Messages

611

VB and the development of wizards / Getting some odd values from MACH variables - is this normal?

« on: July 21, 2012, 07:38:47 AM »

Admittedly some rather esoteric stuff, but I am pulling the Z axis DRO using "GetOemDRO(844)"

The Screen DRO shows .100 and the actual position is the result of a "G0 Z.100" move.  The variable read returns something like 0.09999999999*********xx

In the app, I was comparing a user entered value (0.100) with the DRO value (should have been .100) and of course it returns false. A work around was easy enough, but I was just wondering if this is normal or if I have done something inadvertently to effect MACHs internal calculation.

SECOND anomoly is that in  SetParam("VelocitiesZ",<value>) the value is not what gets put into the param. It is a divisor or somthing like that. I was shooting for a value of 16, but the resulting setting in the system was 960 I think. Ultimately thru experimentation I found that a value of 0.5 yeilded the desired speed of 16.

 I am just curious if one or both of these behaviors is normal or a glitch in dev ver 062.

612

General Mach Discussion / Re: Is B and C axis G1 feed rate broken?

« on: July 21, 2012, 07:22:46 AM »

Just to follow up, I have a work around.

The application is a macro for hard tapping as seen in my latest video. When the feed rate is broken, the only option is to use G0 which can be a bit scary 

My work around was so store the Z axis velocity and accel and then change them to appropriate maximums allowing the use of G0. At the end of the macro the setting are restored to their original values.  Works fine so far.

613

General Mach Discussion / Re: Is B and C axis G1 feed rate broken?

« on: July 18, 2012, 04:42:52 PM »

Follow up:

22 does indeed work fine, so 062 is broken.

THANKS!

614

General Mach Discussion / Re: Is B and C axis G1 feed rate broken?

« on: July 18, 2012, 04:20:39 PM »

Thanks for the response, Russ.

Yes, I seth up A.B abd C identically and double checked every setting that I am aware of as detainled in the first. post.

I did not try 022. I am using 062.  I'll throw 022 on something ans see if the behavior is the same.

Oh and my development computer is Win7 64 bit, but I get the same behavior on the mill which is XP pro 32 bit.

 

615

General Mach Discussion / Is B and C axis G1 feed rate broken?

« on: July 18, 2012, 08:00:00 AM »

Search turned up nothing useful on this.

Problem:  B axis (C has same behavior) G1 feed rate is dog slow no matter how feedrate or Rotation Radius is set.

Example: set A, B, and C identically. rotation radius .001 on each. All are set as rotary axis, not inhibits, etc.

A obeys set feedrate wil G1 move, B and C do not.   

Is there a reason for this behavior?

616

VB and the development of wizards / Re: CNC Grinder Wizard /Screenset

« on: July 15, 2012, 09:23:42 PM »

BR; check out the new 4th axis spindle. It is tagged onto the end of the 'mini machining center thread   . . .  I think it is in a 'projects' category or something like that

jerry57; I do not know if you are talking to me or someone else. If to me, then what is it you want? If not to me then . . .  never mind . . .

617

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: July 13, 2012, 10:06:46 AM »

The 4th axis is getting a new custom designed and built spindle. The motivation for launching into this prokect was three fold;

1) need for strong, safe, standard chuck mounting for large chucks.

2) larger size to allow the frame to be lengthened and eliminate the cantilevered main drive pulley mount.

3) consistency and precision.

When I have more time, I will try to do a blog on the build but for now here are just a few photos of the finished spindle. I am currently building a new prototype 4th axis to house this new spindle. The spindle nose is 'universal in that it can mount standard D1-4 and also A or B style chucks.

Photo 1 compares the new spindle to the previous. The nose and front bearing surfaces are ground, hoever, both the Chuck mount and 5C tapers as well as the face of the flange will all be ground in-place after the machine is assembled and under its own power. This will provide for the runout that equale the bearing spec. The new spindle also can accomodate ABEC7 angular contact pairs for a high precision option.



Photo 2 shows the 'universal' mount. Note the cam loc parts and also the threaded inserts. More on this later.



Photo 3 shows the new spindle on the balancer . .  which needed some modifications to hold the new spindle.

618

VB and the development of wizards / Re: CNC Grinder Wizard /Screenset

« on: June 28, 2012, 01:22:40 PM »

Yes I saw that VIDEO Nice.

NOPE no drooling here Rigid tapped with Mach3 and servo drive Spindle Many YEARS ago in early testing of mach3 (;-). Where do you think Swapaxis / Unswapaxis  came from (;-)

Not a problem . .  I am drooling enough for both of us.  I despise tapping. I have Tapmatic heads and I have built custom floating tap holders. Result; I despise tapping.

Hard tapping is the tip of the iceburg. But it will pay big cash dividends in my case, and that feature alone would make the effort worth while so for the moment, I am enjoying being impaled upon that feature . . . . . however, there are bigger plans afoot.

Swapaxis was a Godsend (a Hoodsend, actually) to my initial work on he 'mini machining center'.  I no longer use it for that,  but it is useful for quickly placing arcs in planes other than XY.

If is was developed specifically for servo driven spindles, I would have to wonder if it would not have been simpler to just make code to run a rotary axis continuously. Swapping only the step/dir signals and not the rest of the params is problematic.

That said . .  I was most happy to have it at the time.

So the little switch BOOTY came with the switch? Or was that seperate

Comes with

619

VB and the development of wizards / Re: PeriodicScripts - - - do these work? No luck here.

« on: June 28, 2012, 11:56:44 AM »

You do have to watch the / separators there is a specific combination that works and ONLY that combo. I will do some testing for you also.

Where are the .. that's what I want to know. Mach is totally 'illegal'. Just wait till Bill finds out . . .  he'll probably BUY out MACH3 and add it to Windows 8 . . . .  LOL!

620

VB and the development of wizards / Re: CNC Grinder Wizard /Screenset

« on: June 28, 2012, 11:52:52 AM »

I call those my 'Jetson' switches . . LOL!!

Radio Shack. . . . .

They are rated for some stupidly high current like 50 amps or some such nonsense. Being 'Shack items, you would likely never get anywhere near that without fireworks, but I'm switching a few ma at 5V, so I figure they might last a while.

Objective was to get the physically biggest switches that I could find so they would be easy to see and operate with gloves on. Placement on the panel was also driven by that requisite. If you need to shut it off in a hurry, any wild swat at the box will most likely get it done.

No, I did not know I was being watched . . . creepy . . .  LOL!    Have you seen the latest . . . first narrated video. Second 'by request' tutorial style. A bit on the basic side your your level , but you might still drool over the hard tapping . . .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu61oBY5-rw&list=UU_rIw6ghqt7MQc6v0jGpf-g&index=1&feature=plcp