Messages

4001

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3 ROAD RUNNER ACTUAL SIZE

« on: May 17, 2013, 04:01:49 AM »

Corel is probably not the best package to use (I use Vectric VCarve Pro) but you have to start somewhere and if you have Corel already then use it.

If your Corel drawing is simple then by all means export it in .dxf format then use LazyCam (free with Mach3) to create the GCode then load the GCode file into Mach3.

If your Corel drawing is more complex then it is better to export it in .dxf format then load the .dxf into a CAD/CAM program (such as Vectric) to create the GCode then load the GCode into Mach3.

Obviously you may need to read the relevant manuals (LazyCam, Vectric, etc.) to understand the correct procedures for setting up the tool paths, depths, etc. but it is basically quite a simple process and I am sure you will master it in no time.

Tweakie.

4002

General Mach Discussion / Re: Interface between Labview and Mach3

« on: May 16, 2013, 02:59:15 PM »

I don’t know if this will be any help to you but you could perhaps check out these two topics;
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/board,64.0.html
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/board,29.0.html

There is also much information regarding Cypress Enable (VB) and also the use of macro’s in the documents section http://www.machsupport.com/documentation.php

OK, it's a lot of reading to do but I think it will show you the easiest way to read current DRO and other Mach3 data, how to perform the necessary calculations and how to act on the result.

Tweakie.

4003

General Mach Discussion / Re: Strange axis movement ONLY when spindle is starting or stopping...

« on: May 16, 2013, 10:59:13 AM »

- I have changed nothing else in configuration.

Did you not configure e-stop ??

How about Motor Tuning ??

Are you sure you ran Mach3 under your new TEST profile ??

Sorry to ask these stupid questions but I have tried "**While an axis is moving** , click on "Spindle CW F5" button on the bottom right of the screen." and found no problem with motor noise or missing steps.

Tweakie.

Addition;

One further thought - run the DriverTest.exe (Mach folder) to check that your PC is up to the task.

4004

General Mach Discussion / Re: MACH3 ROAD RUNNER ACTUAL SIZE

« on: May 16, 2013, 08:11:30 AM »

Hi Ugotit33,

Pleased to hear you have now got your machine up and running.

The roadrunner .tap file is in inches.

Once any GCode file has been loaded if you go to the Toolpath window it will show the dimensional extents (X,Y,Z) of the file under ‘Program Limits’ (these dimensions relate to axis movements from the origin as defined in the CAD/CAM program which created the GCode).

Tweakie.

4005

General Mach Discussion / Re: Interface between Labview and Mach3

« on: May 16, 2013, 05:51:10 AM »

Hi Shiv,

Welcome to the forum.

Not sure just why you would want to use Labview to control the stage when Mach3 already handles Cypress Enable (VB) routines that may well accomplish your desired task. You may also want to take a look at 'Brains' as this may be the way to go.

Tweakie.

nb. Please don't make multiple postings on the same topic in different threads, it only serves to confuse and dilute the response. Thanks. 

4006

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help with home switch setup.

« on: May 16, 2013, 05:36:00 AM »

Do i still need to set the debounce in Mach 3 at all now ?

Hi Chris,

You don't need to worry about the Mach3 debounce settings then. If you are using an SS then it has it's own settings to take care of this issue. 

Tweakie.

4007

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help with home switch setup.

« on: May 16, 2013, 04:52:10 AM »

As far as I am aware you can’t set the distance because the axis needs to move off the switch only as much as it takes for the switch to be reset.
If you have ‘switch bounce’ then a false signal will be sent and this may be the cause of your problem.

Try increasing the de-bounce interval (Config / General Config) and see if this helps. (Ideally this needs to be set to the lowest, reliable, value which cures the problem).

Tweakie.

4008

General Mach Discussion / Re: Strange axis movement ONLY when spindle is starting or stopping...

« on: May 16, 2013, 04:31:44 AM »

I feel that your problem may be related to electrical noise emanating from your VFD and / or its wiring.

Assuming, for one moment, that it is not an electrical noise issue then - it’s a long shot but something you may wish to try…

Make a hard copy of your existing Mach3 settings, create a new profile (don’t clone the existing profile), open Mach3 in the new profile and enter all your settings, restart Mach3 with this new profile and then see if the problem persists.

(It is not unknown for an existing .xml to become corrupt - thereafter all sorts of strange things can happen).

Just thinking out loud. 

Tweakie.

4009

General Mach Discussion / Re: If not LazyCam then what?

« on: May 13, 2013, 02:39:18 AM »

Hi Gary,

Along with many others, I still use LazyCam and it’s predecessor Mac1Filter.exe. albeit only occasionally. In my case it is mainly for handling HPGL files and within their limitations they are both great products and well worth learning to use.

For .dxf and similar work these products have, unfortunately, been technically overtaken by many, more advanced, softwares (for example the Vectric range) mainly because of the additional features, speed and ease of use.

There will always be new and better software coming along but who is to say that the old stuff is not still good ? (When Mach Rev4 arrives many will change camp but if Mach3 does the job...)

Tweakie.

4010

General Mach Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!

« on: May 13, 2013, 01:40:57 AM »

Hi Gary,

Welcome to the forum.

Please post your question, including as many details about your set-up as you think are relevant (WinOS, machine & controller type, version of Mach3 being used etc), as a new topic in the General section. This will receive more exposure and have a better chance of finding a solution to the problem you are having.

Tweakie.