Messages

141

General Mach Discussion / Re: help with settings

« on: May 30, 2010, 11:41:46 AM »

if it's a configuration error, the autodetect function in the "ports and pins" menu will be a lifesaver (or at least a timesaver)

if someone has fiddled with your settings remember to beat him very well.

142

General Mach Discussion / Re: cuting snails and helices (helixes?) - parametrics problems

« on: May 30, 2010, 11:39:33 AM »

update on this - a lot of the hangups seem to have been caused by Gcode edit windows staying open and not being saved and closed. Poor housekeeping the other bug I've found is that if I displace the Y variable (#1) by more than 12 mm per revolution, it gives me an error of "Radius to end of arc differs to start". It just seems very odd to me that 12mm offset is tolerated, but 13mm is not.

Still puzzled. Any help appreciated on this, as i would like to drive a coarser spiral than I currently can.

Edit: the allowed displacement seems to be independent of the initial or eventual arc diameter. I increased the starting radius to 200mm and it still allows 12mm increase but not 13.


 

143

General Mach Discussion / cuting snails and helices (helixes?) - parametrics problems

« on: May 30, 2010, 10:18:58 AM »

Hi. Having a quick kickaround at maiking a snail, and I've run into some problems.

This is the code i was using five minutes ago, it worked then but not now.

#1=45
G0 X0 Y[#1]
G0 Z1.00
M3 M8
G01 Z-1.0 F200

M98 P1 L10

G0 Z10 M5 M9
M30
O1

G03 X0 Y[#1] I0 J0 F600
#1=[#1+7.0]

M99
%

this isn't for making anything, just a tester for cutting a jig for trimming a ring shaped part on, hence the locating island in the middle.

The increasing Y value in the subroutine should force the tool round in an outwardly increasing helix, and annoyingly, five minutes ago it did ... but not any more .. And i can't think why. Any clues?

G02 or G03 commands repeated with a decreasing Z are quite ok, I use these all the time for milling dead-fit holes for dowels etc. Never a problem there. Just flat helixes, or helices or whatever they are when they're at home. Any clues?  

144

Tangent Corner / Re: making a snail...

« on: May 29, 2010, 06:37:31 PM »

Chris,
Somewhere in my vaults of useless info, i have the info and file for creating a scroll based on ratios similar to what you
posted. It came from one of the engraving sites.  Where is your's from?

As far a snails are concerned i just put salt on them! 
RICH

no, garlic and pepper!

145

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wiring of 2 wire proximity switch

« on: May 29, 2010, 03:01:40 PM »

^^ true. I used the optos mainly because i had dozens of them around due to the MOQ i had to put up with ( I used 5 on the rest of the machine). My setup uses a seperate power supply for the 9v circuit. Plus I have a really good system for making PCBs of my own.

my philosophy throughout was to use optos wherever possible, and keep the computer's ports attached to nothing but opto outputs. Maybe over-cautious, but actually no more expensive than the alternatives

146

General Mach Discussion / Re: Wiring of 2 wire proximity switch

« on: May 29, 2010, 02:13:13 PM »

These look a great deal like the magnetic proximity switches on my Excel mill. They change resistance based on the proximity of a steel vane. I used a transistor/optoisolator circuit which I'll share when I get home. the optoisolator has a darlington pair output which provides an extremely rapid rise in output current when triggered. this is the setup currently used on my mill, it costs a few punds to make and the PCB is about 1.5" square it's a very accurate setup by the way - Well worth keeeping those switches.

147

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mayday, mayday, mayday: Steppers thumping and banging and losing steps

« on: May 29, 2010, 01:52:24 PM »

that may be an issue. I never got to working out how interrupt requests actually worked. Presumably sharing an IRQ number would cause problems, but is there a way to pioritise interrupt requests, one over another - ie set the paralell cards to one number, and the USB ports to another (lower?) figure?

148

General Mach Discussion / Re: Possible to re-label axes in Mach Mill?

« on: May 29, 2010, 01:35:05 PM »

Is this to be a permanent setup? if so, just program X and Y as usual, Z as quill axis, and use A axis for the knee. sound suitable? I far prefer hardware solutions to this sort of thing.

149

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mayday, mayday, mayday: Steppers thumping and banging and losing steps

« on: May 24, 2010, 11:14:50 AM »

rapids now up to 2000 mm/minute with no lost steps. No wireless parts involved. Still stumped.

150

General Mach Discussion / Re: Three LPT Ports

« on: May 24, 2010, 08:39:23 AM »

how about a wireless keyboard?