Messages

121

Works in progress / simple turn screen

« on: December 10, 2007, 03:29:32 PM »

Just thought I would share this turn screen that I am using.   It is simply a modified version of the original with a new page.  I made the new page show up first when opening the mach because it is generally the only one I use.
The new page is an auto & manual screen.
It has most everything you need to do manual control and auto all on one screen.  My pet peeve was having to swap from screen to screen to do many things in turn, this cures that problem.

Arnie

122

General Mach Discussion / Re: Input Pins Are allways high (+5 volts) can not toogle on/off Limit Switch

« on: December 10, 2007, 01:36:13 PM »

I would recommend you go read the mach book on printer ports,  also do a google search on parallel port IO. 

Basically you don't change the port itself, in mach3 configuration you change the logic determination on what input state  is considered high or low, +5 input hi or +5 input low.   

What is normally done is 5v is supplied to the port inputs from a breakout board, this would be with the limit switch open,  then with the limit switch closed, it pulls (shorts) the input to signal ground.  You need to have current limiting resistors in your circuit so that you are not directly shorting the 5v to ground. 

Hope this helps you in the right direction.

Arnie

123

Video P*r*o*b*i*n*g / Re: First Mesh

« on: December 09, 2007, 02:05:05 PM »

That is too cool!!!  I ahve been playing with it a little but haven't done anything that good yet.

124

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

« on: December 09, 2007, 01:58:57 PM »

I have been using the find "find center of hole"  on the pull down menu from Mach.  Also the wizard that Art made, the bed of nails approach.  I didn't realize I could change the speed but I would guess is is running at about 8"/min.  I will check later today.  The LED just lights from the parallel port breakout board, that uses 5volts for sensing voltage on the contacts.   

I am not sure about the different direction response.  One of the tests I do after centering the probe using a dial indicator on the ball point, I rotate the probe in the spindle and fine tune the centering adjusting screws.  I get it down to .001 runout or less.  Then I do the "find center of hole" routine a couple of times, it comes back repeating from .0006 to .0000 each time,  then I rotate the spindle 180 deg and run it again.  This time it comes back at .003 on the x and .002 on the y.  A small amount .001 or so would be the centering adjustment.  The remainder would be the difference in actuation direction. 

I think that it is pretty good, it can't compete with the precision of a Renishaw, but not everyone has that kind of money to spend.

125

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

« on: December 05, 2007, 11:05:20 AM »

Nice work,  that gives all of us some new ideas to try.

Arnie

126

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

« on: December 04, 2007, 02:32:37 PM »

Bob,

This might be a double reply to your question.  I must have sent it to you on a pm already. 

It probes both types of objects,  the probe doesn't rely on electrical contact with the object, just mechanical contact.   It sends a open contact signal to Mach3 to trigger the probe input and lights up the LED.

It actuates in the x y & z directions.  Repeatability has been excellent,  the centering of the stylus works well but it takes a steady hand to calibrate,  I have been using an indicator on it mounted in the spindle, then rotate the spindle by hand and adjust the screws until the runout on the ball tip is 0.0005.  My indicator doesn't read much better than that.

Arnie

127

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

« on: December 03, 2007, 02:09:54 PM »

Well I got some changes made to the probe design.  The attached pictures show some of the internals and the finished product with relative size.

Note the LED, it lights up when the probe touches an object.

I have now put an ad on bargain basment for these for those interested.  It is all machined using mach3 mill and lathe.

Arnie

128

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: Writing Wizards

« on: November 27, 2007, 11:22:55 AM »

The screen editors are separate programs.  To get the screen editor go to the downloads area of the machsupport page, not to be confused with the downloads section of the forums,
and you will find the screen4 and some others. 
You run these separately. 
From their file menu you will want to open a wizard screen set, they are located under the \mach3\turnaddons . 
Once they are opened you can go to the different pages and edit the buttons and controls. 

There is a way do look at the code from right in Mach3 but I have never used it so I couldn't comment on it.

129

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: Writing Wizards

« on: November 26, 2007, 03:51:30 PM »

If you send me some more details, maybe even post the gcode you wrote here and I may be able to do up a wizard in a couple of weeks.

I have been playing with the G3, 
z-.2
x1
g3 x.4 z-.2 i.7 k-.5

makes a nice rounded donut shape
 
a wizard that selects different styles would be nice, then entering the barrel id & od, clearance, feed speeds, rough & finish cuts.

Arnie

130

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: Writing Wizards

« on: November 26, 2007, 02:45:53 PM »

Steve,

You can see how wizards are written by using the screen editor, open one of the turn wizards under the turn-addons folder,  then by editing the button "post code" you can view and change the visual basic program that writes the gcode.  If you are not familiar with visual basic, you could just write your gcode to perform the crowning and modify it for the different barrel diameters and bore diameters you encounter.  Writing the gcode would probably be easier since to do a wizard you need to know how to write the gcode anyway. 

Do you  actual do straight or angled facing cuts or I always thought they were rounded somewhat like a donut?

I think you could use a G2 command and come up with a donut type radius.

I have created several additional turn wizards, I think they are in the downloads section.  If you get started and need help just holler.  We could use more wizards for turn.

Arnie