[SSN Vet]

I want to make and permanently mount a touch off plate to my mill table, using a free input terminal on my G540.

It seems pretty straight forward, but I want to look at a couple thread write ups and designs to avoid making a mistake. All I can find are touch probe designs. Anybody here made one and want to share?

If I'm not mistaken, all I need to do is wire from the G540 inpu terminal, to the conductive top of the plate, and then wire an alligator clip (to be attached to the spindle somehow) to ground.

Any body ever use a limit switch to do this?

Inquiring minds want to know

[LongRat]

I ground the whole machine, permanently. No messing with alligator clips. I threaded a section of rod into the extreme corner of my table, with a turned flat plate on top of it. Between the rod and the plate I made up a short insulating section of PEEK, as it is a stiff plastic and I had some around. The top plate section is permanently wired to my controller, as you have proposed.

[SSN Vet]

Long Rat, I'd love to see a pic if you've got one.

[LongRat]

Sure, I just found one actually:

Attachment 206804

You can see on the top right of the table, the support post with the grey PEEK section at the top of it, supporting the steel plate on top of that. Yellow wire connecting it back to the controller. I actually use a dual-probe set up in conjunction with the superb Mach3 2010 screenset here: The CNC Woodworker - Mach3 2010

This allows me to set the 1st tool in a program off the material surface with a moveable remote probe, which is a steel plate on top of a precision ground ceramic cylinder in my case. This is the first and only use of the moveable probe, because all subsequent tools touch off the fixed probe. This allows you to set tools all to the right height even if you have long since machined the initial reference surface away as part of the job. I find this a very convenient way of working, easier than having offline offsets set up and suits someone like me making many 1-offs and such.
Even if you were not using the probing features I would still recommend buying the MAch3 2010 screenset, it is really nice.

[fretsman]

I hate to barge in on your thread, Matt, but I'd like to ask Longrat where he came up with his belt conversion?

Is this something you've done yourself?

Thanks,
Dave

[LongRat]

Fretsman - yes, this is all home made. Check out my thread on it: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/bencht...e_5000rpm.html

[fretsman]

Thanks so much, I'll look into your thread-

Dave