Messages

21

General Mach Discussion / Using f engrave

« on: December 27, 2015, 06:58:49 PM »

F engrave really is a great tool for doing simply inlays and engraving.  And being free, I can afford to use it.  Works outstanding with wood, but I am having some issues engraving aluminum.

I am trying to get some letters engraved, kind of like a serial number, with letters about .187 in.  My problem is that my v bits are a little too wide an angle for this small a work.  I am using .03 tip with a 90* angle.  I can't seem to get to a useful depth and still have clean letters and numbers.  Also, engraving it really cuts deep in wide lines, I am assuming because it is trying to cut the entire line in one pass with the v bit, so it has to go deep to get the proper width.

What size bit would someone suggest for small work?  Is there any useful primer for a beginner on this software?

Thx
Dan

22

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / MachStdMill Personal Edition

« on: November 22, 2015, 12:47:51 PM »

Anyone using MachStdMill by Personal Edition Calypso Ventures?  I am asking because I tried it but the edge finding and touch off functions weren't working.  I was wondering if these buttons were disabled in this edition.

thx
Dan

23

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Stumped on how to code iterations

« on: November 19, 2015, 02:02:27 PM »

I guess simpler way of asking the above is, are variables #1, #2, and #3 modal (persistent)?

I guess they are because the code works perfectly, I am just asking so I understand what is happening.

thx

24

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Stumped on how to code iterations

« on: November 19, 2015, 01:52:57 AM »

Alright, looking at the sub routine, I see where you set some parameters.  #1 is my depth of cut and #2 is .085, so would that make safe Z .70.  Can I use .115 in place of .085 to get to safe Z .1?

The M98 calls sub o1 with the P switch, and the L switch loops it 80 times.  But the M30 command rewinds and resets everything.   I presume that some how or others Mach remembers the L count and M30 doesn't reset that count.  Wouldn't Z, however, return to the original home coordinates with the G54 call?

I see at the end of the sub #1 is doubled with the #3 parameter, which would be perfect if there was a command resetting Z = #3.  This is what I am missing.  When you end the sub and return, and call G54 you have reset Z = 0 again, and wouldn't # 1 revert from #1 + #3?  Could a G92 Z = #3 capable of working here?

I am a noob at this, so if my questions seem obtuse, forgive me.

Thx
Dan

25

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Stumped on how to code iterations

« on: November 19, 2015, 01:25:51 AM »

Thank you for that BR!  I will cut and paste that and give it a go, but more importantly, I am going to study that very hard to understand what it is doing.  I don't see which line resets the Z axis, but I do see the parameters you put in in place of a G92.  I just have to figure out which line sets the cut #1 deeper for each pass.

Thanks
Dan

26

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Stumped on how to code iterations

« on: November 18, 2015, 09:15:52 PM »

Garylucas, thanks for the tip.  No, I am not from Jersey.  It's worse than that.  California!  Where everyone is either fruits or nuts.

BR549

My routine looks like this:

(I am using a 3/8 end mill on 7075 T6 aluminum)

G54
X0 Y0 Z0
G1 Z-.015
G1 X 1.65
G0 Z.2
G0 X0
G0 Y-.157
G1 Z-.015
G1 X1.65
G0 Z.2
G0 X0
G0 Y-.315
G1 Z-.015
G1 X1.65
G92 Z0 (this would be where my code fails)
G0 Z.2
G0 X0Y0
M30

Rinse and repeat to a depth of 1.24 inches.  I thought about a subroutine, but not sure that I would gain anything with such a simple routine.  I just want to reset Z to current position, then rewind and run again, looping 80 times.

I could use some help understanding how to reset work home and restarting the routine.

Thx

27

Mach3 under Vista / Stumped on how to code iterations

« on: November 18, 2015, 02:11:41 PM »

I am trying to run simple program to cut a slot making deeper passes with each iteration of the code.  I need to code to make 80 cuts, .015 inches deep.  I have tried a G92 command to reset Z0 after each cycle, but for some reason I can't get the syntax right.  I haven't tried a G10 because, as I understand it, that just resets the G55, G56, etc., for fixtures.  Can someone help me out with how to use G92, or a better alternative.

Thanks from the dummy trying to learn G Code on his own.

Dan

28

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wiring Limit Switches

« on: September 30, 2015, 05:29:00 PM »

all good now.  sometimes all you need is to be pointed in the right direction

29

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wiring Limit Switches

« on: September 30, 2015, 02:39:06 PM »

Update on my learning.  I got the home switches working.  Powering from the pin instead of the PS was the solution.  Pin # recognition works in Mach.  Now I have to figure out how to wire the limit switches in series with the home switches. 

30

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wiring Limit Switches

« on: September 30, 2015, 12:13:29 PM »

Thanks Magiciner,

I went back and checked and, no, all the pins seem to be pulling low when I trip the switch.  All except 15, which has my estop wired to it.  My touch probe is wired to 10, and every time I get a signal from the limit switch the BOB deletes the settings for the probe.   Also, regardless of which pin I assign the switch to, the autoset always sets to pin 11 in Mach.

 I am wondering, since the pin itself is 5v+, why am I running power through the red wire directly from the source.  Now, when I hook up the white wire to the pin, I have two sources of 5 volt going in and when ever I open the switch it over powers all the pins on the BOB.

I am thinking that I run the red wire to the pin to get power from it and to pull down its power when the switch is tripped open.  I would save the white wire for hooking up the next switch in series.  The only question I have about that is which switch gets connected to ground?  Since I am running the white wire of the first switch to the comm of the second, will grounding the first switch be adequate or do I have to ground the comm on the second switch with the white wire from the first still connected?

I apologize for being so dense on this.  It just confuses the heck out of me.