Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
Glenn R. Edwards wrote: Jon, Are you implying that you manually, or otherwise, get the table to within one encoder revolution of home and then do a homing sequence with EMC? No, EMC2 searches at a moderate velocity for the home mechanical switch to close, then backs off and retries at a lower velocity, and then continues past until it finds the encoder index mark. On my system, the hardware in the encoder counter zeroes that count within one microsecond of sensing the index pulse, so it is more accurate than checking it once every servo period (default one millisecond). You can set the homing sequence to back away from the home switch and find the index pulse moving in that direction, too. It is quite flexible. So, EMC2 searches for the switch, and then homes to the next encoder index pulse. As long as the index pulse is not real close to the switch trip point, it provides reliable homing to an extremely repeatable position. Jon - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
Jon, Are you implying that you manually, or otherwise, get the table to within one encoder revolution of home and then do a homing sequence with EMC? Glenn -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jon Elson Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 10:51 AM To: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) Subject: Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults? Gary Fixler wrote: One of the reasons I often drill a useless hole someplace at the start of the project, and write my code with that as the 0,0,0 point. That makes getting back to within a couple thou a bit easier. That's a great idea. I would love an absolute positioning system - something that was always the same for the mill, at least between full strip-downs, and rebuilds. Well, it depends on how your homing system works. I have index pulses on my encoders, and home to those pulses. I get quite repeatable homing that way. In theory, I could shut down one day, fire it up the next day, home the axes, and be right on the same alignment to the vise jaw or whatever. Jon - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
Hey Gary, Glad I could help. I found that the information I needed to learn Python was so scattered out that it took some time to bring it together. New Mexico Tech has about the best tutorial you can download that I found on Tkinter... John On 25 Mar 2008 at 19:03, Gary Fixler wrote: On this page you can find the thing you seek. http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?Simple_EMC_G-Code_Gene rators Wow! I've been learning Python lately for my job, which will entail creating UIs, and such, and I'd been planning to build some things like this. I have a notion about how to tie all of this kind of stuff together into a fairly powerful toolset, but it will take me some time to get proficient enough at all of this, and I recognize that my crazy notions may be just that: crazy :) Still, not only are these tools very helpful, but reading through their source will be very informative, both in using Tkinter for UIs, and in having my UIs communicate a bit with EMC. Thanks, John! This is great stuff. -g - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
That must be a mighty small mill or very dull cutter... What SFM and chip load are you running at? I don't have my charts here but from memory 6061 needs to be cut at 300-500SFM. I normally use a two flute end mill for aluminum. For a 1/4 2 flute end mill I cut at 2500 rpm and 10 IPM again from memory. .001?? Double Ouch.. On 25 Mar 2008 at 22:47, Gene Heskett wrote: Back on topic, I could definitely have used some cooling. I can only dig through aluminum in 0.001 vertical increments, without stressing things, or tearing apart my clamping assemblies, so it takes forever. .001? Ouch. - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
How thick is the oxide layer? Doesn't it self seal the surface as fast as the oxide layer is formed? I guess that's why deeper cuts work better than skim cuts on aluminum? A while back I was peck drilling 6061 and came across an article on drilling aluminum. Now I drill up to 4*d at 11 IPM. The only ones I can't drill that fast is smaller holes because I can't go faster than 3000 RPM. Now my chips come out as chips instead of long strings and I drill the holes in a second or two instead of minutes... Aluminum is some funny stuff. John On 25 Mar 2008 at 22:47, Gene Heskett wrote: The oil not only keeps it from piling up on the bit, it helps to seal the alu against atmospheric oxygen, so alu oxide doesn't form near as fast and bits stay sharp many times longer if they don't have to cut that oxide film everytime a flute