Hi all, my name is Eric, and I would like to share a probing wizard I've been working on (for a long time...).
I saw Jimster's comments in Terry's 'probe wizard' thread about some of his wishes (2D probing, save to dxf, etc), and didn't want to hijack that thread to introduce myself. I've been a long time reader/lurker, and pretty busy with my day job, kids, and moving recently, but I've also been working on a probing wizard for Mach3 which does 2D perimeter probing and saves to either DXF or CSV files. It started out as a project inspired by Stirling's old routines, and to see what I could accomplish for fun (I'm not a programmer by any means...). It's coming along into something that could be useful for some, so I'd like to share it.
The wizard is called 'Probe-It!', and you can find more info about it at
www.craftycnc.com. It is done completely within Mach3 VB macros. To give a brief run down:
It has a page of basic operations (corner, center find, side/edge find, etc much like other existing wizards) for setup operations, but you can record the points to DXF or CSV (sort of handy for CMM like or reverse engineering of simple parts).
There is a 'Z probing' page, which doesn't do much in its current form except it helps tell you if your work piece is 'flat' and leveled.
There is a perimeter probing page, which I think would fit Jimster's request quite well. On this page, the routine will 'trace' around the external (or internal) 2D perimeter profile, and make a DXF (or CSV file) of points/lines which can later be cleaned up and used to reconstruct your part in CAD. It isn't perfect and occasionally has issues with sharp direction changes, but it is coming along into something that works.
Finally, what I think makes this wizard unique from currently available routines is found on the setup page. You have the option to probe the ID of a 'ring gauge' of known diameter, and this builds a 'tip correction' table that is used when probing if you wish. This takes out some of the error associated with backlash, probe deflections, etc. Once you've built a correction table, errors are reduced in your measured parts, and you are also able to measure bore diameters more precisely and even get 'roundness' measurements.
I don't want to come across as being here only to 'advertise'. I would genuinely like to share what I'm working on, have people try it, and let me know what they think. I would appreciate suggestions/comments/requests/ etc.
ProbeIt requires a later version of Mach3 (3.43.66 has been my test platform for a while). I've also done all testing on a machine run via parallel port. I've had mixed response from users running SmoothSteppers, and I don't have a SS run machine to confirm/deny issues. So any feedback I could get from a SS owner would be appreciated! And like anything related to probing, I'd like to think the wizard is pretty robust, but everyone's setup is different and it can be easy to 'crunch' your probe, so please use at your own risk and probe slow until you get comfortable with the settings.
ProbeIt is free to download and play with and is fully functional, except it limits the number of points that the tip correction is on and how many points you can perimeter probe to a file without a license. If you find it useful for basic stuff, you can use it free forever.
Thanks for letting me share, and please let me know of any quetions/comments/suggestions.
Regards,
Eric (CraftyCNC)