After Benny fixes my uploading problem Pic's will be added.

The FIRST think you need to do in teach is have a part OR a drawing on the table of your mill/router/plasma. The teach wizard WILL NOT work at the desk!
1. once you have the part ready to trace you need to jog to where you would like to start the part 
2. press the NEW TECH FILE button. This will make a new file that you can "TEACH" the Gcode into.
3. Now Press the Rapid button too write a rapid move to where you are
4. Jog the Z axis down (Should be in Negative Zoos) and press "Liner Feed Move"
5. now move to a point and press  "Liner Feed Move" If you would like to change the feed rate you can at any time
6. to make an Arc is a bit harder The LAST point written to the tech file is the START of the Arc, So when you press "Arc Move" (the first time) you need to be at some point on the Arc(about mid arc).
7. Now jog to the ENDPOINT of the Arc and press the "Arc Move" button.

That is a bad bunch of steps but it will get you started...

It is a VERY fun tool to play with! You can make 3D arc moves

Hope this gets you started...
Happy teaching
Brian

Brian,

I found this thread by accident. As I mentioned in a previous thread comemnting on Teach Mode- I foound it (at that time) difficult to crack by clicking around. This I followed your directions and it works great-- for clicking around.

1, Is tracing of the image with the machine done using ONLY cursor keys? If so I find it cumbersome and time consuming. I am not sure if I understand all there is to the Teach Mode but following a car grill image would be a lifetime project rather like what said in your example 'within minutes". He must have been doing something different that I do.

What is the purpose of the teach mode? The name suggests 'teaching' (the new cnc user) and if that is the case than it is a great tool for that, seeing the code appear after moving to the new location. The trouble started for me how to follow a practival curve using cursor keys. Impossible (for me) in a reasonable amount of time.  Obviously there must be more to the Teach Mode than I described. Mike

the Teach wizard it not named well for the Mach3 users... Teach is a term used in the Machine tool industry for what the Wizard is doing. Sorry about that ... I have been thinking about changing the name to Trace.

As for using the Wizard I find it to be slow BUT it is MUCH faster than trying to draw it into a cad system. In the example of the car grill there were No lines in the grill only arcs! That is not simple to get into cad! I think a video will help to show you how to use the wizard and make things a little simpler for you. that said what do you think would help make this better for you?

Thank you for the input.
Brian

Brian, I just put your words to test and found  a Lincoln grill, copied, converted and I have now G code, all under a minute including simulation and saving. I juzr sent you that code so you can see that I am not joking. I cannot see that type of tracing even simpler, done with just the cursor keys-- I obviously don't undertand how that wizard works.

My wishes:
1. Please create a separate button for newfangledsolutions wizards.
2. What is a tracing funtion to achieve? I'll be specific: either a a wing part is placed under the spindle tip or a drawing of such. Now the idea is to move teh spindle tip using hte cursor keys (!) in such way that it covers every line of the wing or its drawing... OK, I would like to scan that picture or part on hte screen and follow it with the mouse cursor with a key pressed down (so the right hand doesn't have to hold teh left mouse key all the time). I feel that would be a WAY more friendly. regretlully some objects probably cannot be scanned and those need a a different way of moving the spindle tim... frankly, Brian, I am up against the wall with your queastion I just do see this method of tracing as easy nor efficient. Hopefully I will change my mind soon. Generating curves is really tricky.  Mike

Hello Mike,
There is a button on the screen that is "Conversational" if you press it, it will take you to the newfangled wizards.

The Tracing function is for the things that you can't measure... When I came up with the concept I was talking with a guy and he was showing me what he would like to be able to cut with his plasma. He had a bucket to large peace of earth moving equipment in the shop that he was puttin n an other tractor. He said "I need this bottom and that top", this was the "adaptor" that was about 3 feet (one meter) long. This was a VERY complex series of arcs and lines that made up the profile. SoI ask How would you take a profile that is over 3 feet by 2feet and get it into your computer in under and hour? I have done this in under 30 min now! this is not to take the place of cam or simple things that can be scanned in. At work I have a $75,000.00 CMM that reverse engineer parts with when I have this problem. So it is a FREE solution to a $75,000.00 problem. It is not going to be the best solution but it is a ton better that having to figure out arc centers , angles and so on.

That said it may not be for you because of the work that you do but there are people out there that need this to help them get ODD things done.

Hope that puts a little light on the subject

Thank you
Brian

PS I did need to tell more about what to use it on...

Brian,

Thk u for an explanation. Now I see it... It definitely is a very advanced way to use mach! It also helped me when you said that one has to have a machine connected to the PC w/ Mach3. I would also suggest that you consider changing a name to sthg like 'trace unmeasurable' and rmove one of the two versions that are there: 'teach' or 'tech 1.4'. Now, is it then possible to have a following feature:

1. using a mouse cursor to trace, (activated with a left hand key) and in a somewhat slow speed jog to move the bit with the MOUSE CURSOR with only a start and end signifying that movement. I think using a mouse with little training would make it really fast. If that were not possible than hitting enter would have to be used to acknowledge being still MOSTY on the track.

About the Button for newfangled solutions: what kind of a button is 'that'? It is one of the many undisnguishing places to click. I am asking for a SEPARATE 'button' to click on so that anybody can see it whenever they enter that screen. Right now it is like fishing in a barrel EVERYTIME.  Mike

Here is the button for the newfangled set.
 as for the mouse thing... That would be Art and I don't know how that would work... A few MPG's would be sweet!

Hope that helps
Brian

Brian,

Thank you for poiting that out to me. I would have never found those buttons on my own!! The reason being is that I used always pulldown menu and there 'newfangled' is buried among other much smaller fry. The second thing is that the name 'conversational' is great but I am used to 'newfangled' now, hehehe well, I guess I will have to retrain myself.  Oh, I know what it is that clashes here: inconsistency of naming in the wizard pulldown menu with 'conversational' on the main screen.  One thing using two different names in two different places with two different looks. It probably will be standardized one day but at least we get to use it now    Mike

As far as mouse tracing, I just hope that Art reads this page once in a hwile because I don't have a nerve to post anythiing on his site for a while.  Mike

Hi Brian,
Very close to plasma user , the teach  wizard that seem step by step teaching by jogging X & Y to give co-ordinate and save  G-code.Here is some ideal may be friendly to plasma user with servo. Let say using cnc table with timing belt or gear rack, sharing servo encoder to read X & Y position but not by jogging. Just clamp a  2 mm pin to the (Z), manually turn the head down that will touch & guard the outline of the object to be copy. Before scanning Encoder supply must be ON & servo supply are OFF to avoid holding. To scan run teach wizard & move the X,Y axis alone to the outline of the object to be copy by handle and save G-code. does it possible ?

Thank you,
Khoo
 

I think it is just not with the printer port version.... I will see if that can be done once the Grex is on line. The Grex can take decode the encoders MUCH faster than the P port.