Messages

351

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Mach3Beginner

« on: April 03, 2022, 02:31:57 AM »

Try the manual?  Download copy from newfangled solutions website.

352

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bit depth zeroing tool help

« on: April 02, 2022, 06:59:24 AM »

Right, I attach a copy of my macro.   Copy the file, rename it by deleting my initials at the end of the filename (so it's just M900.m1s) and pop it in the folder C:\Mach3\macros\Mach3Mill.

You will need to edit the file in two ways.  Open it using Operator/VB Script Editor, select and open M900.m1s, do the edits, save and close.

First, near the top there is a line:
PlateThickness = 38.84 'Touch Plate thickness is set here
Replace 38.84 with 40.5, which is your button height above the machine table.

Further down there is a line:
SetVar (2, 50) 'Retract height is set here
Replace "50" with the height to which you would like the tool tip to lift after referencing.  It should be greater than the button height!


Do the operator/edit button script thing again, click on Auto Tool Zero, and replace the text you see with Code "M900", then click close, and OK to save this.

Now close Mach3 and re-open it.  You should now find that you can use the tool zero button.  You jog the tool to just above the setter (a couple of mm), click the zero button, and it should move down slowly at 50mm/min until it contacts.  Then it stops, moves up 1mm, and moves down at 1mm/min until it contacts again.  Then it rapids up to the retract height you set, sets the Z DRO to read this, and stops.

353

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bit depth zeroing tool help

« on: April 01, 2022, 04:33:22 PM »

OK, a neat little button device.  Also working the digitise light properly. 

There are a number of tool height button scripts on here, I'll try to remember to find mine tomorrow and send a copy.

354

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bit depth zeroing tool help

« on: April 01, 2022, 04:14:24 PM »

To post a photo, clock reply (not quick reply) and then click on the red + sign next to Attachments and other options below the text box and choose the photo file.

Have you checked to see if there is some button script present as I described above?

355

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Surface mapping for lathe X axis

« on: April 01, 2022, 08:39:47 AM »

I'm not familiar with Mach 4 but I guess the surface mapping is intended specifically to correct for a non-level bed for a mill or router, so the function may not have been written in a way that would apply to a lathe.  In any case, searching around there are a couple of threads implying that it doesn't work very well anyway so people tend to use a separate program to map the surface deviations in Z depending on W and Y, then correct the g-code before loading it into the machine.  That might be possible on a lathe but sounds harder.

A couple of thoughts that may help though.  In what way is the bed worn, is it mainly in flatness or does the carriage also/instead have lateral play due to excess wear near the chuck?

Have you thought of correcting the bed?  There is a material which IIRC is called Turcite, which can be used to fill worn areas of machine slides "in situ" to deal with wear without needing to move the machine.  I think people have also had some success just mixing graphite powder with epoxy resin to form a putty.  You would probably have to take the carriage off but at least not get the machine moved to a grinding shop!  Have a search around for this.

Do you intend to replace the feed screws with ballscrews?  Obviously if you could correct wear using a deviation table you need to know exactly where the carriage is, and backlash (made worse if the screws are worn) would make this more difficult.  I know that Mach3 has BL compensation, and probably M4 too, but in my experience this doesn't work very well with largish backlash.  On my lathe (Super 7) I have a ballscrew on the cross slide but keep the standard leadscrew.  As most lathe work is over a small Z range near the chuck you could find that just doing something similar, and taking up as much lateral play as you can with the carriage gibs, would be good enough for most jobs.

356

FAQs / Re: what do I do now?

« on: March 30, 2022, 01:49:10 AM »

Well easel does cad/cam and CNC control. Mach 3/4 only do the control part.  What's wrong with easel you want to fix?

357

General Mach Discussion / Re: Open builds controller and Mach

« on: March 30, 2022, 01:45:47 AM »

Uc100

358

FAQs / Re: what do I do now?

« on: March 29, 2022, 05:00:09 PM »

Is your UNO running grbl?  Why do you want to move to Mach3?  You could stay in the grbl world but have a better system to drive grbl/UNO, but if you change to Mach you will need a different motion controller to replace UNO/grbl.  You can run usb motion controllers from Mach3 (which I do) or there are other and possibly better combinations.

So first, why do you want to change?

359

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need help with Mach3 USB setup

« on: March 27, 2022, 05:58:00 AM »

OK, good.  I use the UC100 USB motion controllers on my lathe and mill with mach 3 and found the setup straightforward with just the main Mach 3 manual and the UC100 one.

360

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need help with Mach3 USB setup

« on: March 26, 2022, 05:47:56 PM »

I'm afraid that your explanations are not making a lot of sense to me.  Is the second png in your mail taken from your Mach3 installation or is it one from the documentation?  To get to that screen in Mach you click on the Config menu; Select Config Plugins from the drop-down list; then you should see that menu.  You should see an entry for the motion controller - presumably the RnR one.  Click on Enabled so you get a green tick.  Have you done this?

And, HAVE YOU GOT A COPY OF THE MACH 3 MANUAL?  If not you can download one from https://www.machsupport.com/help-learning/product-manuals/