[Dan_Apple_Bee]

Hi all,

New to the forum so please be gentle!

I have CNC router that runs on Planet CNC software, owned it for just over a year, I have to be honest the software scares me a little as I don't fully understand it.... It's fine as long as things are working properly, but if they don't, I struggle a little. I find the official user manuals pretty terrible (anyone else?), and I can't seem to find the answer to my questions on good old google or YouTube.

So looking for a bit of guidance if you guys can help. I have a handful of issues! Here goes...

1. I am about to install a new sacrificial bed on our machine, where do I change the offset between the static tool measure sensor and the new height of the bed material?

2. I would appreciate some definitions of terms within settings as I find the names of them confusing: What do the following mean?

Home Settings: Switch Position (and also what are these referenced too? Is it the Work or Machine co-ordinates?)
Offset Settings: Switch Position (is this different to the above?)

Thanks in advance for any help!!

[ScorpionTDL]

1. I am about to install a new sacrificial bed on our machine, where do I change the offset between the static tool measure sensor and the new height of the bed material?

I'm not quiet sure what you want to achieve. As long as you are measuring the tool length after every tool change the Z Position of the Tool sensor does not need to be known exactly to planet cnc.
As long as you follow this procedure you should be fine:
1. Put a tool in the Spindle, and measure it with the sensor
2. move the machine to the position where you want to have Z0 set for the work coordinate system and Set Z to Zero.
3. start your job and measure each tool with the sensor.

while running those step the physical height of the sensor needs to stay the same.

2. I would appreciate some definitions of terms within settings as I find the names of them confusing: What do the following mean?

Home Settings: Switch Position (and also what are these referenced too? Is it the Work or Machine co-ordinates?)
Offset Settings: Switch Position (is this different to the above?)

Home Settings: Switch Position
This is the physical location of each sensor in regards to the Machine Coordinate System. While homing planet moves the axis till the sensor is triggered, it then takes the switch position at setzt the Machine Coordinate at this position to the value from the settings.


Offset Settings: Switch Position
I have only a Sensor Position in the Offset Settings, this is the xyz position of the Tool length sensor. XY are most important here and should be quiet accurate as this is the position where the systems moves to when measuring the tool lenght.
The Z height is theoretically totally unimportant. Its used to calculate the tool length after the measurement. But as long as you do not change the Position and measure each tool after a tool change its only a nice to have feature to have a more or less correct length. As long as each tool has the correct relative lenght to all other tools you are fine.
However it you want to use tool holders with a ATC and only measure your tools once its important to have the z value match the physical location in case you move it sometime in the future and want to avoid remeasuring all your tools.
How to geht the Z value depends on your use case. If you just want to have a rough estimate just move your spindle without a tool over the sensor and down till it touches, then take this machine coordinate Z value.
If you use a ATC with toolholders and want to avoid remeasuring you need a master tool with a known length that never changes and use this to set get the Sensor Z position.