[nego_0]

I logged on today and found that i am no longer alowed to store messages and do not have the same options as before.? I also am unable to click on a name and send a PM. Was i banned?


EDIT:
Fixed admin fixed my problem.

And while i was off the forums i managed to put something together! I know i know,, the gantry is on backwards (i have a habit of this).... I got excited! but its proof of concept and it really does move with ease. This weekend i will move some stuff out of the room and make proper room for it. JOE, thank you so much for your help and such a wonderful kit. The community is great and i hope to become a success story and make some nice things. The wife is already pecking for things.

[nego_0]

i ran my machine for the first time tonight. I have not installed the limit switches so i have not done much besides a bunch of jogging. But it works YAAAA!!! Like others i have a lot of wip in the Y axis. I will fix this with a heavy spring i hope. Im still trying to figure the best way to mount my microw limit switches. I guess nails will do. Thanks to evryone on this build. it took much longer than i ever entended. I will post video and pics this weekend.

Older pics from last week with the new table.

[nego_0]

Here is the the build of the pc plus all the cnc hardware! I did a crapy job on the Gecko cut but the rest went perfect.. The cutting wheel i used for the Gecko was not up to the job. I should have waited. I plan to paint the entire case Hammered Black. I like the effect. Cheap build for the pc.

K7 Motherboard Free
Athlon 2.0Ghz Left over from years ago
2 Gig of ddr333 Left over from years gone past
400watt Antec smart power Left over from fried machine
9800 pro ATI left over from 3 generations ago!

This should run Mach 3 well!

[Fatboy]

Your machine is really coming along. Glad to see that you've made a lot of progress since the last time I saw pictures of it. The computers that I used with mine were all Craigs List used specials and worked well. My machine however is still in Charleston stuck behind my 2500# lathe in the shed. I'm planning on moving back up to the Rocky Mount area on a couple of lots that I own. I would be allowed 2-144sqft sheds or may try to find a large older camper to gut out and use as a shop.

Keep up the good work,
Fatboy

[Jason Marsha]

Congrats you are almost home, keep pushing for the finish and then post us a pic of the machine making chips.

Jason

[nego_0]

I need to take a few pics today! i have run the machine just not cut anything yet! i need to get the limit switches done!

[Fatboy]

Limit switches are a good thing to have to shut the machine down if it exceeds the maximum travel but if you are going to be standing watching on it's first cutting tests then you can shut it down well before it gets out of control.
Later on as you gain trust in your machine and programing abilities then limit switches are a must if something strange happens while you're not paying attention.

For right now crank it up and cut something.

Fatboy

[nego_0]

LOL ok ok ill start and see how she works! i have to use my buddies router to cut a new holder for me my router is to big.

[Ezra]

Nego,


Does the kit come with complete instructions?

Looking back, would you say the assembly is pretty straight forward?



I just purchased my kit this week from Joe, Im about to start what youve just finished.


Thank You and Congrats!!

[nego_0]

Nego,


Does the kit come with complete instructions?

Looking back, would you say the assembly is pretty straight forward?



I just purchased my kit this week from Joe, Im about to start what youve just finished.


Thank You and Congrats!!

The kit is perfect! just take your time and check and double check before you glue. look 3 times before gluing your z axis!!! i messed that up. It is easy to build if you have the space to build it. I built mine in 3 locations because i did not have the space! Have a plan if you budgeted so much money, triple that! i think i started at 800$ and am at 1600$ And still going. Joe did an amazing job and should be giving a Nobel prize for the damn thing, its just amazing. Take your time and ask questions and everyone will help you online really they will. I started like a jerk thinking i new it all, little did i know i new nothing and am just now realizing how complex and rewarding this equipment is. Once again take your time it will pay off in the end. PM me if you need anything i will try and help.

[nego_0]

I ran several attempts today and the machine acts like i would expect. I don't understand why every thing i run in mach 3 it seems to try and zero itself out. I wanted to run a test and it automatically raises an inch and goes to the right rear corner. Is there a way to run the G Code here button in Mach 3 Trial ver. I tried to run the Road Runner and i was unable to. I still have not installed my Limit switches. If i set up Soft limits will that work for the time being. I would like to run Code that looks like a square intersected at all 4 corners to center with a circle in the square. I was able to draw it in cad import it to Lazy cam and well i think i screwed up from there. I'm not cutting i'm using a pen for now for plotting till i feel i understand the machine. here is the DXF. All i want to do is place the pen at a corner of the drawing and run the code i don't want it to go to the home position or whatever it is doing.
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuxoyVYMUS8"]YouTube - First moves of my CNC[/nomedia]

WOW that G540 Gets WARM!!! a fan is a must.

