Messages

181

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Re: Code won't run

« on: November 12, 2013, 04:02:45 PM »

That line has a comment on it - M06 T13 (Center drill)- I think mach3 objects to comments on the same line as code. You can change the setting in the new job dialog to not show comments, or simply edit that line and add an <enter> key to make the comment appear on a new line. I will fix the program to do that.

On the General Config screen, near the top left of the page is a radio box for tool change- you have 3 choices, Ignore, stop and wait for start, or auto tool changer. You want to set it to stop.

Yes, if you have repeatable tool holders you can set up the tool table so it will automatically set the Z values when you make a tool change. How to do it is more complicated than I can write here, have a look at the mach manual for details. There may also be a video on it.

182

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Re: G-Code stops in Mach

« on: November 07, 2013, 07:15:35 AM »

I see no errors in the file, and it runs normally on my system, with no motors connected but properly configured.

You must have something not configured in your test system. Even without motors connected you should be seeing dros change as the file is run.

Be sure some motors are enabled in Ports and Pins. Right off I cant think of anything else that should do this.

183

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Ideas for a new opertion- End Cut

« on: October 23, 2013, 03:36:39 PM »

In the discussion about the rectangle operation it occurred that an end  cutoff wizard might be useful. This would be for the case of putting stock that was cut on a bandsaw in the vise, then making a couple passes across the end of the stock, moving in the Y direction.

My thought is to have a screen with 4 inputs, Xstart, Xend, Ystart, Yend The right side- the Z inputs would have Ztop, Zdepth and maybe a Zstep.

The operations main cut loop would be from Ystart to Y end- this allows either climb or conventional. If multiple steps are need to Get to X end This cut loop would be repeated.

Some questions,

Do I need to allow multiple steps down in Z to reach full depth?
Do I need to make multiple steps in x to get to Xend?
Do I do the X cuts first, then step down in Z, or do I do Z first, then a X step and again do Z to depth.
Should I make the final cut at full depth in Z, to Xend and at a depth of cut of a finish amount?

I guess the first question is "Is this a useful operation"

184

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Re: Bad Rectangle code

« on: October 23, 2013, 07:21:37 AM »

I have not posted the new version yet, Ive got a couple other things to fix. It will probably be on the net in a week or two.

What you describe sounds more like an end facing job. Let me think about that, I may be able to make that a part of the surfacing operation.

You can select no ramp by setting ramp angle on the tool to be 90. Right now my error test code will object if the width is less than 2x tool, but I can fix that to test the ramp angle and allow 1x if its a 90 degree ramp. I will do that before I release the next version. Thanks for the suggestion.

185

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Re: Bad Rectangle code

« on: October 22, 2013, 09:14:00 PM »

I fixed that, and a couple other bugs as well. I dont understand how that all ever got out in the first  place.

There will be one problem though- I cannot cut a rectangle that is narrower than 2 times the tool diameter. We use a helical ramp into the work with a radius of .9 x toolDia, then it does a lead-in arc with a radius of the tool diameter.

The value .9*ToolDia was chosen because you cant helix into the work with a non-center cutting tool, like an insert carbide tool at much smaller radius.

186

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Re: Bad Rectangle code

« on: October 19, 2013, 01:17:22 PM »

Ok, I see exactly what you see, so clearly there is a problem here. I will have to work on this.

187

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Re: Bad Rectangle code

« on: October 19, 2013, 07:51:51 AM »

Please post a job file. That will give me  all the settings from the New Job and Tool Select. Also tell me what version you are using. I recall working on something that looked like this, I believe from the tool to large for the cut. The top circles look  like the ramp in code.

188

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Charge Pump problems

« on: October 16, 2013, 08:45:23 AM »

The circuit uses a pulse stream to charge a capacitor. If the pulse stream stops the circuit switches the drivers off. Its kind of like the pulse keeps 'pumping' a charge into the capacitor.

Its done this way as a safety- there is no way Mach could keep doing the regular pulse if it has crashed or 'gone nuts' in some way. If the enable was simply a signal, either on or off, it could fail with the signal in the safe state, but mach could be totally dead.

189

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: NFS Turn Wizard

« on: October 04, 2013, 10:02:21 PM »

What tool would you use for a wizard? Just a common cut-off tool? Use it in several passes of straight in plunge, then a final pass down the side, across the bottom and back out the other side? Or better to make both sides taper cuts into the center?

Maybe it could be a special case of a general slot operation?

I am just getting back to working on my lathe after a couple years, maybe that will get my but back in gear to do some more on the turn wizard.

190

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: NFS Turn Wizard

« on: October 03, 2013, 10:19:26 PM »

I think the wizard might work. It does allow tapers, and can start and end either at the large or mall diameter. it would take a few experiments to see. Ill try it when I  get a chance