Messages

51

General Mach Discussion / New odd Y (lack of) movement problem

« on: January 01, 2010, 12:40:52 PM »

So now that I understand machine coordinates and have Mach3 and my mini mill configured I've been using CamBam to draw some simple shapes and text and draw them in Mach3 with a pencil mounted. Today, I was prepping to actually cut some metal At first, my "dry runs" were good, everything was working fine. I am trying to make a simple rectangular cut out for my G540 in a thin steel front panel on my electronics box. I was going to do one more run and as it ran, the Y axis did not move at all. I spent a lot of time trying to debug with no effect. The Y and Z worked fine. I then went to the tab where I could manually enter G code. A G0 Y1 works fine, a G1 Y1 shows the table moving on the Mach display but the stepper is not turning and the physical table does not move. I reset machine origins, work origin, and tested everything I could. G1 Y just will not work now and it was earlier today.

Any help or debugging suggestions greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Michael

52

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!

« on: December 29, 2009, 07:28:06 PM »

Hi all, my name is Michael and I live outside of Boston, MA USA. I just finished converting my MicroMark Mini Mill to CNC with the CNCFusion kit with ballscrews on all 3 axis. My other hobby is making fly fishing reels and I plan to use the mill to take my work to the next level. I have just completed writing a book on reelsmithing that will be published in early 2010 by Whitefish Press. I also started the reelsmithing.com/fourm to support reelsmithing.

I am running my mill with the free trial of Mach3 but am planning to purchase the full version tonight.

cheers,
Michael

53

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 06:45:29 PM »

Yes, I had built a CNC router table and the tool moved. That was easier! Oddly, I understood the X movement but my mind was reversing the Y!

54

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 06:39:46 PM »

Yes, it does. I think I understand it now, I think.At least what is drawn on the Mach display is what gets drawn when I mount a pencil and the table movements make sense.

thanks a lot for the help!

Cheers,
Michael

55

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 06:32:00 PM »

Ok, when I check the Reverse Axis box in the Homing/Limits dialog, the tool path matches what is drawn on screen. Is that it?

56

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 06:29:46 PM »

Ok, I see that my Y is configured incorrectly. Not sure what the proper way to reconfigure it is though - still getting my head around this!

57

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 06:25:20 PM »

That's the thing, the drawing is not correct. It is a mirror image in Y. If I draw a triangle with the point UP on the mach display, it gets drawn with the point forward (away from the pillar). Opposite of how I would anticipate it to draw.

58

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 06:23:58 PM »

Ok, I am sitting in front of the mill now.


With the table fully right and back, yes, the tool is over the lower left corner.

Yes on the X movement. Table left, tool right (+ direction).

Move the table forward, tool moves up the graph paper. But the display in Mach has the tool moving down.

Also the right arrow causes the tool to move right (towards +) as I think it should. But using the up arrow causes the table to move towards the column, so tool down.

59

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 05:59:54 PM »

But that's the thing, it isn't! The tool is going in the opposite direction on the Y axis (opposite to the display but correct in actual movement to the +)

Michael

60

General Mach Discussion / Re: Y-axis confusion

« on: December 29, 2009, 05:47:19 PM »

Yes, X0 to X2 I see the display move from left to right. That makes sense and seems correct to me. Y0 to Y1 actually moves the table from front to back - again moving in the + direction. The table movement makes sense to me. But, the display moves upwards as you state.

The CNCFusion kit I installed on my mill has Y0 with the table moved all the way to the front so + movement moves the table towards the column. I understand your graph paper analogy. But wouldn't putting Y0 back (table back to column) would make a positive movement towards the front and that opposite of how the CNCFusion direction arrows are labeled (engraved) on the Y bearing block. Not that its a big deal but it would seem that there should be a configuration that would allow Y to be all the way forward at 0?

cheers,
Michael