[Fatboy]

Congratulations on getting your machine up and running!!! Now on to learning to make it do as you wish. Sometimes it seems like the machine or software has a mind of it's own but I know from experience that most of the time it's doing exactly as commanded. It's possible that the moves that your machine is making are actually part of the g-code. To that end, post the code so we can take a look.

The first thing that I learned was that Lazy Cam only makes learning a lot harder. Once I switched to Cut2d I was able to advance at a much faster rate and do things with my machine that others were doing with theirs.
I only wish that I would have had the money to go with V-Carve. Plus I started right off with Mach 3 after playing with TurboCNC and Kcam before even completing my first machine in Jan 2009.

Setting up soft limits are a good idea for your machine even after you get the limit switches installed. There's a lot of people who only use soft limits and have good results. Also, it's a good bet that even if you max out an axis that you'll only lose steps when the steppers are unable to advance.

My machine is still in my shed and I haven't run it since leaving there in July. Plus next week I'm moving to my property in NC and don't have a place to set up as yet for the near future. I'm worried about forgetting the things that I've learned and having to start over when I can finally find a place and the money to enjoy my machine again. At least I have my shop computer set up and I can play with the programs.

BTW, what is the diameter of your test design? I can run it through Cut2d and send you the code if you like. I'll need feeds(30ipm), speeds(n/a), and tool(pen).

EDIT: I ran your DXF in Cut2d and it appears that the center of the design is located at X16.8502" Y28.5909" so if you zero the machine and then run the code you generated the first thing that will happen is that the machine will move to the location of the design. I find that it's easier to use the center. Also, I can create a profile cut code but there are open vectors that will not cut. Let me play with it, I'm a little rusty.

Fatboy

[nego_0]

Congratulations on getting your machine up and running!!! Now on to learning to make it do as you wish. Sometimes it seems like the machine or software has a mind of it's own but I know from experience that most of the time it's doing exactly as commanded. It's possible that the moves that your machine is making are actually part of the g-code. To that end, post the code so we can take a look.

The first thing that I learned was that Lazy Cam only makes learning a lot harder. Once I switched to Cut2d I was able to advance at a much faster rate and do things with my machine that others were doing with theirs.
I only wish that I would have had the money to go with V-Carve. Plus I started right off with Mach 3 after playing with TurboCNC and Kcam before even completing my first machine in Jan 2009.

Setting up soft limits are a good idea for your machine even after you get the limit switches installed. There's a lot of people who only use soft limits and have good results. Also, it's a good bet that even if you max out an axis that you'll only lose steps when the steppers are unable to advance.

Edit

I just read your edit ahhh!!! Grasshopper whants to learn how to zero the machine?

My machine is still in my shed and I haven't run it since leaving there in July. Plus next week I'm moving to my property in NC and don't have a place to set up as yet for the near future. I'm worried about forgetting the things that I've learned and having to start over when I can finally find a place and the money to enjoy my machine again. At least I have my shop computer set up and I can play with the programs.

BTW, what is the diameter of your test design? I can run it through Cut2d and send you the code if you like. I'll need feeds(30ipm), speeds(n/a), and tool(pen).

EDIT: I ran your DXF in Cut2d and it appears that the center of the design is located at X16.8502" Y28.5909" so if you zero the machine and then run the code you generated the first thing that will happen is that the machine will move to the location of the design. I find that it's easier to use the center. Also, I can create a profile cut code but there are open vectors that will not cut. Let me play with it, I'm a little rusty.

Fatboy

5x5 square with the square X'ed and a circle toucheing all 4 lenghts. i would like to over lay a 15*15 over that to check how well it tracks. The DXF is in the above post. ill send the code i used tonight.

[Fatboy]

5x5 square with the square X'ed and a circle toucheing all 4 lenghts. i would like to over lay a 15*15 over that to check how well it tracks. The DXF is in the above post. ill send the code i used tonight.

I see the 5" box which makes the circle diameter 7.0711" however either the box or the diagonal lines are an open vector that I haven't been able to close. Looking at the nodes shows me that none are missing. I get the open vector message on the lines but when I create the code it's the box that fails. May have to convert to 4 triangles to resolve.

Can you post the g-code, I can probably fix that easier and faster.

Right now I have electric problems in NC to get ironed out, I have to pull another permit/inspection ($55) before the power company will reconnect...BS, BS, BS!!!

