Messages

11

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Scripter compile error in

« on: January 18, 2014, 12:40:21 PM »

Working great so far.  I'm just fixing up some minor bugs.

That kicks butt!  (in a good way of course!!) 

12

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Scripter compile error in

« on: January 16, 2014, 08:11:05 PM »

GT,

The labels Ger21 mentioned just get text put in them as follows:

for author:  Author text_you_want_displayed
for description:  Desc text_you_want_displayed

I believe you can place them anywhere in the screenset, and they are automatically hidden from view.

regards,
Eric

13

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe-It probing wizard - 2D perimeter probing

« on: January 15, 2014, 10:36:03 PM »

I would think that the CS Labs guys should be made aware of this and change their plugin to match the parallel port if possible.

Actualy, through the process of troubleshooting and trying to figure it out, Jimster did email CSLabs (as he was their customer and also a very helpful guy!) I think based on the initial response he got back from CSLabs, they thought he was using another product and they weren't really receptive to his question/issue.  I'm not sure he got any further feedback from them yet or if he clarified to CSLabs what the issue was in the end.  I'll leave it for Jimster to clarify if there was any closure for him beyond the first email he got back.

Regards,
Eric Brust / CraftyCNC

14

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Scripter compile error in

« on: January 15, 2014, 09:29:52 PM »

There are two more syntax errors I'm getting:  The next one is from my last 2 lines of code:
CloseTeachFile
Call LoadTeachFile()
End Sub
Main


  
It highlights "End Sub" as the error.
 
And if I comment that line out of the code, it highlights the blank space on the next line of code after "Main" which is the last line.  I keep removing any blank characters or spaces after the last line, but every time I run the code it adds that blank character back and highlights the white space in the editor where the character would be.

Get rid of the last 'main' (it shouldn't be there), and I think you are missing a space for 'close teachfile'.  EDIT:  'closeteachfile()' should be OK, forget my comment about the space....  good luck!

Eric

15

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Scripter compile error in

« on: January 15, 2014, 09:25:27 PM »

Thanks for the help.  I used the editor in Mach3 and am getting the cursor to point to the syntax errors.

The first one is in an if/then statement.  Here's the snippet of code...
   If GetUserLED(1063) Then
      If FinishCutDirection = 1 Then
         Code "(Cut initial circle)                 G91 G3 x0 y0 i#1001 j#1002"
         Else
         Code "(Cut initial circle)                 G91 G2 x0 y0 i#1001 j#1002"  
      End If
      Code "(Set abs mode)                       G90"  
      Code "(Start finishing subroutine)         M98 P1234 L[90/#4005]"
      Code "(Move to final circle start)         x[#1001+#5002-#5007] y#1002 z[#1003-#2001]"
      If FinishCutDirection = 1 Then
         Code "(Cut final circle)                   G91 G3 x0 y0 i#1001 j#1002"
         Else
         Code "(Cut final circle)                   G91 G2 x0 y0 i#1001 j#1002"
      EndIf
      Else    
      Code "(Start finishing subroutine)         M98 P1234 L[360/#4005 + 1]"
   End If

It is highlighting the 3rd to last line, "Else", as the error.  Can I not nest the if/then statements as I did?

If you copy/pasted exactly as the script is, you have a typo in the 'END IF' above the else statement it is failing on.  you are missing a space.  Typos get to be a killer for stuff like this

regards,
Eric

16

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Scripter compile error in

« on: January 15, 2014, 08:43:33 PM »

Try copy/pasting all your code into the VB editor within Mach3, then either try to run it (using the buttons in the editor) or do a save-as to MCC, and the VB editor may flag the error.  Usually I find the cursor will jump to the location of the error.

Regards,
Eric Brust

17

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe-It probing wizard - 2D perimeter probing

« on: January 15, 2014, 08:18:10 PM »

I've recently put up an update to ProbeIt, to version 1.1.0.

Some of the updates include:
-added secondary method of calibrating probe per TP's comments. (it is up to user to manually center the spindle in the gauge ring using whatever method they like, but it creates a full 'comp' table that also includes probe tip runout/offset in the correction table).  Thanks TP for the comment, I think it is a good addition and gives the user a choice, especially if their probe is non-adjustable.
-reworked all the routines to be compatible with the CSMIO (thanks to Jimster for his help/patience/cooperation!)
-added additional 'probe active' checks in the perimeter routine
-added a counter to the perimeter probing screen so you know how many points have been collected
-various bug fixes to some of the routines.

I owe Jimster some thanks for working with me to get him up and running.  It turns out that that not all of the motion control devices out there behave the same, and was giving my routines some issues.  Both the para-port driver (what I have to test with) and the Smoothstepper seem to return actual X/Y/X coordinates into Vars 2000, 2001, and 2002 whether or not a touch is made at the end of the G31.  I do the math and checks in my routines to decide if the probe hit or missed.    After some testing with Jimster, it was confirmed the CSMIO plugins return X/Y/Z coordinates into Vars 2000, 2001, and 2002 on a hit, but it returns X=0, Y=0, and Z=0 on  a miss.  This took a little re-working of my code to make it compatible, but I think it is sorted out now.

I hope to keep it a work in process with more updates to come. 