comes by. Alu oxide is the second hardest substance, second only to diamond. Without that oil, the oxide film re-forms less than .001 seconds behind the edge of the bits exposing it, alu is a VERY reactive metal. With the oil wetting everything, the reaction is slowed quite a bit, not stopped, but slowed. - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On Wednesday 26 March 2008, John Thornton wrote: That must be a mighty small mill or very dull cutter... What SFM and chip load are you running at? I don't have my charts here but from memory 6061 needs to be cut at 300-500SFM. I normally use a two flute end mill for aluminum. For a 1/4 2 flute end mill I cut at 2500 rpm and 10 IPM again from memory. Note taken, I'll get some 2 fluters the next time I need some new ones. I can cut .025 deep at 10ipm IF I can keep my x table running free. It hung last night and chewed up the clamps it knocked loose pretty badly. I'm also haveing doubts about motor current, supposedly 2.5 amps, but the motors aren't heating very much, so I need to recheck the settings of my xylotex board. What I'm blaming on wear is now found to be the nut on the end of the x screw gradually working loose because the keyway allows the coupling to turn about a degree when the going gets tough eventually I wind up with .30 of backlash cuz its the backlash adjustment. I may have to re-think that design in favor of a split clamping to totally stop that thou of slippage everytime it reverses. Question? Using STP as way oil, does that stuff stiffen up after a few hours? The usual Vactrex? is only available in 5 gallon pails at $90 around these parts. .001?? Double Ouch.. On 25 Mar 2008 at 22:47, Gene Heskett wrote: No, I didn't write this, I was replying to the person who wrote it, John. Back on topic, I could definitely have used some cooling. I can only dig through aluminum in 0.001 vertical increments, without stressing things, or tearing apart my clamping assemblies, so it takes forever. .001? Ouch. - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Cheers, Gene There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. -Ed Howdershelt (Author) You will have good luck and overcome many hardships. - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On Wednesday 26 March 2008, John Thornton wrote: How thick is the oxide layer? Doesn't it self seal the surface as fast as the oxide layer is formed? I guess that's why deeper cuts work better than skim cuts on aluminum? Yes. Thickness depends on time oxygen availability. Bare, about .0001 in the first millisecond, maybe .001 in a year. Its self protecting in that regard. A while back I was peck drilling 6061 and came across an article on drilling aluminum. Now I drill up to 4*d at 11 IPM. The only ones I can't drill that fast is smaller holes because I can't go faster than 3000 RPM. Now my chips come out as chips instead of long strings and I drill the holes in a second or two instead of minutes... Interesting. Do you still have the URL? When I try to go that fast I wind up with heavier strings for a short time and a blown spindle fuse. Needs more horses in the spindle drive... I find that bits sharpened by a drill doctor are many times sharper than out of the factory pack, and stay that way longer. Even cheap bits from a $29 kit can cut pretty hard steel if they are sharp. Aluminum is some funny stuff. And the subject of more miss-pronunciations than almost any other english word. :-) My stepfather, rest his soul, could never rememeber how many 'nums' there were on the end if it. I think he did it on purpose for effects most of the time though. -- Cheers, Gene There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. -Ed Howdershelt (Author) A sect or party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals, 1831 - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
Hi Gene, Two fluters work well for slotting or anyplace you have trouble getting rid of the chips. The harder the Al the easier it makes good chips. 6061-T6, 7050- T651, 7075-T651 are good choices. Recutting of chips that don't get out of the way generates lots of heat and more mess as well as screwing up the finish. Not that I know much about cutting aluminum but 3X speeds for mild steel seems to be a good place to start. That brings up the rpm and ipm but leaves the chip load the same. I try to use a shop vac to remove chips when slotting. It makes enough turbulence to clean out the groove. I get a better finish if I climb cut. I won't even touch softer aluminum if I have a choice. I've made a mess out of too many projects and end mills. On the softer stuff I use coolant but I don't like it; again a real mess and the surface tension tends to hold the chips together