Messages

101

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Bender

« on: February 09, 2007, 01:32:03 PM »

A machine like that has been on my back burner for a long time ( one of many ). That is a very cool gizmo nice job!  My question was always what do you use to generate g-code.
Or are you just doing it by hand?

Chad

102

General Mach Discussion / Re: Waterjet/lookahead/accelerate-slowdown

« on: February 09, 2007, 01:18:37 PM »

Hi,

In mach click on the settings tab. Look for "CV Fedrate" this is the speed mach will use if the angular limit is reached. You can set at what angle the alternate speed kicks in...


Chad

103

General Mach Discussion / Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...

« on: February 09, 2007, 01:15:16 PM »

Hi VOTS,

I have a fog buster ( www.fogbuster.com ) and am very happy with it!  Here is the deal with cutting aluminum. You have to use lubricant and you need a nice sharp bit. When cutting with small bits if the aluminium galls (sticks to the bit) then it looses it's cutting power and will just try to push the metal out of the way resulting in a broken bit and a crappy cut. Some people say not to use carbide bits with aluminum but that is all i use had have had great luck!

.02

Chad
 

104

Mach3 and G-Rex / Re: (CHAD) the Grex Answer Man

« on: January 30, 2007, 01:09:19 AM »

Hi guys, i am sorry for the delay i have been very busy lately and the big mill broke. I will try to answer some questions tomorrow.


Chad

105

Feature Requests / Re: Stock and work probing

« on: January 24, 2007, 11:27:24 PM »

cool thanks, i will play wth it.

Chad

106

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: Electrical Shapes Wizard

« on: January 19, 2007, 02:05:22 PM »

Cybertek:

For pcb go download Eagle http://www.cadsoft.de/
There is a free version that works very well. For $150 you can get a not for profit version that is the same as the pro.
There are eagle to gcode converters out there that also work well .

I have been thinking about doing some pcb milling lately but haven't gotten into it yet. I still use the photo etch method and have no problem with tqfp 80 pin packages. I just am sick of all the mess of it.

Chad

107

Mach3 and G-Rex / Mach 3 Plug-in and Grex Current status.

« on: January 18, 2007, 05:27:45 PM »

I am going to lock and sticky this post as a place Just for the latest on Mach3 and The g100 plug-in.
Mach3 plug in: The plugin is in a beta stage and is for the most part functional. Most mach functions are implemented, but not all.

Grex hardware: The hardware is finalized and a shipping product.

Grex Firmware: The current version of firmware is for the most part functional. There are some things that are being added and debugged before a official release expected some time in 2/07 (last I heard). The firmware is being written by a third party. In other words Not ArtSoft and not Gecko. This Person is named Steve and he has don amazing things and it is no small task. he is working as fast as he can and we will just have to be patient.
Things that Mach3+Grex will NOT do at this time until the new firmware is released:

   Spindle sensing- ridgid tapping- threading.
   MPG Inputs. ( I believe art has one enabled for test but don't take my word on that)
   Soft limits
   Backlash correction
   Probing
I have seen, and have have heard of others having problems with the Grex randomly stopping during a job- so be careful.
Mach 4 is no longer supported or updated. It has been replaced with the latest version of Mach 3 and the Grex (or g100) Plug in.
Mach Quantum Does not at present work with the Grex. This will come later. Mach Quantum is still a test bed for some new features that Artsoft wants to experiment with. It is not a production stable release and should be treated with care. 

That is all I have for now as I Hear more I will update this thread.

Thanks,
Chad

108

General Mach Discussion / Re: Grex100 Plugin Status Update

« on: January 16, 2007, 09:07:47 PM »

Just saw your other post. 

Currently there are three (or so)  major issues with the grex.

1 Soft limits
2 Rigid tapping (spindle sensing)
3 Probing
4 a random freeze (this is the one that gets me)
5 mpg input
 
Most everything else works.

I have a Converted bp clone that i have cut lots of stuff on and with the exception of the random stop it works very well.
Home and limits work , just not soft limits.

It is frustrating , I want to put a grex on my big mill but am afraid to until the soft limits work.

there is a picture of the bp clone here with the g rex on it.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=627.10

Chad

109

General Mach Discussion / Re: Grex100 Plugin Status Update

« on: January 16, 2007, 08:55:02 PM »

Thise are all good ideas, I will bring them to the powers that be (benny).

Q won't work yet it is still just a test app.

I will get the mach4- changed. I was thinking the same thing just the other day.

The version thing is a little trickier. Art really is the one to update that and he isn't here as much as Brian. I will pose the question and see what we can do.

We did have chat a while ago but yanked it because no one used it.  You can always send us pm's if we are here we will respond.

thanks

Chad

110

General Mach Discussion / Re: Grex100 Plugin Status Update

« on: January 16, 2007, 07:38:18 PM »

Trust me, we are all waiting on this.
This is out of art's hands for now. Art wrote the plug for the grex and made it work with mach. Gecko drive built the hardware and a guy named Steve is writing the firmware for the grex.
The holdup is with Steve. It isn't intentional he just has a lot on his plate and the grex is a complicated gizmo. We are quickly approaching the estimated time to get the firmware out (end of this month) so things should start happening again on the grex front.
When art gets the firmware mach will updated as soon as as possible.

I have a grex on a Bridgeport that i would like to get updated too. I just have to wait until the thing is ready.

Chad