Messages

5451

General Mach Discussion / Re: Laptop with parallel Port

« on: October 14, 2012, 04:29:28 AM »

Hi Darryl,

If you connect 5 volts across the input side of your SSR (observe correct polarity) with a series ammeter you can measure the drive current. If it is less than 10mA then your SSR can be driven directly from your breakout board.
Choose the output pin you wish to use then connect the SSR input between this pin and GND, configure Mach3 Ports & Pins / Output Signals / Output #1 to your chosen Port and Pin then set it Active High. Then Under Ports & Pins / Spindle Setup choose Output #1 for Clockwise(M3) you can also set the spin-up and spin-down delays (If required).
Adding M3 to you GCode will then activate the SSR and the code M5 will de-activate it.

Tweakie.

nb. I could do with a bit of your warm weather here in the UK, it's Brass Monkey's in my workshop. 

5452

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help for configuring Mach 3 for CNC Coquerie

« on: October 14, 2012, 01:22:07 AM »

Hi Niroleta,

Mach3 will only make movements which are a multiple of your ‘steps per unit’  (as set in motor tuning).
Could you give some details of your motor tuning setup please ?

Tweakie.

5453

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: New Challenge....Anyone care to assist

« on: October 13, 2012, 07:55:09 AM »

Hi Belin,

EngraveLab is exactly what I would have liked but that requires a Platinum Card so Vectric was my next best choice. There may be some advantage of me upgrading from VCarve to Aspire but that will have to wait a while. Why am I always broke ? 

With F-Engrave you will need to download the win-zip file, un-zip it file then transfer the folder to your chosen computer. (Just as a tip it is better to run your CAD / CAM software on your main computer and leave your machine computer with just Mach3 and the minimum of anything you need).

Tweakie.

5454

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: New Challenge....Anyone care to assist

« on: October 13, 2012, 04:32:42 AM »

Hi Belin,

I think you are going to struggle to find free software that produces a good quality of multi-line engraving and layout.

OK it may be a Gold Card purchase but Vectric VCarvePro is so quick and easy to use that it pays for itself in the shortest possible time.

What software is it that you can’t actually download ??

Tweakie.

5455

General Mach Discussion / Re: Limit Switches and Interference

« on: October 13, 2012, 04:14:24 AM »

Hi brw,

Welcome to the forum.

In order to prevent possible false triggering, such as you have experienced, the limit switch wiring should be made with shielded cable. Only connect the shield to GND at the controller end and you should be OK.

Tweakie.

5456

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

« on: October 13, 2012, 04:06:00 AM »

Hi Pasquale,

Thanks for reporting back on your results and I am sorry that the Greyscale compression did not help you.

I have not yet tried it with my impact magnet set-up but as soon as I get a bit of spare time I will.

Tweakie.

5457

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help Again with Small piece engraving set up

« on: October 13, 2012, 02:09:49 AM »

 

Tweakie.

5458

General Mach Discussion / Re: Laptop with parallel Port

« on: October 12, 2012, 12:14:01 PM »

Hi Darryl,

The E-Stop button is wired directly to the breakout board then configured within Mach3,  Ports & Pins / Input Signals. It basically has the same function as the on-screen Reset button.

Technically, E-Stop should be a latching multi-pole switch - which, as well as stopping Mach3 execution also disconnects power to the machine and applies brakes if appropriate although this is seldom implemented in the home-shop environment.

Tweakie.

5459

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help Again with Small piece engraving set up

« on: October 12, 2012, 05:47:02 AM »

Hi Belin,

I am perhaps bit of an oddball in the way I do things but I set-up the CAD/CAM engraving work with the X and Y zero's (datum) at the centre of the work.
It is easy enough to locate the centre of the first blank by pencil drawing corner to corner diagonals, the blank is then located on a vacuum table in a corner jig and the centre located by a small laser cross-hair. The Mach3 DRO's are then zeroed and engraving then begins, replacing the finished work with a new blank in the jig, the batch is then completed.

There are many threads here on the forum which discuss various methods and a search should reveal the details but, if it's any help, there is a description of what I have done here http://www.cooperman.talktalk.net/files/17.htm

Tweakie.

5460

Share Your GCode / Re: Demo Gcode

« on: October 12, 2012, 02:35:15 AM »

Hi Guys,

Here is a little project that falls within the 500 line limit for the Demo version of Mach3.

I am going back a few years but this is probably the first item I made with my CNC machine after it was built.
The GCode was produced with the free software G-Simple (sadly no longer available).

The cube was made from 1.8mm thick engraving laminate and cut with a 2mm dia. Endmill – the 6 pieces then slotted together and fixed with cyano super glue.

There are 2 versions of ‘Tweakie’s CNC Cube’ and I have included the Gcode for each in the .zip folder in post #1 of this thread.

Tweakie.