rather than helping get them out of the way. High pressure coolant and a fully enclosed workspace would help. ;-) HTH Dave On Mar 26, 2008, at 7:56 AM, Gene Heskett wrote: On Wednesday 26 March 2008, John Thornton wrote: That must be a mighty small mill or very dull cutter... What SFM and chip load are you running at? I don't have my charts here but from memory 6061 needs to be cut at 300-500SFM. I normally use a two flute end mill for aluminum. For a 1/4 2 flute end mill I cut at 2500 rpm and 10 IPM again from memory. Note taken, I'll get some 2 fluters the next time I need some new ones. I can cut .025 deep at 10ipm IF I can keep my x table running free. It hung last night and chewed up the clamps it knocked loose pretty badly. I'm also haveing doubts about motor current, supposedly 2.5 amps, but the motors aren't heating very much, so I need to recheck the settings of my xylotex board. What I'm blaming on wear is now found to be the nut on the end of the x screw gradually working loose because the keyway allows the coupling to turn about a degree when the going gets tough eventually I wind up with .30 of backlash cuz its the backlash adjustment. I may have to re-think that design in favor of a split clamping to totally stop that thou of slippage everytime it reverses. Question? Using STP as way oil, does that stuff stiffen up after a few hours? The usual Vactrex? is only available in 5 gallon pails at $90 around these parts. .001?? Double Ouch.. On 25 Mar 2008 at 22:47, Gene Heskett wrote: No, I didn't write this, I was replying to the person who wrote it, John. Back on topic, I could definitely have used some cooling. I can only dig through aluminum in 0.001 vertical increments, without stressing things, or tearing apart my clamping assemblies, so it takes forever. .001? Ouch. - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/ marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users -- Cheers, Gene There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. -Ed Howdershelt (Author) You will have good luck and overcome many hardships. -- --- Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/ marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
It was on practical machinest. I can't find it at the moment, I think I have a link at my machine shop... Also there is a really good chart here http://www.precisiontwistdrill.com/techhelp/help_pages/jobber_length_amg.asp John On 26 Mar 2008 at 11:10, Gene Heskett wrote: Interesting. Do you still have the URL? When I try to go that fast I wind up with heavier strings for a short time and a blown spindle fuse. Needs more horses in the spindle drive... I find that bits sharpened by a drill doctor are many times sharper than out of the factory pack, and stay that way longer. Even cheap bits from a $29 kit can cut pretty hard steel if they are sharp. - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
Gene, I use threaded shaft collars a lot with good success. From McMaster Carr look up 6438K18 to get the page number. They come in metric and inch and don't move once you set them... John On 26 Mar 2008 at 10:56, Gene Heskett wrote: What I'm blaming on wear is now found to be the nut on the end of the x screw gradually working loose because the keyway allows the coupling to turn about a degree when the going gets tough eventually I wind up with .30 of backlash cuz its the backlash adjustment. I may have to re-think that design in favor of a split clamping to totally stop that thou of slippage everytime it reverses. - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On Wednesday 26 March 2008, John Thornton wrote: 6438K18 Which leads me to the 2305K13, for 6mm threads. Very good idea except its buried inside my coupling and in-accessable, either to tighten it on the shaft, or to tighten the lock screw. However, I am considering slitting the existing coupling but in fresh softer steel, and double bolting it, with one of the slits straddling that mini key to grip it better. The existing steel would knock the teeth off any power hacksaw blade made or I'd try to dup that with what I have, I wrecked every carbide tool that touched it while making them. Poking around, they have some nice ideas I could use, but they are all in larger inch sizes, and the OD of the area of the screw shank that I need to grab is 8mm. They only have one that I would have to bore for fit, and thats part of my problem now. When I was boring these, I had to cut heavy or the carbide bar just slid even if it was freshly honed with a diamond disk in a dremel, so the last trip with the bar made it several thou too big. I think I'll just get me some more 1.5 rod, 1045 or so, and remake those pieces in one piece split clamp style, with at