Messages

661

Promote and discuss your product / Re: Mach3 as 3d printer software

« on: October 26, 2010, 12:01:48 AM »

Definitely post what you find! I am interested in making and installing a Rep Rap head on my Sherline/A2ZCNC mill.

662

General Mach Discussion / Re: Finally, Mach turn profile roughing, finishing cycle!

« on: October 23, 2010, 05:52:23 PM »

In the U.S. the only "sane" people are the ones who have been released from a mental institution. When sentenced to a mental institution you are declared insane, hence the only way out. The scary part is, if you have NOT been released or NEVER went there is still doubt about you. Funny we have only 1 family member with that piece of paper. He is far from sane, not dangerous at all. But I wont be quoting him any time soon. :-)

Thanks Dave;

I would definitely like a copy of the G71 macros. 

I too have been told I'm on the far side of normal.   As a matter of choice, I prefer insane people.  The sane people are truly scary.  Sane = Normal = Conformity.  What fun is that

Thanks again.

Brett

663

General Mach Discussion / Re: Anyone walk me thru the OD Arc turn wizard?

« on: October 21, 2010, 08:14:49 AM »

Dave
Thanks for the response. I have been running in diameter mode and reversed arcs was checked. I will have to go back thru and check it out with the changed settings. I was having some problems with OD arc s 1 & 2 after the original post.

664

General Mach Discussion / Re: Anyone walk me thru the OD Arc turn wizard?

« on: October 20, 2010, 10:13:29 PM »

Hood and Rich, Thanks for the effort. I am running in diameter/inch mode  if that makes any difference. The piece I am making dimensions are irrelevant. It is a forming tool for a heat gun my sister wants. She shapes materials with it and it slides into some form of a soldering iron handle. Lower temps than a soldering iron but similar in operation. I was even thinking of engraving around it with the rotary table as an A axis. Maybe like the "Mad Hatter" as she makes hats too. LOL

665

General Mach Discussion / Re: Anyone walk me thru the OD Arc turn wizard?

« on: October 20, 2010, 06:03:51 PM »

Hey couldnt I just edit the gcode after it was made and substitute all + Z values for- and vice versa? That sounds way too easy now that I think about it. However yesterday cutting a ball on the end of a rod seemed easy and didnt prove to be. After thinking about how to convey my issue to you all in the first post, I guess I answered my own question or saw the problem better. Too bad I have no real clue why it didnt work yesterday.

666

General Mach Discussion / Re: Anyone walk me thru the OD Arc turn wizard?

« on: October 20, 2010, 05:26:40 PM »

Hood, With the threat of you walking me thru another of my issues in machining my machine acted like I thought it should today. I did go ahead and save the screen just in case there is an improvement to be made (which I am sure there is). It did cut a ball end after this screen that was .5955 in diameter so I cant complain. However its toolpath was going to the positive in Z, this is exerting a pulling force on the chuck. The part did not come out of the chuck as the cuts were light but a cutting direction towards the chuck would be better. I would ass/u/me that just reversing the Z Start and Z End would do that leaving the Z center in the same location as before (a - value) but that throws a ZStart<=Z End error?  

667

General Mach Discussion / Anyone walk me thru the OD Arc turn wizard?

« on: October 20, 2010, 04:01:38 PM »

I have just tried the turn wizard. I am trying to turn a spherical tip onto a .94" diameter aluminum bar. X start/X End Z Start/Z End dont seem to give the results I would have thought. I place my stock in the chuck, touch off the Z axis at the furthest point from the chuck, zero Z dro. All moves to cut would be a negative value now. On the X, I touch the tool to the face and record the diameter of the stock. I enter that measurement into  the "Part X" Dro. From there it goes South. I cant seem to come into contact with my part until the end of the file. I have tried different clearance amounts, positive and negative values, moved the sphere center to inside the chuck!. I would like a .5" diameter sperical end on a .5 diameter bar. Seems easy enough but it hasnt been so far. I keep getting a spherical cut with a round rod sticking out. I want a ball end.

668

FAQs / Re: Cutting Acryclic

« on: October 20, 2010, 03:39:52 PM »

Water alone works great when machining acrylic. BTW plastic stuck to the endmill is damned hard to get off!

669

FAQs / Re: plug and play with old machine?

« on: October 20, 2010, 03:34:55 PM »

I can understand replacing the board so you can communicate but leave the steppers unless you physically need more power. Most steppers can outpower the end mill they are trying to cut with (2 piece end mill anyone? junked parts?) Also needing a stepper to go faster isnt needed til you are lighning fast on the Estop! Maybe on a big router but on a little machine and not much experience with cnc (an assumption) they move fast enough where you wont react til the crash has happened and the belt is smoking! Dont ask me how I know that!

thanks for the help
I am planning on upgrading all the motors, board and software at some point. But I have managed this afternoon to get it running with the original software on a Win 98 pc via the parrallel port printer cable. It all seems to work but the stepper motors dont sound that healthy, and if I set the feed rates too high they give up, I wonder if they are getting a signal that is nearly ok but not quite right? Ive measured the travel with a DTE and its pretty spot on on all three axes, so something is right.
Anyway, it will do the job I brought it for for a while until I find a new driver  board and get a pc that will run mach 3

Tom

670

FAQs / Re: Homing and limit sensors

« on: October 20, 2010, 03:23:03 PM »

Are your home switches enabled in Ports & Pins? (Mine are enabled though I dont have homing swtiches) but I do have 1 limit switch per axis with a ramp at each end acting as 2. All of my limits are connected to the same pin. Looking at your statement again, your homing switch is on a different pin than your limits, right? The machine can not pass a limit switch but can pass a home switch. That is the way I understand it. My home is a software home. I am now wondering why my homing switches are enabled but it works! I wont be changing it.