Messages

51

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: New LazyCam has lots of problems

« on: January 11, 2007, 09:06:29 PM »

The file is actually only text, at least that is all I found. Text cannot be directly converted to a cut. You need to convert it to lines and curves. If Turbocad won't do this then you will need other programs to do it. 

Find the program DeskEngrave or Stick Font, on the internet, to do this on the cheap. They are a little crude, but free. You can import these generated text files into Turbocad for modification or you can import them directly into LazyCam.

Bill

52

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Ver 24 comments

« on: December 19, 2006, 07:47:27 PM »

Art,
Do You ever plan to put tool offsets back into LazyCAM? Now that the project can be saved in an intermediate .lcam format, using tool offsets become more practical.

Also "Set Layer Depth" causes the program to crash using WIN2K. I click on a chain and then click Set Layer Depth.... fatal error and closes program.

Thanks.
Bill

53

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 18, 2006, 03:12:00 PM »

Greg,
what speeds are you trying to run at?
1) What top speed and
2) acceleration and what
3) cut speed

4) And what speeds if any have you been able to run at successfully?
5) Does it mess up during cutting or during high speed travel (non cutting)

Thanks.
Bill

54

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 14, 2006, 09:35:58 AM »

Greg, Measure the no-load voltage of the converter (not connected to anything) You will see that it is probably around 6 volts. If this is The case then it should work just fine
Thanks.
Bill

55

LazyCam (Beta) / Ver 24 comments

« on: December 13, 2006, 09:46:46 PM »

Just loaded Mach3 V24 and went straight to LazyCam.
1) In general, LC looks and feels great! It even handles my need for separate layers well.

2) I searched for and couldn't find a way to set the direction of cut. LC seems to get inside/outside selection right, and it does set one direction for inside and the other direction for outside. I use some materials that need to be cut in the reverse direction (climb mill). Is there a place to select that mode? if not, perhaps it should be in the properties list.
3) You need to open up the column for the layer name, 6 letters isn't big enough for descriptive names. Besides, cut order doesn't need all that space. Perhaps reversing the two columns would be better.
4) On my 1024x768 display, the right-side properties column covers the "Indicators" drop-down box completely (found it by accident, I thought you eliminated it). You could comfortably have the properties section start a under the top ICON row.

5) I have one odd request. The other day, I needed to have a higher fast tool height from the work reference corner to the first cut because of a necessary clamp placement, and the position of the first cut. Once at the first cutting point, a lower fast height was desirable. I also needed to set the last high speed travel to X0,Y0 to the higher height. Would a separate first-in and last-out height be difficult to do? Perhaps first-in and last-out could be at SAFE-Z height providing it isn't zero.

LazyCAM is looking good!

Thanks,
Bill

56

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 12, 2006, 11:39:40 PM »

Greg,
The USB power is 5 volts DC.
Thanks.
Bill

57

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Help converting Gerber/eagle soldermask to G-Code

« on: December 11, 2006, 08:25:05 PM »

Hi,
I would like to use my cnc table to dispense solder paste on a surface mount PC board. The pattern for the pads is available in Gerber or Eagle format. There are converters that make PC boards from CAD programs, but I haven't seen anything that will do solder paste dispensing.
 
As I see it, there are two basic methods.
1) Cut a mask in metal and screen the paste in place. This may be the easiest for conversion purposes and modest to large production runs, but then a screen print process needs to be involved.

2) Attach a dispenser directly to the Z axis and place the paste on each pad one at a time. Thiswould work well for small runs. The problem here is turning on/off the dispenser at the right times.

I would like to be able to use/try the dispensing method.

The pros are using both methods, but it all seems to be proprietary configurations.
Does anyone know if anyone has a Gerber or Eagle converter to allow for dispensing solder paste?
Thanks.
Bill

58

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help! Please! this Chaos has to stop!

« on: December 07, 2006, 01:10:47 PM »

After looking at the video, I feel you could have a second problem. Yes, it is possible that the steppers are running too fast, but it is also likely that the drive screw is binding with the drive nut. It is interesting that it binds mostly in the direction of easiest motion, down (The motor is being assisted by the weight of the carriage assembly). This can come from misalignment if either the screw and/or the nut. Make absolutely sure that there is no binding. Turn off the power and turn the screw by hand and make sure that it turns freely the entire length of the screw, especially near the limits of travel.
If the screw is out of alignment, it will bind, or Get noticeably harder to turn, near the limits of travel. You may want to take some of the weight off the carriage to make it easier to feel.

If the nut is binding, it may happen near the screw center where shaft whipping can come into play. To test the nut for alignment (it may bind anywhere on the screw), loosen the nut, in its mount) so that it can freely follow the screw, and run your up/down test. You may notice that the jamming has stopped. If this is the case, you will need to make sure it stays aligned when you tighten it down again.

It is surprising how critical these adjustments are for smooth operation. I would first Align the screw at both ends several times to make sure it runs true with the nut, then make sure the nut is straight. Then do it one more time. The Z axis us usually more forgiving than X and Y.

If the unit has been in service a long time, the nut can be filled with debris (especially cutting plastic). If this is the case, the screw will be hard to turn anywhere on the shaft. Cleaning the nut threads will fix it.

Thanks.
Bill

59

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: New LazyCam has lots of problems

« on: December 04, 2006, 05:15:14 PM »

If you are interested, here is the file in R12. Not much to look at.

Thanks.
Bill

60

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: New LazyCam has lots of problems

« on: December 04, 2006, 11:50:35 AM »

Art,
I became a user of Mach3 just before you switched over to LazyCAM and was temporarily frustrated by having to learn a new method. What I liked about Mach3's DXF to G Code converters was their ability to sort out the chains into rational cuts by layer. As you may be aware, AutoCAD is a very snobby program and it doesn't care about the hoops I/you have to jump through to use the drawings for manufacturing. They are for printing only (and lousy at that), and nothing is ever optimized. LazyCam took some that pain away by sorting out the direction of the line/arc strokes. I liked the ability to select DOC, climb, inside, outside, and other cutting modes by layer because it meant saving time, lots of time.

Most of the CAM based modules, that I have seen, seemed to be chain only oriented. If I must switch to a CAM based converter to get the layer control I need, are there any budget conscious modules that you can reccommend that are compatible with Mach3 controller?

Thanks.
Bill