Messages

21

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Help! Calibration in mach 4

« on: November 12, 2016, 10:11:10 AM »

Here is my spreadsheet. There is a lot of extra things in here. You can scroll down to the section where it compares the movement to the measured distance.

As you can see this subject can take on a religious fervor. I prefer to do it both ways. One time in an eariler position I argued "...but the math tells me" to an older guy who had been around the block a few times. He told me "it is only a suggestion - measure and confirm"

Have fun,
Peter

22

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Help! Calibration in mach 4

« on: November 11, 2016, 08:18:22 AM »

I built a simple spreadsheet that calculated the correct motor tuning by taking the actual movement of the machine and comparing it to the programmed movement of the machine. It gives you a new figure to put into the M4 motor setup. I will upload the spreadsheet the next time I am at the machine. It was very easy to build.

Not sure if this function is built into M4 there were previous threads about why you should calculate the movement of the machine based on gear teeth, steps per revolution, etc. That is really the proper way of doing things, but the measure vs move calculation will get you up and running quickly. Also, it is good enough for many users.

23

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New to this game!

« on: November 11, 2016, 08:11:49 AM »

You will need a program to design the graphic / diagram and then create your toolpaths. M4 can run the toolpaths and tell the machine what to do.

These are called CAD/CAM programs. I use one called Vcarve Pro and it is very easy to use and allows you to create the designs as well as the toolpaths. I am sure you can find a free one of these types of programs if you just need a very simple design.

Perhaps others can tell you what they are using.

24

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: how to connect analog joystick to Mach4?

« on: September 18, 2016, 12:26:00 PM »

Or you could use the Xbox plugin and controller.

25

Mach4 Plugins / Re: Shuttle Pro question

« on: September 05, 2016, 02:27:53 PM »

I suspect it is doing something you just can't see it. Watch the position windows for the axis you are moving. You may be moving it very slightly. The speed of the two wheels on the shuttle pro is controlled by the jog speed. If you select a faster increment you will likely see the movement. I have mine set at .01". This works for me. On another post someone told us how the Shuttle Pro uses this to calculate how far/fast to move.

26

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Line Tracing using Mach 4

« on: August 29, 2016, 08:59:47 AM »

I sent a not to Les at SheetCam asking if scanything would be supported for Mach 4. I recieved the following response:

Scanything only works reliably with Mach3 when you are using the parallel port. External controllers have too much latency to work well. Mach4 is mostly sold with an external controller so I haven't added support for Mach4.

Thoughts?

27

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Line Tracing using Mach 4

« on: August 27, 2016, 09:22:40 PM »

Exactly what I would like. I wonder if they have plans for Mach 4!

28

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Line Tracing using Mach 4

« on: August 27, 2016, 03:34:41 PM »

I agree with all of the above. We take templates of counter tops, boat decks, shower floors, etc. We can then make them out of Corian and engrave them with designs. To make it smooth again we fill the design with a graphite impregnated epoxy and sand it down. If there was some type of way to line trace and get a vector out of the machine it would save us a LOT of time.

I have tried a 'stitching' program that puts pictures together. It works ok. It would be much nicer if we could pin the template to the table, show the machine a line to follow, give it a direction to follow, and then hit probe (scan). This could be a differeniator for Mach 4.

I love the flexibility of Mach 4 and if any program can do it then it is probably a Mach 4 based one.

29

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Line Tracing using Mach 4

« on: August 27, 2016, 09:17:59 AM »

I have a copy of V-carve Pro that does a great job of tracing an image. The problem I have is getting the appropriate image into the computer. The image tends to get smaller the farther from the center of the image. It would be nice if I could use the CNC table to scan in the images it does not affect as much. It is the big ones that have problems.

I was hoping someone would have an idea about using Mach4 and a webcam to trace an image. I know lots of science competitions are formulated around line tracing robots. I was wondering if this technique could be used with a webcam.

Also, Tormach has a stitching program that puts together multiple images from a webcam to scan in a part. It is pretty neat but not quite what I was looking for.

Thoughts

30

Mach4 General Discussion / Line Tracing using Mach 4

« on: August 26, 2016, 05:41:01 PM »

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas about how to do line tracing using a web microscope on a CNC and using Mach 4?

We do large patterns using a pencil to mark the edges and the transfer it to Mach 4 by touching points with a fine bit and recording the points. It would be much easier if M4 could trace the image. Almost like a probe but with a camera.

I know we can take a picture of the diagram and put it into M4 but we run into a problem with parallax angles.

Thoughts?