Messages

1011

General Mach Discussion / Re: Using The Knee For Tool Length Comp....

« on: December 17, 2009, 07:07:12 AM »

Sorry for the silly question, but what is the benefit of using the knee for tool length compensation? Why not do everything with the quill or alternatively with the knee?

Just wondering, from a practical standpoint, would  it not be easier to set the reference tool up to the gauge line on your taper and have positive offsets for your tools? My thinking is you can never have a shorter tool than your gauge line but if you were using a max length tool as the reference then it may be in the future you get a tool that is longer and thus will have to redo everything.

Hood

Don't you have to redo everything for each job anyway? I only have 7 toolholders, so I have to setup the tools and tool table for each job.

Daniel

1012

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help with Spindle Index please

« on: December 17, 2009, 01:17:05 AM »

John,

If you're using one of the last versions of Mach3 I think it might be related to what Art has discovered as an incorrect spindle speed showing with fast CPU computers. It should have a fix in the next version Brian releases.

Daniel

1013

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: December 16, 2009, 08:51:08 AM »

Spunk,

As you say, you power the LED and the transistor gives you the output signal, which goes into Mach3 like Hood said. for any given sensor the manufacturer would supply a typical wiring diagram. You'll need to use resistors in line with the transistor and the LED to limit the current to the nominal. The resistor values (or the equivalent current) would usually be specified be the manufacturer.

The output signal from the transistor would usually be too low requiring some kind of an amplifier before it's fed into Mach. A simple solution would be using a schmitt trigger for that purpose.

Daniel

1014

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

« on: December 16, 2009, 06:32:15 AM »

Hi Spunk,

Looks like an optical sensor. A photo LED is used on one side and a photo transistor on the other side.

Daniel

1015

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: 1987 Bridgeport Production Center Interact 412 to Mach3 Conversion

« on: December 12, 2009, 06:13:32 AM »

Very good progress. Keep up the good work.

Daniel

1016

General Mach Discussion / Re: How to use the Run From Here option.

« on: December 11, 2009, 02:09:20 PM »

Oh, it's also smart to hit Stop before doing SetNextLine.  If you do it mid-program, without doing a Stop, Mach3 will still sometimes try to do some goofy prep move, which almost invariably involves jamming your tool at full speed into the side of a clamp or vise.  (I wonder how it always knows where they are??).

1017

General Mach Discussion / Re: How to use the Run From Here option.

« on: December 11, 2009, 01:56:47 PM »

Just keep in mind that the Set Next Line doesn't load any modal functions that were supposed to be executed prior to the selected line. I got to be very careful with this.

Daniel

1018

General Mach Discussion / Re: How to use the Run From Here option.

« on: December 11, 2009, 10:17:24 AM »

The Run From Here was not designed to be used with subroutines as Mach has no way of knowing the iteration you want it to start from. I think you should be able to use the Run From Here from the main program though and when Mach will get to a subroutine it will execute it as the main program calls.

Ian, while most of the time the Run From Here works fine for me, sometimes it has its  quirks and I end up using various workarounds like you did. I have no idea why it would request a preparation move to that location. I also have these requests every now and then and can't figure it.

Daniel

1019

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: M1 MILLING MODEL

« on: December 11, 2009, 09:47:35 AM »

They look so beautiful. It's so tempting to touch them and rotate the handwheels

Daniel

P.S.
Do the cases come with the kits?

1020

General Mach Discussion / Re: Z axis problems

« on: December 10, 2009, 08:04:14 AM »

Basically the procedure would depend on the gcode program you have. If the gcode define the top surface of the workpiece as Z=0 then you'd touch off the workpiece surface and, zero your Z DRO, jog up to clear the workpiece (you don't want the spindle to start while the cutter touches the workpiece) and run the program.

If, on the other hand, the gcode defines your Z=0 at say the bottom of your vise, then you'd touch off the bottom of the vise, set the Z DRO to zero, jog up, clamp your workpiece and run the program.

Hope it answers your question.

Daniel