[nego_0]

here is the code i have

N5 (File Name = CNC_TEST on Monday, October 04, 2010)
N10 (Default Mill Post)
N15 G91.1
N20 G0 Z1.0000
N25 M3
N30 X19.3433 Y31.0613
N35 Z0.1000
N40 G42
N45 G1 X14.3433 Y26.0613 Z0.0000 F60.00
N50 G0 Z1.0000
N55 X19.3433
N60 Z0.1000
N65 G42
N70 G1 X14.3433 Y31.0613 Z0.0000
N75 G0 Z1.0000
N80 X14.3433 Y26.0613
N85 Z0.0000
N90 G1 Y31.0613
N95 X19.3433
N100 Y26.0613
N105 G40
N110 X14.3433
N115 G0 Z1.0000
N120 X20.3789 Y28.5613
N125 Z0.1000
N130 G2 Z0.0000 I-3.5355 J0.0000
N135 G0 Z1.0000
N140 M5
N145 M30

[nego_0]

I kinda figured out how to zero the machine. I ran the road runner after moding the code to have no z movment to plot. lol now i now why 500 lines is so little it only did 1/5th the roadrunner looked great though!!!

Can some one explain how to zero the machine to one corner of a drawing. im confused on how this works. Im used to a laser cutter wich you place set as home and tell it to start on left corner or highest point of vector. What i want to do is place the home in the center of the work areay/drawing???? is this possible.

[Fatboy]

here is the code i have

N5 (File Name = CNC_TEST on Monday, October 04, 2010)
N10 (Default Mill Post)
N15 G91.1
N20 G0 Z1.0000
N25 M3
N30 X19.3433 Y31.0613
N35 Z0.1000
N40 G42
N45 G1 X14.3433 Y26.0613 Z0.0000 F60.00
N50 G0 Z1.0000
N55 X19.3433
N60 Z0.1000
N65 G42
N70 G1 X14.3433 Y31.0613 Z0.0000
N75 G0 Z1.0000
N80 X14.3433 Y26.0613
N85 Z0.0000
N90 G1 Y31.0613
N95 X19.3433
N100 Y26.0613
N105 G40
N110 X14.3433
N115 G0 Z1.0000
N120 X20.3789 Y28.5613
N125 Z0.1000
N130 G2 Z0.0000 I-3.5355 J0.0000
N135 G0 Z1.0000
N140 M5
N145 M30

Ok, I looked this over and like I said before the machine is doing as you wish, pen up 1" per N20 and then to the start point as specified by N30 (X19.3433 Y31.0613). That puts your work near the middle of the table. So if you zero the X and Y you must account for the intial move to the N30 location. If the zero is close to the center of the table to begin with then you can see the problem here.

Also, by looking at the nodes in your design I can see a lot of wasted motion and running the file through Mach3 this is easily observable as the pen goes to the farthest point on the circle before drawing the first diagonal back and down. This is also the starting point for the circle. When you create a DXF file to convert be careful as you draw as the points that you start a line or circle will control the places and order that the machine will follow.
In Cut2d I can see the green nodes that indicate the start points for cuts and can change the start to a different node as needed to minimize the moves.

Now speaking of Cut2d, it does not like your test graphic. It tells me that there are duplicate lines that it won't cut so I can get the X and circle but not the box. Also I like to use the center of a design as my 0,0 that way I can measure my material and place a mark which I use to position the tool, zero X & Y, and touch off the Z on the surface and zero it.
Then I run the program. All the Z moves will be negative for cuts. Note too that I use Absolute Mode instead of Incremental. I've found to that when using the Axis Calibration on the Setup Page that I have to go back to the General Config Page and reset to Absolute.

BTW, Mach3 demo is a full blown system but limited in the size of the file that can be run.

I miss my machine...
Fatboy

[Fatboy]

Here, try this, minus the box. The center is the X and cut depth is .01".
Just a quickie during a commercial break of Am Pickers.

Crap...to big, PMed

Edit, Never mind it loaded...

[nego_0]

HEHE beet you to it lol.. my Z axis was backwards hence the pen smashing.... i have editd the code to work before i had seen your post. Easy to change the code for the Z not ot rais 0.1000 to 0.000 and then i have good lines. Problem for me though. the square is not square the corners are rounded could be pen flex but i doubt it seems like the motor has to much inertia.

[Fatboy]

Another commercial, another file.
Forgot to change the start points but this is the entire design.