Messages

161

General Mach Discussion / Re: machine percision

« on: February 03, 2015, 04:50:27 PM »

Take a look at this video & see if it helps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A27nOkTFYDY

I had trouble until I reset the settings like Hoss shows.

162

General Mach Discussion / Re: Backlash Compensation Help

« on: January 31, 2015, 09:47:43 PM »

"Hoss" has a couple videos on YouTube that really helped me with backlash.  Here's one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A27nOkTFYDY

163

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: ORAC Spindle Swarf Blaster®

« on: January 11, 2015, 08:19:24 PM »

Would be an output but your idea of a toggle switch would be a good one if out of outputs as well.

Dohh, I meant to say output!  It's been one of those days.

164

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: ORAC Spindle Swarf Blaster®

« on: January 11, 2015, 02:21:53 PM »

Get that linked to a m-code

Nice idea

Thanks!  I'm out of inputs  but was thinking about putting a toggle switch on the coolant pump relay output so I could manually switch over to air blast before starting an internal turning job.  Probably not going to happen soon though.  As usual, I've been on a "make-stuff-for-the machine" tangent and have fallen way behind on the stuff I've promised to do for others.

165

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / ORAC Spindle Swarf Blaster®

« on: January 11, 2015, 10:45:13 AM »

I did some small diameter (4.5mm) boring work recently using a 4mm carbide boring bar and the stringy swarf kept jamming up in the tiny hole & screwing up some of the parts. I stuck my air nozzle up the back end of the spindle & gave it a blast occasionally & it solved the problem. I got to thinking about it & whipped out this little adapter which works a lot better. The part that sticks in the spindle bore is acetal and seals up great with little friction.  It’s easily removable when long stock needs to go in the spindle.  The foot pedal allows the hands to be free for other things…like slapping the e-stop button.  A few taps of the toe blasts the swarf away instantly!  I’m looking around for an oiler I can plumb in to add some cutting oil mist to the blast as well.  I could also add an air solenoid & let Mach control it but I kinda like the toe-tappin’ thing.

166

General Mach Discussion / Re: Hood's 12 tool tool changer

« on: January 06, 2015, 03:34:31 PM »

You've attached the wrong pic Hood; that's no turret.  SWMBO & I Netflix'ed 'Star Trek Into The Darkness' last night and your pic is of the Warp Drive® core module.

(Got any videos of it working?)

167

General Mach Discussion / Re: Myford cnc conversion spindle readings

« on: January 02, 2015, 09:01:24 AM »

A simple thing that many forget to do Bob is click the "Spindle" button on the screen.  Mach needs to know that the spindle is turned on for the DRO to display RPM regardless of whether or not the spindle is controlled from Mach by a dedicated speed control or relay.  Also in Turn, you can press 'S" on the keyboard to do the same thing.

Ignore this if you already knew it but I was puzzled by the same issue when I first got mine running.

168

General Mach Discussion / Re: Reversed Arcs in Front Post/G-code/Dolphin question

« on: December 31, 2014, 05:22:30 PM »

All part of the fun

As my ol' fishin' buddy (rest his soul) used to say: "Well, that was real, and it was fun, it just wasn't REAL fun."

169

General Mach Discussion / Re: Reversed Arcs in Front Post/G-code/Dolphin question

« on: December 30, 2014, 11:35:03 AM »

Me again  Duhh, further research has shown that (as usual) most of my CAD (and consequently CAM) problems are self-induced. When I zoom in to a nano level, the junction of the quarter-elliptic arc and the straight line was not absolutely perfect. When I corrected it, all is at it should be...I think.  Time will tell.

170

General Mach Discussion / Re: Reversed Arcs in Front Post/G-code/Dolphin question

« on: December 29, 2014, 10:46:38 AM »

Well that was interesting.  Looks like front turret/rear approach works as it should (other than the random arc issue) on my machine.  I tried all the available combinations of turret locations, approach directions & even left & right-handed tools but all I got were some truly bizarre tool paths.  I tried each of the combinations, P/P'd them each with different file names and tried them all in Mach with the various combinations of different IJ modes and Reversed Arcs in Front post settings and no joy was had, just psychedelic tool paths.

I did find a little info on the web about a number of decimal places/round-off mismatch between CAD & Dolphin causing problems.  More stuff to research & try.