Messages

5051

General Mach Discussion / Re: screwed up sign

« on: October 04, 2011, 11:21:23 AM »

What you don't say is HOW are you trying to cut it profile wise. IS it a positive or negative design? Are you leaving the letters sticking up and carving all the wood away from them OR are you carving the letters INTO the wood surface??.

Check out SheetCam there is a free demo and it is low cost. Use free deskengrave to create FONT dxf letters. Not as fancy as Vcarve BUT it will do the job.


(;-) TP

5052

General Mach Discussion / Re: New to CNC, Need input please

« on: October 04, 2011, 11:07:44 AM »

When you have all the CC stuf loaded and can at least move the machine then you have to calibrate the axis for correct distance of the move. That is controlled by the STEPS PER UNIT.  You can calculate the corrects steps from all the drive parameters then apply them. Then you make a move and MEASURE how far it acutally moved if wrong readjust the steps per by the % of error. You will have it dialed in in 3 moves(;-).

THen you can acutall run MOTION programs and add other functions as you go. Lay a board on the table and tape a pencil or pen to the Z and draw things(;-).

The CCC stuf probalby has MORE tech info than any OTHER system on the planet you just have to learn HOW to understand the ENGINEES speak that TOM somtimes uses. In the END you WILL appreciate all that INFO. DON"T be afraid to ask questions about WHAT you don't understand.  Better to fell silly than LET OUT the magic SMOKE in the electronics boxes.

For now don't wory about things like softlimits You have to have all the rehome switches setup to fully use it anyway. Just learn to PAY attention to where you are at and WHERE you told it to move to stay away from the axis stops.  IF you are running steppers you can't really hurt the drive from running against a stop. WELL you can HURT your pride(;-)

(;-) TP

5053

General Mach Discussion / Re: New to CNC, Need input please

« on: October 04, 2011, 10:42:26 AM »

THe easiest way to master getting tthe table to move at YOUR request is to work with the MDI (Manual Direct Input)line. There is a short Gcode manual on here somewhere that is a printout of the REFERENCES in the Mach3 screen. That way you can read the code for the manual and type it in the MDI line.

Move to a spot on the table and reset the X/Y axis's to 0,0. Now using the manual as an example to reference the code. Start inputing code 1 line or piece at a time. Input say G1 x2 F10  and see what happens.  The first moves I teach are G1's all around the table THEN figure OUT how to get back home. First you play in ABS mode then you switch to INC mode.

Working with Gcode is really like talking to a 3 year old. Go over here,now move to over there, ok now go back to the other spot. The machine can ONLY go where you tell it to.

NOW when you get the G1's down pat Move to the G2/3's and learn to make arcs and make them go where you want them to go. Easy to make the arc NOT SO easy for it to go where it is suppose to go(;-).  

Now you have the basic's for gcode  Basically ALL mach3 can do is lines and arcs.  Trick is it can do 6 axis all at the same time(;-).

Once you get the basics and it goes WHERE you tell it and when. Start stringing LINES of code together to do simple things. Squares cicles triangles,etc,etc.

THEN before you know it you are running monster programs and wondering what all the fuss was about.(;-)


The order of progression from there(Mach3 Gcode) is to master the Drawing side(CAD) then the converting side (CAM) and then roll them all into one process CNC. IF you can work with them ALL at thesame time great BUT if not then work with ONE element until you can do basic thing  well then add in another element,get it working and then on to the next.  Most people cannot learn it all at the same time. and get discouraged and leave CNC (;-(.

Please know it takes TIME and patience to get to a full blown CNCer. AND a lot stilll after many years are not masters at ALL elements.  You learn what you can to be able to make things and then fine TUNE the processes that YOU require to make it work for YOU.

AND there is really no RIGHT or WRONG way as long as you understand how YOU need to do it so it makes sense to YOU.

You know where to find us if you get stuck,(;-) TP  ( also a Florida Boy)

5054

General Mach Discussion / Re: Spindle speed control - serial port

« on: October 04, 2011, 10:13:18 AM »

Zealous made a great XML comparitor you could compare 2 xmls side by side to see the differences.

On the serial port you have Baud rate, Parity and Stopbit to make sure it is correct. On mach side you have to setup the spindle control so it works WITH the plugin.

Just a thought,(;-) TP

5055

General Mach Discussion / Re: loosing the z axis position during cutting???

« on: October 03, 2011, 07:18:01 PM »

The Z axis screw is MUCH to fine compared to the XY axis as far as speed and Stepper RPMs. You will stall the Z every time trying to run high feedrates.

You are going to have to calculate what the best RPM for the Steppers are and then back that into the correct feedscrew rate to get SPEED at the correct stepper RPMs. You may then run into your stepper is NOT powerfull enough to accelerate the feed fast enough once you get the speed up.
(;-). TP

5056

General Mach Discussion / Re: Keeping track of machine and tool use

« on: October 03, 2011, 01:17:06 PM »

Yes  Machine Hours
Yes  Axis totall distance
Yes # of M3 starts
****Using Mach3 Maintainance window****
Yes WOrklog, including program name,start time end time date, tool changes
Yes tool useage, with Cam support
**** Using CB and Cam****************
Rolling it ALL into a good Tool useage program would be UP TO YOU.

It could be done BUT it is NOT a standard MACH3 function.

Just a thought(;-) TP

5057

General Mach Discussion / Re: Spindle speed control - serial port

« on: October 03, 2011, 01:05:31 PM »

Just some basic when dealing with COMport communications(very dependable by theway)

1 the Computer MUST be setup fro the comport to talk the same protocol as the device OR vise versa. You have to set the Baud rate, parity and Stop bits the SAME on both devices.

I see where the device is POORLY defined for setup in the manual. They could have just GAVE you a list of settings to change in the config side(;-( rather than an UNKNOWN xml.

So you set up windows correctly for the COmport

Then install plugin for MACH3
Then ACTIVATE the plugin for MACH3(then restart)
THEN config the plugin for MACH3.

Make SURE all the comport settings match.

NOW you must config the rest of the items of the control in the MACH3 config.

Get all that fixed and I would guess it will run ok.

Just a thought, (;-) TP

5058

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Using G-code files in Button Scripts

« on: October 02, 2011, 11:57:45 PM »

YOU really need to post a copy of the file structure showing the full routine. Other than that I would just be guessing as to how you actually coded it.

Your request carried a bit beyond what you asked for(;-)originally.

There is really only 2 ways to setup and call subs. They are both covered in the manual. 

(;-) TP

(;-) TP

5059

Brains Development / Re: Brain to control limit switches

« on: September 30, 2011, 11:20:14 AM »

NOW that I said that I thought of a way to do it(;-).  But you do know that once you trip the limit then you MUST RefHome the machine as it WILL have lost its reference to the acutal ORIGIN position it started with. DADUM SHIFT

I'll test it and get back. (;-) TP

5060

General Mach Discussion / Re: lost settings

« on: September 29, 2011, 10:41:34 PM »

Just copy the old xml into the directory and away you go.(;-)

(;-) TP