Messages

21

VB and the development of wizards / Secondary tool z zero

« on: December 21, 2016, 11:02:57 AM »

I am struggling with getting the Z height correct after a tool change...eg when doing VCarving and using a flat area tool, I always have lines in the workpeice (wood)...I am as carfefull as I can be when doing the second Z zero (new tool to the top of the work peice with my touch plate), but sometimes it is hard to do, so I am ready to build a second fixed touch off plate...
Have a couple of questions...
from what I have been reading, you touch off your first tool as normal, then touch the first tool on your second plate...do you store this value somewhere?
Haven't got is completely in my head yet, on the next tool change, I understand you go to your fixed plate, after you get the new Z dro, do you add, or subtract the difference from your "stored" number? Or am I missing something simple? I would think you would have to offset you current zero to a new zero based on the second fixed probe, jsut not sure what steps to take...is there some example code somewhere?

Thanks
Leslie

22

General Mach Discussion / Re: Weird V Carve cut

« on: December 16, 2016, 01:08:33 PM »

Screen, in VCarve and Mach3 show a straight line as you would expect...checked the bit also, it is 60Deg...

23

General Mach Discussion / Weird V Carve cut

« on: December 16, 2016, 11:14:46 AM »

When using Vcarve to generate code, I get these rounded pockets where it should be square. Anyone have any suggestions? I am using a standard Frued carbide tipped 60 deg VBit. I attached my tool settings...

24

General Mach Discussion / Re: Axis calibration

« on: December 09, 2016, 11:57:13 PM »

Thanks for all the thoughts...I have a belt drive system...got a 5 inch square to repeatably cut 4.999 to 5.001...circles still +/-.030...only using 5 inches because I am checking with a digital caliper...will get a long accurate ruler and try...

Leslie

25

General Mach Discussion / Axis calibration

« on: December 07, 2016, 10:07:16 PM »

I wonder if I am missing some setting...
As I mostly do text based wooden signs with my router, I really never put much effort into getting the axis's super accurate, I just used a 24 inch ruler and estimated...I recently rebuilt the machine to gain Z distance and increased stiffness...anyway...(I have done this several times)...I can get the X and Y axis to repeat +/- .001" measured by an electronic digital caliper, over a 5" range...now when I cut a 5" circle (gcode generated by VCarve)...the circle ends up about  +.032" across the X and +.044 across the Y...not really sure if something else is going on...tomorrow, I will cut some squares and measure...

A couple of questions...I read somewhere that you MUST re-home an axis after you use the calibration routine...True?

Also, If I can cut say a 5" square and end up with (tool diameter compensated for) 5.030", can i just go into the axis calibration and say to move 5", then enter 5.030? THis is what I will try tomorrow, just did not know if there was some other config setting that may be creating the circle errors...

Thanks
Leslie

26

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Hoss probing button codes

« on: April 02, 2016, 05:28:06 PM »

Cannot help with your probing questions but I love your panel! Did you engrave all of the text? Can you give me some details?

Thanks

27

General Mach Discussion / Re: MUST KILL WINDOZE!!

« on: March 15, 2016, 01:08:46 PM »

Users are usually the biggest problem!   

28

General Mach Discussion / Re: MUST KILL WINDOZE!!

« on: March 14, 2016, 08:27:04 PM »

Took a lot less time to reinstall Mach in the root directory AND move all of my settings, macro, screens, bitmaps, etc...

All is well again...

29

General Mach Discussion / Re: MUST KILL WINDOZE!!

« on: March 14, 2016, 02:26:06 PM »

Yes, my use is an Admin, I have full access and rights, even when you run as adminstrator, it jacks itself up because it points to the Admin virtual store! Not the local directory....I believe my only option is to resintall in the root directory, like the install suggests! I guess I have never run software that wants to write to the c:\programs directory directly, as I have been using Win7 for quite some time and never even realized this...

30

General Mach Discussion / MUST KILL WINDOZE!!

« on: March 13, 2016, 04:59:19 PM »

I CAN NOT BELIEVE the mess I have gotten myself into! So, been a couple of days trying to figure out why when I run MachScreeen, edit and save, changes are not there?!? Been jacking with it, renamed, saved, loaded other screens, then back etc...etc...etc...

Figured out today that Win7 will not let programs write directly to the program directory?!? WTF? Anyhow after several searches online figured out that the real files that are written to are buried deep in windows....\users\me\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\ProgramsFiles\Mach3\...okay whatever...so I now edit the screen down in this directory...screen changes are there, but script changes are not? WTF? So I kind of have it figured out (I think) and am mixing copying matching files, then, BAM the xmla is WRONG! Pins, motor tuning everything...I downloaded Klaaus' excellent xml utility, but I am stuck...I can find the one that is seemingly correct, but no matter WHERE I put it aint working...I am now putting everything back in manually and running into problem after problem...eg...used the auto feature to set the input pins, seems to go well, but on the diagnostics page, the port/pin graphic responds to the limit pins, but the M1Limit, etc is not changing state! I cant belive how easy it is to hose your whole system up!

I want to scream!