Messages

381

Works in progress / Re: 3 Axis Simple Screen setup 1.0 (Also good for TouchScreens)

« on: November 19, 2006, 01:59:13 PM »

Under the Download section you can edit and create screens with the "Mach3Screen Designer" or Screen "Designer 4".

Open up any .set file with one of the screen designers and you'll be able to add or adjust things.
Art and Benny have a few video's on how the screen designers work.

Yep, you could make the Gcode box wider and this should fix it.
Let me know if it works or if you need any help.

382

General Mach Discussion / Re: CNC safety system possibility for CNC machining and Mach

« on: November 11, 2006, 02:21:13 PM »

Here is the idea for or CNC machines and Mach which might work better and for little cost.

A small pulse of electricity passes threw the machine, if the machine or router is touch the signal is broken and the Estop is tripped or a pause and shut off of the router is executed.

I actually had two idea's in one.
-The other is to pick up the tonal qualities of the machine and router.
-The user can fine tune a program to there normal ranges.
-The program will push the machine to these ranges.
-If out side the range the machine will slow down to meet the normal tonal range.

just a thought any idea's on how to make better would be great 

383

General Mach Discussion / CNC safety system possibility for CNC machining and Mach

« on: November 11, 2006, 01:51:13 PM »

CNC safety system possibility for CNC machining and Mach

I heard talk about a new table saw that is equipped with new type of safety system called SawStop.
I find this very interesting and a possibility for the CNC industry to climb on board and develop something similar.

So everything has tonal qualities, like an orchestra of sounds. Our machine might sound like a bunch of random chaos of sound but they actually have a continual tonal frequency (when functioning properly).
There is a distinct change in the electrical signal when a finger touched a spinning.

A couple things come to mind for possibilities:

-Stop a spindle or a machine from harming a person.
-Stop a machine from causing damage to it’s self.
-Accurately diagnose the physical health of a machine.
-Fine tune and adjust appropriate spindle speed by detecting the spindles frequency and having a program appropriately adjust the RPM’s on the fly.
-Feed rate changes can be made more efficiently and accurately on the fly.


Here’s how Sawstop work’s:

“SawStop safety system includes an electronic detection system that detects when a person contacts the blade. The system induces an electrical signal onto the blade and then monitors that signal for changes. The human body has a relatively large inherent electrical capacitance and conductivity which cause the signal to drop when a person contacts the blade. Wood has a relatively small inherent capacitance and conductivity and does not cause the signal to drop.
A fast-acting brake stops the blade when contact is detected. The brake includes a heavy-duty spring to push a block of aluminum, called a brake pawl, into the teeth of the blade to stop the blade from spinning. The spring is held in compression by a fuse wire until contact is detected. When contact is detected, the system sends a surge of electricity through the fuse wire to burn the wire and release the spring. The spring pushes the brake pawl into the teeth of the spinning blade, and the teeth cut into the aluminum and bind, thereby stopping the blade. All this happens in about 3–5 milliseconds, or 1/200th of a second. At the same time, the angular momentum of the blade causes the blade to retract below the table and the power to the motor is shut off.”
http://www.sawstop.com/index.htm



  Just some thoughts on the possible future of CNC and Mach 

384

General Mach Discussion / Re: I'm stuck....K2 3925 settings.

« on: November 08, 2006, 07:41:40 PM »

Looking at you're set up again, I believe your Softlimits should be in the positives+.

I have my machine set up in the far right corner and I'm going from zero out negatively.
This might be why your softlimits are being set off, also you could check your "Machine coors" as opposed to your offset to see if your over the limit.

WOW I'm confused because I notice there are two of you with the same machine asking diffrent questions in this same thread 

385

General Mach Discussion / Re: I'm stuck....K2 3925 settings.

« on: November 08, 2006, 01:03:30 AM »

Sploo,

could you post your XML file when you get everything up and running and keep this post updated with your experience for other KG users.

You probably have limit switchs but if you don't I found this useful:

"GET A NORMALLY CLOSED MOMENTARY SWITCH FROM MOUSER.com two major types of switches.
  1. THROW
  2. Momentary
   
  ANY momentary switch that is like the ones behind the buttons on your DVD Player or radio.  Push buttons. Will work.
  Make sure the position is starting at normally closed though. Meaning the power is flowing through it until you hit the button and break the current.   This is opposite of the way a normal momentary switch works..... Get a momentary wire it in and you are off and running"

So in Mach you want the switches on active low.

