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Author Topic: Please help me make the touch-off feature work.  (Read 1569 times)

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Please help me make the touch-off feature work.
« on: July 19, 2019, 01:28:49 AM »
hello!
so i built my plasma table with a floating head feature and i have been trying everything to make the touch off feature work on this damn thing but i just cant!

i have a c11g breakout board with an ess smooth stepper and using sheetcam, i know mach 4 has the new plasma screen and it has a lot of thc features, and in mach 3 sheetcam has a lot of post processors that help incorporate the touch off feature within the g-code script. mach 4 and mach 3 are completely different so some of there post processors dont work. can some one explain to me with great detail how i can make this touch off work!plzzzzzzzz. is there a post processor needed for this to work sheetcam (which doesnt exist at the moment), or do i need to download something from warp9 (ess) that im missing? or am i bnot setting up somethig correctly in my mach 4?
i have my probe input set to the correct pin.

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Please help me make the touch-off feature work.
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2019, 09:59:34 AM »
As long as you have the probe input setup correctly it should just work. Set the THC mode to manual, set up all the thc settings (cut start settings are used with M3 weather using a THC or not) and when you execute a M3 (as long as you don't have touch off disabled) it should do its thing.

As for the sheetCAM stuff and post processor, I have no idea. The first thing you need to do is learn how to read and write Gcode manually if you don't know already. You are responsible for any Gcode you produce (manually or using CAM). The post processor is what determines the Gcode it will spit out. Only you will know if the Gcode it produces is right for you. If it isn't you will need to use a different post processor, edit one of your own or do something different in SheetCam.
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

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Re: Please help me make the touch-off feature work.
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2019, 03:54:39 PM »
I am no expert but try to achieve the same (touch off - no THC) I have learned that; It is important to check that the M03 starts the plasma cutting routine and runs it as expected. Insert the M03 command into MDI and run it. For my part I have set target volt the same as analog volt input register value. And has put an input pin so THC ON is always on. Although manual mode is what is used. (the plasma help document in the Mach4 folder is mandatory reading) If it works that way, then the post processor in Sheetcam should be as minimalist as possible (since Mach4 takes care of pierce height, etc.) In fact, newer Sheetcam have post processor named for Mach4 (probably Mach3 plasma_noZ could almost be used) But as I see it, Mach4_PlasmaPost has a weakness in that they do not lift the torch between cutting (rapid move?). I have therefore tried to edit it in a way that, in theory, I think it can work. Haven't tested it yet.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2019, 03:59:46 PM by cncNor »
Re: Please help me make the touch-off feature work.
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2019, 04:59:43 PM »
Not good logic in previous file.. Z2 may be better.