least one 6mm socket head screw to clamp it tight, screw the keyway, just get a death grip on it, but still adjust the lash using the existing 6mm nylock nut with the clamping screw loose, but a fresh locknut if I can find them. Decisions... Keeps the old farts brain semi-engaged. -- Cheers, Gene There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. -Ed Howdershelt (Author) But soft you, the fair Ophelia: Ope not thy ponderous and marble jaws, But get thee to a nunnery -- go! -- Mark The Bard Twain - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On this page you can find the thing you seek. http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?Simple_EMC_G-Code_Generators Wow! I've been learning Python lately for my job, which will entail creating UIs, and such, and I'd been planning to build some things like this. I have a notion about how to tie all of this kind of stuff together into a fairly powerful toolset, but it will take me some time to get proficient enough at all of this, and I recognize that my crazy notions may be just that: crazy :) Still, not only are these tools very helpful, but reading through their source will be very informative, both in using Tkinter for UIs, and in having my UIs communicate a bit with EMC. Thanks, John! This is great stuff. -g - Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On Tuesday 25 March 2008, Gary Fixler wrote: One of the reasons I often drill a useless hole someplace at the start of the project, and write my code with that as the 0,0,0 point. That makes getting back to within a couple thou a bit easier. That's a great idea. I would love an absolute positioning system - something that was always the same for the mill, at least between full strip-downs, and rebuilds. Definitley test the ones you are going to use, if its not up to that sort of music, there's always that 45 gallon roughneck cannister just outside the door to store it in till the truck comes by. I'd run these on a bit less, but that is what happened to be available. One of the reasons I've been out of the list since last week was that I was running my first intricate project, at least for me. It's a very simple thing - two rings cut out of 1/4 aluminum to raise my coworker's Jeep suspension by that much, but the ID needed to be radiused, and as they were too big for my mini mill, I had to design the code to work by moving the rotary table diagonally, doing the radiused hole with diagonally-incremented steps, which makes all the radii actually the inverse of the square root of 2 times those radii, used to offset both X and Y. I got it all right, but it kept failing. I finally did a full strip-down of the mill, polishing away all rust on my Z column with a Dremel polisher, and recalibrating everything, especially with the help I got in here to get values dialed in properly, and the parts came out great. Back on topic, I could definitely have used some cooling. I can only dig through aluminum in 0.001 vertical increments, without stressing things, or tearing apart my clamping assemblies, so it takes forever. .001? Ouch. If I watch the feed rates, my micromill will cut the alu I have at .5 deep while moving against the side of a 1/4, 4 flute TiN plated carbide bit, but more like .010 at decent feed rates in the 10 ipm range. But for plunge cuts with std end mills, it seems to take some sideways motion too.ATM its busy taking .190 off the top of a 3x5 piece of alu, at .005 per pass and feed rates of about 7ipm. I can go faster, but the darned screws start squalling and they are up to their collective chins in oil, so its slow going for that much, so it will be about 2am to complete. The shavings, when its working against the side of the bit at a .050 minute feed rate, are very dangerously thin and sharp, I've picked many of them out of my hands. I was cutting the slots for the holddown bolts when I was doing that this afternoon. What its doing right now, with the spindle at maybe 300 rpm, is rooting through all the swarf its already cut, but that pile of swarf has a couple of tablespoons of cutting oil soaked into it, and the finish when brushed clean is quite good. The oil not only keeps it from piling up on the bit, it helps to seal the alu against atmospheric oxygen, so alu oxide doesn't form near as fast and bits stay sharp many times longer if they don't have to cut that oxide film everytime a flute comes by. Alu oxide is the second hardest substance, second only to diamond. Without that oil, the oxide film re-forms less than .001 seconds behind the edge of the bits exposing it, alu is a VERY reactive metal. With the oil wetting everything, the reaction is slowed quite a bit, not stopped, but slowed. But the Z axis on that micromill