Regards,
Eric Brust / CraftyCNC

18

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe-It probing wizard - 2D perimeter probing

« on: January 02, 2014, 10:32:48 PM »

Hey Jim,

Using this wizard is it possible to probe the outside of an object, and also the inside of a few pockets and save to the same DXF?

Yes, you can do that.  The way the wizard is setup, you open a CSV or DXF file for writing to, and you can start/stop, switch between pages in the wizard, etc, and keep recording to the same file until you close the file or close the wizard.

I went out to the shop tonight and did a quick example recording of a part of a picture frame I made a while back, but lost the CAD file in a crashed computer, as an example for you.  The part is full of pockets and sweeping curves.  I was going to video it also, but my camera died in the middle of it.  Please see the attached picture of the part being 'traced' as well as the raw CSV and DXF files as saved by ProbeIt wizard with no edits. (NOTE, forum doesn't allow CSV uploads... ?!  I resaved as a .txt, just rename back to a CSV when you look at it).

You will see the profiles in the DXF are made of many little segments, as defined by the settings in ProbeIt.  There are a few breaks in the profiles, that is  locations where I started/stopped due to either a faulty Estop, or so I could enter a smaller stepover to get in the tight little corners better.  There are some jagged corners with circles highlighted also, this is where sharp corners occured, and the routines 'guessed' at the corners because my steps were to coarse.  Ideally, you would take this raw DXF, then make a smoothed poly line out of the geometry and clean it up a little to use for a design/CAM.

Hope this helps give a little more info about it.

regards,
Eric Brust / CraftyCNC

by the way:  I would like to do a better video of the usage and settings, if anyone has a recommendation on screen recording software, I would apreciate it.  I've tried CamStudio, but it usually gives me poor output or crashes my computer while Mach is running.

19

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe-It probing wizard - 2D perimeter probing

« on: December 29, 2013, 05:14:00 PM »

IF you center the probe tip first you STILL have the problems of the trip being OFF in 6 possible quaudrants while you try to center the ring. This will introduce error into your table.

Hey TP,  We still agree on pretty much everyting    !

You're completely right that when you initially probe to find the ring gauge center, the '6 quadrant' error is in the 'found' center location.  But by running the calibration routine two (or more) times, the '6 quadrant' error gradually diminishes and goes away, because the correction table just generated is used in the subsequent finding of the gauge center for re-calibrating.  If one wanted, you could keep pushing the calibrate button until the correction table didn't change anymore.  I've found that two times pretty much does the job for me.

Now everyone looking for a probing tool for Mach3 has to have serious expectations, this wizard this isn't going to turn your average mill or router with a little backlash and a home-made touchprobe into a CMM good out to millionths or even tenths... I'll be the first to admit this.  But it can make a pretty good improvement in accuracy for measuring things in the thousanths, and it opens up the option for corrections in any direction in the X-Y plane beyond entering a simple ball radius compensation.  Long story short, it is what I needed as a basic platform for the way I wrote my perimeter tracing routine for basic reverse engineering that I wanted.  So Probe-It is what it is right now pending requests and comments for changes or new features from other users or interested touch probe users out there.  I'm all ears, but I can't promise anything requested can be made a reality (that is a jab at my own programming skills by the way )    


regards,
Eric (CraftyCNC)



 

20

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probe-It probing wizard - 2D perimeter probing

« on: December 29, 2013, 01:07:38 PM »

Hi TP,

I appreciate the discussion and feedback.  Thanks!

I didn't completely miss your point about the ball and comp table, I just had a slightly different take on it when I started about writing my routines   Here's my reasoning:

My thought was this: to mechanically center the 'ball' or 'ring gauge' to the spindle before calibration of the probe, you will have to manually center it by sweeping a DTI or using a co-ax indicator, etc... there is no automating this with a macro unless you already have a calibrated probe.  So to me, it made more sense to mechanically center the ball to the shank of your probe (assuming you can), and then use the comp table to clean up the probe deflection errors and any minor backlash effects, etc. 

I think I could easily make it an option in my calibration routine to allow what you suggest depending on what the user wants to do:
1)  If the user has already centered the calibration ring to the spindle manually (as you suggest), the routine could just touch off all around the ring and create a full comp table as you suggest.  This would account for probe tip runout along with the deflection and other errors.
2)  If the user has already centered the probe tip to the shank of the probe, then the routine auto finds the center of the ring prior to creating the comp table (as it already does), and repeats the routine to further reduce errors.  This really only accounts for deflection and backlash errors, as the user has manually addressed tip runout in the probe already.

I also completely agree, the probe must be indexed in the same direction every time for the comp table to be worth anything.  As most of us hobby guys don't have repeatable indexing spindles, that is why I would recommend the calibration technique I currently do, which is to center the probe tip to shank first.  Then the comp table is much less sensitive to the probe not being perfectly indexed in the same direction.   

If the user uses a 'full comp table' which corrects for significant probe tip runout, then any change in probes indexed position relative to how it was calibrated will create a significant error for edge and center finding routines.

Anybody have feedback  on if it is worth while to make the option to pre-center the ring and calibrate out significant runout from the probe tip?  It would put more burden on the user for installing the probe clocked the same way every time, but allow correction of probes that don't have any adjustment built in.

regards,
Eric Brust / CraftyCNC