Messages

3481

General Mach Discussion / Re: just starting help Z axis DRO

« on: October 20, 2012, 10:37:14 AM »

Do you have the Z motor enabled?

3482

General Mach Discussion / Re: New startup

« on: October 18, 2012, 09:45:30 PM »

Sounds like you've got some very bad resonance issues, which can happen often with the Xylotex.
If you have dual shaft motors, adding dampers can double or triple your speeds, and make the motors run much smoother.

See this thread for more info.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?p=256639#post256639

3483

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: No Entities Shown

« on: October 18, 2012, 04:51:41 PM »

I think I missed what you said.

Are you saying the LazyCAM created the g-code for the text, but it just wasn't displayed?

3484

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: No Entities Shown

« on: October 18, 2012, 11:48:33 AM »

Text in AutoCAD can not be converted to g-code. Back in the old days of R14, there was an Express Tool to explode text, that became included somewhere around 2004 I think. Without it, you can't use text created in R14.

You might want to try a program like OutlineArt to create vector .dxf text.

3485

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Plugin or Script to Modify Gcode

« on: October 18, 2012, 11:44:06 AM »

I like the ability to jog both Z's independently, and I like the idea of gcode telling the machine exactly what to do

You can still do that with SwapAxis(). I think what you'll need is a set of shortcut keys for the "live" axis, and one for the "inactive" axis.
Getting your CAM software to output g-code for both axis is probably quite a bit trickier.

That said, there is apparently one more additional benefit to SwapAxis() that hasn't been mentioned yet, although I have not yet begun looking into this issue: Apparently Mach does not let you probe on an A, B, or C axis - that is, you can't use a touch plate to set Z-Zero on the A, B or C Axis (this is according to the user on Joe's forum - again I haven't started looking at this yet

Not sure on this, but I know Terry does 4 axis probing using a rotary A axis.

Gerry I've already modified your screenset heavily to account for other changes, but it sounds like your touchprobe scripts will need to be modified as well. Having worked on those and given your knowledge of how they work do you think they could be modified to use a different Axis or will SwapAxis() be necessary on those scripts?

I'd have to spend some time looking into it.
When I get my machine done, I'll be doing a new screen for it. Depending on how long it takes me, this may end up being for Mach4, which is supposed to support multiple Z axis natively. But I really don't anticipate jumping to Mach4 until the Tempest trajectory planner is finished.

 I still don't know if the SwapAxis() will be done in the M6 macros, or the macropump. How they're swapped will dictate how the probing needs to work.

3486

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Plugin or Script to Modify Gcode

« on: October 17, 2012, 11:00:14 PM »

Just did a quick test of another idea.
I did some searching, and didn't see a SwapAxis() LED.
So I created a UserLED, and had the macro turn it on when it Swapped the Axis. And turned it off when resetswapaxis() was called.
If you close Mach3 with the axis swapped, they do remain swapped, but the LED remains on.
Have your initialization string swap them back, turn off the led, and pop up a message box telling you to restart Mach3. You should then be good to go.

Kind of a hack, but it seems like it would work fine.

3487

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Plugin or Script to Modify Gcode

« on: October 17, 2012, 10:33:14 PM »

Wouldn't it be easier to write a standalone file converter?

I'm currently building a dual Z axis router, and plan on using SwapAxis() in a macro, calling SawpAxis() based on tool #'s.

If your main concern is closing Mach3 with the axis swapped, there are a coupe things you can do.
1) write a macro to ResetAXisSwap(), give it an M code, and add it to the end of all your g-code. So every time you finish running a program, the SwapAxis() will be reset.
2) add a simple script to the close g-code button to make sure any swaps are reset when you close your g-code file.

These should go a long way towards making it a little safer.

One other thing. I've had my .xml become corrupt a few times now, so I have a backup copy on my desktop. If Mach3 does somehow start with the axis swapped, it's simple to just close it, copy the backup .xml in place, and restart. Not ideal, and maybe not viable at all in your situation, but it's an easy fix.

3488

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Entry Problems

« on: October 17, 2012, 10:06:58 PM »

Sounds like your machine has fairly low acceleration settings, and CV mode is rounding the corners while trying to maintain constant velocity. The simple answer is to increase your acceleration settings, if the machine is capable of it.
Otherwise, you'll need to play with the CV settings to try to get  better results.

3489

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Plugin or Script to Modify Gcode

« on: October 17, 2012, 05:32:03 PM »

There's an LED to indicate when the axis are swapped. Does it get reset when Mach3 is closed? If not, you can check it's status and determine what you need to do when starting.

3490

General Mach Discussion / Re: Problem Lifting Z Axis

« on: October 17, 2012, 05:29:17 PM »

You may have to lower the accel, velocity, or both. Start by lowering the accel to 15