Messages

5221

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

« on: October 08, 2012, 01:43:22 AM »

Hi Dale,

Welcome to the forum.

Many of the forum members here also use Vectric software so this is a good place to be for any assistance you require regarding the use / operation of Mach3.

As mentioned previously, post your question in the General section under a new topic and you will receive the necessary suggestions, advice etc. We all started out at the beginning so realise that there is a lot to learn.

Tweakie.

5222

General Mach Discussion / Re: i must be totally stupid and dumb

« on: October 07, 2012, 07:02:14 AM »

where is the READ information...LOL

Hi Belin,

Its not my fault that his website is messy but its all there somewhere 
I have not had too much success using F-Engrave for DXF work.

The list of image engraving software is probably endless but these I have used with success…

PicEngrave (nicely priced) http://picengrave.com/ (demo version available)
DotG (free) http://dotg.weebly.com/download.html (English version and manuals)
Halftoner and Reactor (free)  http://jasondorie.com/page_cnc.html

As for JPEG to DXF software there are many to choose from, some better than others. An Internet search for ‘Raster to Vector’ software should turn up a few.
The one I commonly use is Vextractor http://www.vextrasoft.com/?source=vextractor but it comes at a price.

Tweakie.

5223

General Mach Discussion / Re: i must be totally stupid and dumb

« on: October 07, 2012, 06:18:27 AM »

Hi Belin,

You need to read the F-Engrave documentation (sorry   ) you can install any Windows font as well as the CamBam single line fonts and of course there is a large range of the Australian Flying Corps fonts also available.

What type of pictures do you want to create ??

Tweakie.

5224

General Mach Discussion / Re: i must be totally stupid and dumb

« on: October 07, 2012, 05:28:13 AM »

Hi Belin,

This is the Windows executable file...

http://home.comcast.net/~sskroch/Fengrave/F-Engrave-0.8_win.zip

Tweakie.

5225

General Mach Discussion / Re: i must be totally stupid and dumb

« on: October 07, 2012, 04:57:27 AM »

Hi Belin,

LazyCam is OK for what it does but it has it’s limitations and quirks (perhaps like all software) and is really not that suitable to use for engraving work.

Most of my CNC work is with laminate engraving and I use Vectric VCarvePro http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/vcp/vcp_index.htm which is extremely quick and easy to learn and use although it is perhaps not cheap to purchase. For general engraving work and for the price this software takes a lot of beating.

There are some free alternatives such as F-Engrave http://home.comcast.net/~sskroch/Fengrave/fengrave.html which I have found to be excellent. This software is pretty versatile and has enabled me, from one extreme to the other, to engrave text down to 0.5mm height http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,21525.msg150158.html#msg150158
 as well as V-Carving 12mm deep into Teak (using different spindles for each task, of course).

There is perhaps no easy route to the learning process but my recommendation is start with a simple, basic project, get plenty of ‘hands-on’ experience and spend some time browsing the forum. Once you have mastered the basics you will be surprised at just how easy it all is.

Tweakie.

5226

General Mach Discussion / Re: New startup

« on: October 06, 2012, 11:52:44 AM »

Hi Joe,

That's correct except than my SS is an early model and uses the USB to connect to the computer.

Tweakie.

5227

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

« on: October 06, 2012, 08:10:41 AM »

Hi Brett,

I had not even thought about measuring moisture content (I do have the equipment to measure that) but surface finish certainly does play a big part in determining the result.

Any thoughts or suggestions on the easiest way I can determine density ??

Tweakie.

5228

General Mach Discussion / Re: New startup

« on: October 06, 2012, 07:59:03 AM »

I have read that the laptop is not supported without some other device.  What exactly is that.

Hi Joe,

As Hood has said, laptops are not the ideal but if all else fails and a laptop is the only choice then you need an external motion controller and there are now quite a few different makes for you to choose from.

I purchased a Smooth Stepper (http://warp9td.com/), some years back, it is still working as well as the day I first connected it.

Tweakie.

5229

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

« on: October 06, 2012, 07:43:59 AM »

Thanks Brett. 

As always, learning as I go but different types of wood produce such entirely different contrast ratio's that it is very difficult to obtain a datum upon which to base comparative tests.

I am no expert when it comes to wood so I don't know exactly what type this is but the results were not what I was expecting. So far Obechi seems to give me the best contrast ratio so perhaps I should stay with that. 

Tweakie.

5230

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Impact engraving plugin

« on: October 06, 2012, 02:14:45 AM »

Hi Pasquale,

I think you are on the right track with the voltage. I am currently using 72Volts but have found that fine control of the pulse timing can also provide an increase in repetition frequency. As long as the voltage is removed just prior to impact the rebound increases the speed of the return stroke.

I am looking forward to hearing more about your developments and progress.

Tweakie.