Messages

3581

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Offset malfunction

« on: February 28, 2016, 02:58:20 AM »

The 'Crop Circles' have appeared because you have the incorrect IJ Mode set.

In Config / General Config change the IJ Mode then regen. toolpath.

This problem occurs because Mach3 caters for two different methods of defining arcs (Absolute and Incremental) as different CAD/CAM packages may use either of these different methods. Ideally your CAD/CAM generated Gcode should include the G90.1 /G91.1 (as appropriate) but alas it does not always happen. LazyCam was abandoned many years back and nowadays there are much better packages available - some are free but like all things 'you get what you pay for'.

Hope this helps.

Tweakie.

3582

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Perpetual Motor Magnets

« on: February 28, 2016, 02:44:39 AM »

Don't waste your time, effort and money.

In 1494 Leonardo da Vinci summed it up well when he said...
Oh ye seekers after perpetual motion, how many vain chimeras have you pursued? Go and take your place with the alchemists.

Having said that, it has been established that in quantum physics the very small do not always obey the laws of phisycs as we know them. Therefore it would not be unreasonable to assume that some things may not always obey the first and second laws of thermodynamics as we know them.
One day there will be some kind of breakthrough but it is not going to be any time soon.

Tweakie.

3583

General Mach Discussion / Re: Upgrading Mach3-2010 to Mach3-2016

« on: February 28, 2016, 02:22:12 AM »

1) Backup the following to the desktop, or even better, a USB drive:

XML(Profile) – This stores you’re settings for Mach3, if you lose it you will need to re-setup you’re ports and pins, motor tuning, etc.
Screensets
Macros/Brains
(Prehaps best to just backup/copy the whole Mach3 folder)

2) Download the current version of Mach3 from the Downloads & Update page.

3) Install the downloaded version; allow the install path to default to where Mach3 is installed.

4) Copy over to the new install the original ...

XML(profile)
Screensets
Macro's/Brains

WARNING: If you do not backup the files in Step 1, you will lose ALL settings and configurations.

Tweakie.

3584

General Mach Discussion / Re: Some starting advice for two steppers on one axis

« on: February 27, 2016, 07:41:16 AM »

Yes, sorry Russ - I was referring to the Bob.

Tweakie.

3585

General Mach Discussion / Re: My Mach3 Adventure, so far

« on: February 27, 2016, 07:31:38 AM »

Hi Rick,

It will take me forever to read them all but from what I have read so far "Excellent work" and thanks for sharing this extremely educational information.

Tweakie.

3586

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 PWM signal inverted?

« on: February 27, 2016, 06:55:04 AM »

 

Tweakie.

3587

General Mach Discussion / Re: Some starting advice for two steppers on one axis

« on: February 27, 2016, 01:26:02 AM »

Although the CWD556 does indeed allow two motors to be driven from one output you must bear in mind that it does not allow for synchronising the two motor’s exact position as, for example, in gantry squaring.

Tweakie.

3588

General Mach Discussion / Re: Some starting advice for two steppers on one axis

« on: February 26, 2016, 04:15:33 AM »

So by "Slaving" the two.. Do you mean simply wiring the two motors into the X axis output, and the two motors into Y axis output?
If so, Will that not split the voltage supply to each?  Or cause problems with current draw? 

It is not a good idea to just connect two motors together - each motor should have it's own driver (set-up as an axis) and then be 'slaved' as Jeff has described.

Tweakie.

3589

General Mach Discussion / Re: usb or ethernet controller for Mach 3 & 4?

« on: February 26, 2016, 01:40:37 AM »

The Warp9, Ethernet Smooth Stepper will operate with both Mach3 and Mach4 http://warp9td.com/

Tweakie.

3590

General Mach Discussion / Re: X and A

« on: February 25, 2016, 04:57:10 AM »

It's not a good idea to use a Y lead with stepper motors - one driver for each motor is best.

If you can gain access to the unused parallel port pins then there is no reason why you cannot just add another single axis driver.

Tweakie.