – although I have Mach4 set-up and ready to go (using the Warp9 ESS) I am now having my doubts that I will ever use it for any serious work. Currently, Mach3 still rules. Somehow, I need to get more free time so I can get stuck into learning the protocol and application of Auggie scripting then who knows the direction of the future.

Tweakie.