For the soft limits:

First I homed all of the axis’
I moved all the axis to there extremes and wrote down the DRO reading.

My set up is like this, now looking at it can’t remember why it was difficult to setup: 
   
     Softmin Home Auto Zero
X   -23.30    0.000     yes
Y   -35.00    0,000     yes
Z   -4.80      0.000     yes

386

Mach Screens / Re: On screen keyboard help?

« on: November 06, 2006, 12:35:01 PM »

James,
If you have or can use a SWF compiler program, I'll have the code done for the MDI for Flash screens in Mach within the next few days.

If you don't have a SWD compiler program we'll have a number of screens to chose from,actually the setup you want will be one of the first screens we'll have. I should have some time tonight to finish the code and construct a demo screen for you to test.

If you would rather not use Flash, Art is working on adding this to Mach in the future. Currently there is a calculator for DRO's in Mach and this will be adapted for the MDI as well.

If you want send me a sketch of what your thinking for your screen 

387

General Mach Discussion / Re: I'm stuck....K2 3925 settings.

« on: November 06, 2006, 01:23:48 AM »

Brett,
I think I'm going to be spending allot of money at McMaster carr 
Thanks for the mother load of mother loads, best link I've ever gotten

388

General Mach Discussion / Re: I'm stuck....K2 3925 settings.

« on: November 05, 2006, 12:43:43 PM »

Brett
  "Conveyor brush strip" thats what I needed to know,Thanks Brett, I used "Pond" flooring rubber 

I notice in the picture there is a  gap between the router and the Plexiglas,I usually have the Plexiglas box flush to the mount or if I drop it down I use the flooring rubber to keep suction.

I wish I could have found transparent rubber flaps, like restruant cooler have.

389

General Mach Discussion / Re: I'm stuck....K2 3925 settings.

« on: November 05, 2006, 02:14:58 AM »

sploo,
Since I cut guitars I use the Y axis as my 39" and the X 25".

The pin out on my control box is a little bit diffrent than the new KG but you should only have to change the "motor outputs" "Dir LowActive" and "Step LowActive" to change there directions.

Once in awhile I'll wonder why my machine isn't running smooth and come to find I forgot to have it in "Constant Velocity" mode.

If your Limit switch's go off for no reason change your "Deboucne Interval" to around 800+, or turn off "Watch Dog"

One thing that took me awhile to get the hang of was the "Softlimits" let me know if you have any trouble and I can post some advice about them.

The "Click" sound your getting is the encoder continually checking it's position, this is okay. I hadn't thought of it till it was completely quiet in my shop and there I heard it. You can fine tune your Gecko's but I don't believe it effects anything.

There is nothing better than Mach. Benny and others are designing some amazing screens and Art and Brain are continually adding more abilities and componets to Mach. It is the best program and is not just limited to controlling CNC machines.

I didn't like K2's vacuum system so I bought some plexy glass, screws(much simpler just to use aquarium glue) and a dryer vent.
Used my K2 to cut out a hole and $10 later I had a great vacuum system. It's not pretty but works great, I need to see the bit and easly change it.

390

General Mach Discussion / Re: I'm stuck....K2 3925 settings.

« on: November 04, 2006, 01:03:27 AM »

sploo,
Sorry about the delay,
No I have the later model the KG-3925 CNC Router Frame 39x25x5 '05 model with a physical precision metric ball screw, the step per are set to 10,160.

My motor are the DMG DAE HWA DC motor's with US Electronics encoders.

I'd first check in the "port & pins" to make sure your X Y Z signal's are enabled and are set correctly for Dir and setp (I've made this mistake before) and check your "motor tuning", because I have metric my steps are setup for 10,160.

I've gotten humming from having my Kernel speed set to 4500 and not having my motors tuned correctly.

Mach will leave all of your files untouched (besides the default Mach files like Mach3Mill.xml), you could try a number of diffrent setup files just give them diffrent names.

Which ver of Mach 3 are you using?
I'll try to think of other possabilities