Messages

8041

Tangent Corner / Re: Basic electrical questions

« on: December 16, 2009, 08:38:02 AM »

You could, of course, always use the SSR output to switch a transformer with rectified DC output for your existing solenoids. The possibilities are endless 

Tweakie.

8042

Tangent Corner / Re: Basic electrical questions

« on: December 16, 2009, 03:36:32 AM »

Hi Russ,

If it was me I would use an SSR or two SSR's.
The switched load must, of course, be AC but the low drive current (optical isolation), long life and extremely low noise (zero crossing point switching) make SSR's the preferred choice.

Tweakie.

8043

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Mach the toolmaker

« on: December 16, 2009, 03:21:29 AM »

Very nice work Bill, especially the monogram.

Tweakie.

8044

General Mach Discussion / Re: Auto detecting and zeroing of z axis

« on: December 14, 2009, 03:02:34 PM »

After reading other threads here, on this forum, I started using a touch plate for tool height setting and will never look back. A search for 'touch plate' will provide all the info you require but you can, if you wish see how I did it here:- http://www.cooperman.talktalk.net/files/17.htm

Tweakie.

8045

Video P*r*o*b*i*n*g / Re: g code from touch probe?

« on: December 14, 2009, 11:48:55 AM »

Al Lenz has written a brilliant little VB program to do just this. It is called XYZ Converter.exe and can be downloaded from this page.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,13301.msg87229.html#msg87229

Tweakie.

8046

General Mach Discussion / Re: Auto detecting and zeroing of z axis

« on: December 14, 2009, 06:09:37 AM »

First reply deleted as I misunderstood the question.

After a lot more thought – If  your workpieces are electrically conductive and the cutter is electrically isolated from the workpiece the auto tool zero button could possibly be redefined as an OEM button and your GCode would then call a macro to touch off the surface of the work automatically for the start of each part.
On the other hand if the workpiece and cutter are electrically connected (both ground) then the alternative would be to use a touch plate (as I and many others have done) but due the proximity of fingers I do not think it would be wise to perform this operation within a running program so placing the macro within the auto tool zero button and manually clicking on it would be preferable.

Tweakie.

8047

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Christmas present

« on: December 14, 2009, 04:29:30 AM »

Really nice work Vince.

Tweakie.

8048

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: An unusual application for Mach ?.

« on: December 13, 2009, 03:42:54 AM »

Thanks Guys.   

Tweakie.

8049

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / An unusual application for Mach ?.

« on: December 12, 2009, 08:17:07 AM »

Do you remember these (legacy) magnetic access cards ?.

Well I needed to program one – they have a composite core of  flexible magnetic material (very similar to a fridge adornment) and are programmed with a number of magnetic domains, some north up and some north down. Knowing the positions and polarities of the required domains do I make a ‘programmer’ or use Mach ?.  You guessed it Mach wins.

I used a 110Volt coil, half wave rectified, together with a couple of bits of iron and with the spindle relay (and the use of M3 / M4 commands) was able the change the magnetic polarity of the coil to program the domains.

It worked perfectly and serves to indicate the versatility of Mach for what is perhaps an unusual application.

Tweakie.

8050

General Mach Discussion / Re: motor tuning menu wierd in machmill need a good XML file

« on: December 10, 2009, 08:01:31 AM »

Have you tried setting Sherline 1/2 pulse mode in Ports and Pins ?.

Tweakie.