Topics

11

General Mach Discussion / Mach 3 Kooky-ness

« on: April 23, 2012, 09:53:13 PM »

I'm using the lockdown version of Mach. When I try to either insert a number in the DRO or in the MDI screen as soon as I get to the tenth of thousandth place (.0001) it triggers the reset/e-stop on the screen. Not before. It also happened when I put in a thousandth place and then went to type in an 'f' value in MDI page.
Any ideas?-Keith

12

General Mach Discussion / Sherline Driver Box and Mach3 Direction Enable

« on: April 22, 2012, 07:49:11 PM »

Hi. It's been a long time since re-installing Mach 3 for me. I bought a Smoothstepper and am using a laptop now. Generally works well. However, it seems that for the X and only the X direction, in 'ports and pins', 'low-active' assignment, needs to not be checked in order to have the proper and normally accepted directions take place.
I don't remember that being the case but as I said, it's been a while. Every other axis for the 'Dir Low Active', is checked (all the 'step'  low active's are checked).
Anyone using a Sherline driver box that can confirm this to be the case?-Keith

13

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / >DXF translation

« on: January 23, 2010, 12:56:40 PM »

Hello, I have a round slot I made with a ball nose.  I'd like to flatten one end of this slot. so picture a half circle slot and coming to the end (past the end there is some material) if you stuck a flat ended rod into the slot the flat of the rod would meet the flat of the slot (the ball creates a spherical ending if you just use the ball).
So, I thought I could use a really small mill end (1/64th") to accomplish this 'finishing' of the slot's end. I plotted an arc in CAD that followed what would create this flat. It exists in CAD in the proper orientation (X,Y,Z) but when I import it as a .DXF into Mach3, the 'Z' becomes the 'X' on screen.
Without scratching our heads to figure out why it does that, can anyone tell me if I edited the 'X' coordinates to a 'Z" would the arc maintain integrity? I'm sure that's simple to answer but have a little brain clog at the moment. Thanks,Keith

14

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Dimensioning Probe Digitization

« on: October 18, 2009, 11:32:26 AM »

I'm loving ,finally getting my digitizing probe working for me. Can any tell me if there's a way to take the G-Code file it generates and make it readable in my CAD package (I have Rhino) so that I can dimension the angle and surface results? Or even an alternative to doing it this way. I've just been using the Digitizing Wizard resident in Mach3. Thanks,Keith

15

General Mach Discussion / Probe Plug-In. No config/enable line

« on: August 08, 2009, 12:25:47 PM »

I recently got my probe working using the digitizing wizard. I'm on to the probe plug-in. The plug-in installed but under 'config' there is no line to enable the plug-in which I see in the manual. I'm using version R1.84.001. If I need to update this to include the enable plug-in under config, do I have to save all my values I set up and re-type them all? Thanks,Keith

16

General Mach Discussion / Probe Wizard

« on: August 07, 2009, 02:23:24 PM »

I have finally gotten around to experimenting with a digitizing probe. I have it set up on my machine as I type this. I thought I'd start with the digitizing wizard. Pulled that up and put in some rather small numbers,just to see what I'd get in code. I must say I am a little shaky about how this works but this is what I'm assuming: if I put in a higher 'travel height' and a zero height for 'probe depth' I figure I should be pretty safe from crashing the tip of the probe, or at least that's the way I see it (height would be the highest it goes and depth would be at zero). So anyway, I put in a very small height of .5 as I did on the x and y area (.5 as well) and a larger stepover for x and y (.01).
So when I look at the code, I'm getting numbers like Z-6.**. Any suggestions. I'm not turning it on for real until I'm pretty sure I have this so I don't kill the probe. Thanks,Keith

17

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Deconstructing Machs Wizards

« on: June 03, 2009, 11:06:39 AM »

Hi, I often use the wizards in Mach3 to arrive at a group of final cuts that assemble to be the object I'm attempting to accomplish. Sometimes I take the rectangular ,pocket cutting wizard by Kiran and Brian and eliminate all cuts but the last (or a few of the last,when I'm trying to eliminate a radius) to create an 'outside' cut, single rectangle. It saves me a lot of time calculating the moves and typing in the code. I have tried to do this and continue the rectangle outwardly to create an area of a rectangle uncut with and outside to this rectangle  that is a continuation to a larger rectangle that is cut. In other words,I am attempting to predict this outside cut rectangle of a desired size to a  desired sized rectangle of a larger size than the outside of the first outer cut. I've tried to calculate this for odd sized X and Y rectangles and I can never come up with exact numbers. Any ideas on this short-cut I'm attempting?
I'd love to be able to do this with circular pockets as well and could start the origin of the outside cut with a plain old circle (since beginning a normal circular pocket contains a spiral move). Thanks for any help,Keith

18

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / I guess this is somewhat of a general milling question

« on: May 19, 2008, 03:08:03 PM »

I hope this won't be taken as too far off forum/topic but I was wondering if someone could tell me how to calculate a radius in a rectangle's corner to accommodate the true .assigned,rectangles corner.(e.g.-you've got a 3"X4" rectangular pocket that you want to fit something 3"X4" in. You use a 1/8" cutter which creates a radius. How much extra,(understanding there will be some slop in the actual length and width of the desired rectangle)compensation of the width and length necessary to get the corners of the rectangle to fit in this pocket as closely as possible. Thanks,Keith

19

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Subroutines

« on: January 12, 2007, 02:41:16 PM »

I know this subject has been discussed before but my application of what I've read isn't bearing fruit for me and if someone could just give me an example,I think I could clear things up for myself.
Okay,let's just say I am at x0y0z0. To simplify ,let's use just the x-axis. Say we want to move the x-axis +1",then back to zero 5 times. What would the gcode/subroutine commands look like?
Ultimately I would like to include an A-axis move during the X move (I am winding a coil on the cnc) but if I could get the X to do what I'd like,I think I could figure the rest out.
Also,what is the qualification I've been reading about Mach3's relationships between P and O and L and Q ,about?Thanks,Keith

20

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Real CAM?

« on: December 07, 2006, 04:47:20 PM »

Can anyone suggest a good ,authentic(no offense LCAM),CAM (I already use Rhino for CAD)for under $500?-Keith