Messages

3981

Feature Requests / Re: Couple things - User parameters and Distance off the home switch

« on: October 30, 2011, 10:58:33 AM »

What do you guys think about the R-parameter idea?
Does Mach have something like this?

I personally have no use for this, but a similar function is already available. Try the following code.

#10=5   ( Slow speed)
#11=10  ( High Speed)
#12=8    ( project X length)

N10 G01 X[5+#12] F#10
N20 G01 Y2.25 F[#11+#10]

3982

General Mach Discussion / Re: Has anyone used the cnc spindles from keling

« on: October 30, 2011, 08:10:17 AM »

These spindles are really designed for woodworking applications, and may not last long if cutting steel. I do know of one person who only cuts aluminum on his router and swears by them.
Most people buy them directly from China through Ebay. There are a large number of users on CNC Zone using them, but most use the 2.2KW version, as it has a larger ER20 collet. A small percentage of people have had trouble with them, but it seems that most work great. BUying from Keling will make it easier to return a bad one, but you'll pay more up front.

Also, most people recommend buying a good brand VFD, like a Hitachi, rather than the Chinese ones that typically come with those spindles. The Chinese VFD's are not very good quality.

3983

Feature Requests / Re: Couple things - User parameters and Distance off the home switch

« on: October 29, 2011, 11:20:37 PM »

The switches aren't E-stop tripping right away. I may be adjusting something and a few minutes later I go to run and realize the Z has triggered. or any other switch near it's trigger point.

Noise is triggering your switches.

And btw, we don't work for Artsoft, or have anything to do with development. Just users, helping users.

3984

Feature Requests / Re: Couple things - User parameters and Distance off the home switch

« on: October 29, 2011, 10:03:05 PM »

2)  with all the trouble and false trips after homing could there be a parameter to adjust the "axis" a set value away from the switch.  "Home position off the switch" = .250" etc...

Maybe Mach has these features and so far I have not discovered them.

You either have a noise problem or bad switches, and moving farther off the switch won't help.
It is possible to do, however. In Config >Homing/Limits, there's a Home Offset column to set the location of the switch in Machine Coordinates. You can modify the homing script to move wherever you want after the homing process has completed.

3985

Tangent Corner / Re: Now this is Fall weather!!!

« on: October 29, 2011, 05:21:27 PM »

Not sure which is worse. Shoveling snow, or raking up the 50 bags of leaves that are in the process of falling in my yard.

3986

VB and the development of wizards / Re: User Label

« on: October 27, 2011, 11:50:20 AM »

Create a macro to fill it in and put the macro in your initialization string?? Not ideal, and maybe won't even work correctly.

3987

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 crashes after File>Load Gcode command

« on: October 26, 2011, 08:19:57 PM »

So it was crashing with both the regular screen and the Flash screen?

3988

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 crashes after File>Load Gcode command

« on: October 26, 2011, 06:49:38 PM »

You need to mention that up front. This was most likely a Flash issue. There are very few Flash screen users here, and even fewer who understand them.

3989

General Mach Discussion / Re: random ramping to a stop .

« on: October 25, 2011, 06:44:35 PM »

Possibly a CV setting?

3990

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: Stepper amps and voltage

« on: October 25, 2011, 06:06:33 PM »

For Voltage, Gecko recommends 32* square root of inductance, which is about 40V.

As for amps, yes, set it for 3.5 amps. You'll lose about 12% of your torque, but it should perform better at higher speeds than if wired series at 2 amps.