Messages

7011

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: A BIG mistake.

« on: October 13, 2008, 08:01:45 PM »

Adds credence to the saying "whats wrong with this picture"!
Must admit you helped blow some dust of a part of my brain.

RICH 

7012

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Error 9991 Activating SS Plugin

« on: October 13, 2008, 11:17:00 AM »

RTRESCOTT,
What version of mach are you using? I thought the WARP 9 site recomended at least mach v3.037.
RICH

7013

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Lazy Cam pain

« on: October 13, 2008, 07:03:07 AM »

spnar,
Added another another section to the manual for lazycam tabs. Can be found in the Members Docs thread. May want to brouse thru it.
RICH

7014

General Mach Discussion / Re: Desktop verses laptop

« on: October 13, 2008, 06:47:42 AM »

Never saw that one. Make sure you you reboot per installation instructions. The latest test veresions  automaticaly
do a reboot. May want to try downloading and reloading again. Post the version you are installing.
RICH

7015

General Mach Discussion / Re: Setting up Steps per inch - Need Clarification

« on: October 13, 2008, 06:35:10 AM »

When man was made, God put hair on only on the ugly ones, a few didn't get any !;D
RICH

7016

General Mach Discussion / Re: Setting up Steps per inch - Need Clarification

« on: October 12, 2008, 10:06:40 PM »

Ron,
I use either a jig transit, alignment telescope, optical level, which can focus as close as 7"  ( 20x  and better) from the target or out to infinity. The instruments use an optical micrometer and give direct repeatable readout down to .0002" inches at 12". Perpendicularity to the bed axis is done using autoreflection techniques. Mirrors used are optically flat.The target is a "calibrated" scale which when profiled / calibrated for each spacing have a very accurate profile. Thus i can easily see backlash immediately and measure it or even profile a ball screw. For that matter you can measure spindle run out. On a lathe you can check the carriage travel relationship to the spindle or set a very precise angle.......and on and on. But being practical about things you are absolutely right and sometimes we are happy the stuff just bolts together when done.
Could probably measure a hair from your head 20 to 50 feet away and i am just an amateur. This stuff is not cheap....the receipt for the Kolmorgan alignment telescope when bought 15 years ago was $14.5K, no i won't tell you what i paid for it!
I thought everybody had stuff like this. 
RICH

7017

General Mach Discussion / Re: DRO's way out when re-starting

« on: October 12, 2008, 03:45:58 PM »

Hi Sheldon,
In Mach Mill open the Diagnostics Alt 7 screen as that will show you what your current position is made up of.
You may need to change one of the offsets. With Persistent DRO's checked you should get the same values displayed
when Mach's restarted as when it was closed down.
RICH

7018

General Mach Discussion / Re: slow jog will not adjust

« on: October 12, 2008, 08:37:54 AM »

I am using Mach v3.042.012  and it works fine for me.  Actualy never remember having a problem with it.This is true if in CONFIG>GENERAL CONFIG CV  ( constant velocity ) is or is not checked. As the CV was changed there was one instance where the jog got turned off ( i couldn't duplicate it) but clicking the jog button once and things were back to normal. Make sure that the jog is on as indicated by the yellow LED.
RICH

7019

FAQs / Re: Laptop requirements with Mach 3

« on: October 11, 2008, 07:13:48 PM »

HI All,
Use a NEC Versa with Windows XP2 and only 400 mhz and 512 memory usiing PP. It's dedicated to CNC and have no problem at all. Yes it's slow, but it still is solid, and good grief don't use the video camera with it.

The DELL Latitude only works  if I use the smoothStepper with it. I never used it other than testing and that was with all the virus protection etc on it.

BTW, try running your laptops without the battery / use AC adapter when doing the driver test as it makes a difference.
Don't play with your mouse either when runninig the driver test. Same goes for when running a program.

The Dell Optiplex with xp2 /3gig / 2 gig memory, on board graphics, dedicated cnc pc ( sorry not a laptop ) can't be used without the SS. Spent more hours "optimizing it" than you can ever imagine trying to use it without the SS. Just thought i would mention it.

Frankly, as told manny times, you should have a dedicated pc for CNC work. Don't know what laptop i would buy today,
if i had to, but probably would have the SS on it in a heart beat and not waste any time fooling around.

RICH

7020

General Mach Discussion / Re: PCB Isolation Milling using LazyCam

« on: October 10, 2008, 08:58:47 PM »

Bill,

Could anyone please tell me if LazyCam yet supports PCB isolation milling?

I don't see anything specific to it in the program ( v3.002). The program is undocumented and Beta. The program is basicaly a broad range file importer to Gcode generator, and not to my knowledge, dedicated to some specific task other than general milling and turning using available tools
in it's current state. So you need to keep the above in mind.

You may want to play with the SETUP>LOADING OPTIONS to see if some settings will help when importing a file.

As mentioned in this post, and by you, there are specific programs that may be better suited to the work you want to do.

RICH