Messages

7511

Promote and discuss your product / Re: Mach3 as 3d printer software

« on: October 27, 2010, 11:07:05 AM »

what I am trying to do is easy switching from a cnc to 3d printer. Mach3 will be the software. You will plug a extrusion head instead of a spindle and you will begin to print. A arduino based circuit board will control all the stuff like extrusion temperature, extrusion speed and build platform heating. I prefer to separate the 3d printer requirements from mach3 software. This will not disturb the mach3 to run the cnc code and will help people to switch between cnc and 3d printer.

This is a brilliant concept Nuri - I am following this with great interest.

Tweakie.

7512

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

« on: October 27, 2010, 07:16:32 AM »

Hi Russ,

Total time probably about 20 minutes, the image is just 90mm x 60mm and the vertical step size was 0.06mm.

As soon as I lay my hands on a decent gloss finish piece of black anodized I will try and make a better job of this, larger image and smaller step size perhaps. 

Tweakie.

7513

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 for embroidery machine

« on: October 27, 2010, 06:22:16 AM »

Hi Larry,

If you need exact movement then fitting another stepper and driver and slaving this new axis to the Y axis or, if you can get the gearing right, driving the new axis from the existing Y axis step and direction signals.
As an alternative.......
A few years back I used to use drum plotters and the take up rollers were driven by current limited dc motors continuously energized (if the paper broke then the upper and lower take up rollers would rotate rapidly in opposite directions) as the drum rotated forward and backwards the paper would be taken up in either direction accordingly. There was also some adjustment of the take-up torque to cater for different paper thicknesses. I no longer have these plotters as my current stuff is flatbed otherwise I could get some circuit details but it should not be too hard to figure out.

Hope this helps,

Tweakie.

7514

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

« on: October 27, 2010, 05:40:29 AM »

Something lasers are pretty good at is ablating inks and dyes which is why they are often used for tattoo removals. They are also pretty good at removing the dye layer from anodized alluminium and here is an example.
It's only a scrap piece of material which I had kept to be used on another project but I thought I would give this a try and as it happens it turned out reasonably well, I think.

Tweakie.

7515

General Mach Discussion / Re: Pulling Pins High

« on: October 26, 2010, 12:57:25 PM »

I think Brian has his problem sorted now but for those that follow pulling pins high to +5Volts, with a high value resistor 10K or so helps the following logic (and Mach) see the transition, from high to low, when the pin is taken low by a probe or other device – this arrangement is configured within Mach as ‘active low’. Pins could quite equally be pulled low (10K or so to GND) and this arrangement would then be configured within Mach as ‘active high’.
Once upon a time the output from all logic gates was either high or low and a transition was always obvious but then along came tri-state logic which could be either high, low or high impedance (open circuit) which enabled the inputs and outputs of many devices to be physically connected to the same bus and with the use of enable signals communicate to each other without loading those that were just waiting their turn.
Generally the manufacturers of the controllers, breakout boards etc. fit the necessary resistors to the inputs as standard and some even provide the option for pulling high or low as required. As always, their recommendations / instructions should be followed in preference to anything I have mentioned here.

Tweakie.

7516

General Mach Discussion / Re: CD Rom Stepper motor settings or recommendations?

« on: October 26, 2010, 11:32:52 AM »

Has anyone had success driving the 4 wire motors using Mach3?

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the forum.

I think all my steppers are the 4 wire bipolar type (but not out of CD Roms  ).

Tweakie.

7517

General Mach Discussion / Re: Using Mach 3 Pulsing Engine

« on: October 26, 2010, 06:42:12 AM »

I suppose the question is why and for what purpose do you want to use it ?

Tweakie.

7518

FAQs / Re: Losing steps or something?

« on: October 26, 2010, 05:10:21 AM »

I removed the temporary earth strap, but there is still continuity from the Cap to chassis.  I don't know where. 

Just an observation but I think you should pursue this.

Tweakie.

7519

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

« on: October 25, 2010, 07:29:47 AM »

Thanks Jeff, good call. 

Tweakie.

7520

Promote and discuss your product / Re: Mach3 as 3d printer software

« on: October 25, 2010, 03:30:05 AM »

Mach needs most of your computer resource to provide the correct timing etc.
Just a thought, but...... Using an external timing device such as the "Smooth Stepper" may free-up sufficient Mach resource to allow your RS232 communication.

Tweakie.