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Messages - DICKEYBIRD

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31
General Mach Discussion / XHC pendant macros confusion
« on: December 31, 2016, 12:21:16 PM »
Trying to get the "Macro-2" and "Macro-3" buttons on my LHB04 pendant to "Set Home X" & "Set Home Z"individually in the stock Mach3 Turn screen.  Thanks to Rich, I was able to get the Spindle CCW command to work using the Config plug-in screen in Mach...entered the button code 173 in the Macro number1 box on the bottom & selected Spindle CCW toggle from the drop-down in the upper Macro-1 box.  Cool, press the Macro-1 button on the pendant & away it goes spinning backward.  That alone was worth the money...almost.

I tried the available options for homing the X & Z individually using the plug-n drop down menu options but nothing works except homing both at the same time.  Not good for my setup.  Remembering what Hood had told me earlier about "DoOemButton(1024, I tried to get that to work to home Z using the various custom options that are in the confusing Chinglish manual but so far no luck.  Anybody have any suggestions?  Manual .pdf attached


32
Thanks Craig, it sure is tempting!  I use an old (v9) of TurboCAD and Dolphin v10 that Hood was gracious enough to pass on to this colonist for cheap.  TCAD feels like a warm old bathrobe & slippers to me.  It's all I need for my simple stuff.:)  Dolphin (mostly the Mach post) gives me fits at times but does the job well.  If I was 20 years younger I'd be all over Fusion but at 69 years old I don't want to spend the time needed to learn it.  Main reason for the post about Fusion/lathe was to help out with anyone else's quest for "free" lathe CAM that looks like it actually works.

33
General Mach Discussion / Re: Question about rear-mounted lathe QCTP
« on: December 20, 2016, 06:35:32 PM »
Thanks Rich, my plan is to begin with a parting tool on the back side, a 3 tool gang holder that locks down to both QCTP's for rigidity and my Z-axis opto probe.  When (if) those tools are successful I may set up a few more to reduce the number of tool changes on each job.  Most of the repetitive jobs I do only need a couple tools.

34
General Mach Discussion / Re: Question about rear-mounted lathe QCTP
« on: December 20, 2016, 06:18:55 AM »
OK, I'll give that a try when I get it installed after the holidays.  Thanks & Merry Christmas all!

35
General Mach Discussion / Question about rear-mounted lathe QCTP
« on: December 19, 2016, 02:11:38 PM »
I’m finally getting around to mounting a 2nd QCTP on the rear of my ORAC.  Merry Christmas to me!

Has anyone here used a rear mounted tool post successfully along with a front mounted one?  I’ve heard Hood mention that rear mounted tools befuddle Mach3 or was it Dolphin; I forget which.  Anyway does anyone have a method or tip on how to keep tools mounted on the back side moving the correct direction?  (Other than just plain reminding oneself which way is which and hope you get it right?)

36
Stumbled onto this today, post #38.  Isn't that the Holy Grail to lathe users?  http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/computer-aided-machining-cam/fusion-turn-fanuc-post-fpr-g95/td-p/5761817/page/2

I don't use Fusion 360 yet but it sure is tempting!

37
Damn! you've given me yet another idea to pursue!

Craig
Hey Craig, I guess we're now even in the "idea to pursue" game.  During the process of looking up those old posts about the homing setup, I ran across the a post where I mentioned that the original tooling mount scheme was to have a second wedge-style QC  tool post on the back side.  At the time I didn't have the funds and got totally sidetracked by the Z opto probe mount.  

Eureka!  This morning I woke up thinking about all this & just had to dope-slap myself.  I can still put that 2nd QCTP on at the rear & mount the Z probe on a QC holder easily.  That'll open up a vast array of new tooling options including using that 3- tool gangholder that lies unused in the toolbox.  I'm excited!:)

38
Okay guys, time for you to post some videos of your setups and process!
If you mean my stuff, here's a couple links.  I'm not too shiny when it comes to the world of video production.

Post #8 sorta desribes the X homing, ignore all the stuff about the Z homing & gang tooling in that thread as that all went away in favor of the Z-probe in the 2nd link

 http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,22258.0.html

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,28631.msg200969.html#msg200969

39
Additionally was using M3 and PP
at the time and the coding required seemed daunting.
Me too, M3 & PP but no tricky code is required.  It's already there under Config>Homing/Limits and clickity-click, you're done (once the hardware side is finished.)

I made the opto rig because I have so many faux-pas & tired of starting over with the whole touching-off routine every time.  Now I just switch back to tool '0', hit "Set Home X" & then Z and I'm right back where I started.  I have 21 QCTP tools now with all the offsets dialed-in referenced to home.  Oh yeah. I made an opto equipped Z axis probe as well that I home on the end of the part so I wouldn't have to manually touch-off Z every time.  Works great!

40
I use steppers which don't have index pulses and yet with solidly mounted good quality roller plunger micro switches I can home to
0.05 mm any day any time.
Hi Craig, you can get even closer by putting an opto sensor reading a slotted disc on the stepper shaft & wire your microswitch between the opto signal output & the input on your BOB.  It works a treat for me & my steppers.:)

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