I know this subject has been brought up many times but I have questions on a different
type of probe. A friend has a probe that looks like a robot arm, cost $15000.00 american
dollars and he cannot get it working. the software seems to be dead or something.
I was wondering if Mach3 can receive the signals from the probe. It has a USB plug on it only.
The arm is mounted beside a granite table all nice an level. You double stick your part to the granite
and start probing the various surfaces and the software (hopefully Mach3) records the info. and spits out
a nice drawing but I have know idea what format it would be in. I have not even red the Mach3 probe
directions.

Can someone help me or get me going in the right direction.

Thanks
Tommy

Basically a digitizer like that is sort of analogous to having a 3 axis servo loop feedback and you're the motor driving the 3 axis. Probably an optical or resistive sensor sends the changes of position in 3D to a micro and then those coordinates are spit out serially to a USB port interface. If you could get that to work with Mach's digitizing wizard (through much rolling up the sleeves,contortions involving data translation and software writing),you'd sure be 'gilding the lily'. You're device is putting out the coordinates that it takes a probe in a cnc to generate by 'looking' at a spot and determining if the probe contacted anything. By touching the probe you mention to the object you desire to digitize, you are the mill!
I'd look for the manufacturer's link to drivers and software for that digitizer(that's why they call what you're calling a 'probe' a 'digitizer' ;because it's digitizing the points you touch)and I'm sure you'll come up with a program that at least will generate something that can be read in a CAD program and at the least be saved as a .DXF to use to generate G-code. Unless you're going to plot millions of points manually, those types of digitizers were made to manipulate later on in CAD anyway. They are very cool though.-Keith

Most arms use rotary joints and takes special software to interput the joint angles and arm offsets(Kematics) to a set of touch point coordinates. Mach does not have that capabilty.

I would serach web for a forum that use that arm for help.

(;-) TP

I did find out today that the computer and software that came with the digitizer crashed.
I will have a look at the computer as soon as i get a chance but I sure wish mach3 could interface with this system.

Thanks for the info.
Tommy