is my own design, see it at http://gene.homelinux.net:85/gene/emc that is a 425 oz/in motor on the Z, and I can run the bathroom scales up to 155 pounds under the spindle before the motor slips a cog. I can drill a 1/4 hole in steel 1/4 thick without using a peck cycle, just set feed to about .5 minute, spindle to a couple hundred revs and tell z to go down to the desired depth. Those pix are somewhat dated, the keyboard shelf is now bigger, there is a sheet of acrylic between the machine and the computer stuff, and a box with the spindle controling stuff in it is now mounted to the clean side of the plastic just above my standing line of sight, right behind the strut holding up the front of the keyboard shelf. And the strut has been pulled toward me about 5 from where it is in that dated pix. That big black UPS up on the shelf with the cpu now has its own shelf up on the ceiling beams a couple of feet out of sight. The weather had turned that day toward summer-like, and I had the mill's motor, 4 steppers, and a shop vac going for 8 hours! It got really hot in that room, and I couldn't even touch the motors. I'm actually thinking of running some pipe from the portable A/C unit in the next room into the mill enclosure I'm building, because putting it in a box like that will only make things worse. Watch your store bought cabling for the parport, make sure the cable you use actually has all 25 wires in it. Will do! Thanks for the tip. I have a knack for excitedly running home, only to find I've gotten the
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
In Axis you can kinda somewhat. You can't add a menu item but you can put the .py in your nc directory and do a file open. You have to add a line to your INI file to enable this feature. On this page you can find the thing you seek. http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?Simple_EMC_G-Code_Generators John On 20 Mar 2008 at 17:05, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'll give it a shot, but meanwhile, I can open Python scripts in EMC? - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
[TRAJ] DEFAULT_LINEAR_VELOCITY = DEFAULT_ANGULAR_VELOCITY = Interesting. I don't have DEFAULT_LINEAR_VELOCITY, but I do have DEFAULT_VELOCITY, which seems to be the same. Has the name changed, or does EMC accept either? I had been skipping over those ini values, because they're wildly different from what I see as the startup values in EMC. Now I see why. The ini file should be IPS, whereas EMC's sliders show IPM. That's why I was getting in the 1300s in EMC for my DEFAULT_VELOCITY = 22. That doesn't explain why it's 1312 in EMC (22 * 60 = 1320), but at least it's close, and I can set more realistic values now. Awesome. Also, are any values NOT in the default install? I seem to recall in my travels finding some variables that weren't anywhere in my config file. It makes me wonder what cool features I might be missing. Maybe there's a list I haven't found yet? delete /usr/share/axis/images/axis.ngc or set the environment variable AXIS_OPEN_FILE to the ngc you want to open as default It doesn't seem to be respecting my environment variable here, even if I immediately run '$ emc' after setting it in the same shell. I haven't tried the file delete trick yet, but am glad to know where it resides now. Thanks. Sadly, the EMC2 AXIS default file is also set to run at a higher speed than my sad little machine can handle This isn't a problem with EMC2. Your machine's MAX_VELOCITY is configured wrong. The machine should not be able to lose steps simply by being commanded too fast. Why would you want to command the machine to move faster than is physically possible? I wouldn't! I just haven't managed to understand all of the settings yet. I've read a lot, and have toyed with things like MAX_VELOCITY (which is at 30 currently - no wonder it seems limitless! That's 1800 IPM!), but I've gotten such strange results for so many things, I haven't yet learned to trust myself, or any of the settings yet. That's why I'm here, though. You guys have been extremely helpful already. I'm considering giving back eventually (when I know enough) by writing up very simple explanations for simple folk like me, who feel a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. I'm thinking now that a lot of my troubles, and strange occurrences in this particular area have been me incorrectly assuming that the conf settings are supposed to be in IPM (or forgetting that I read otherwise, as now it does sound familiar). I guess IPS just doesn't make sense to me, and as such I wouldn't presume it, because my mill has trouble moving just 1IPS. What's the use counting in floating points 1? :) The hissing noise is due to 'noise' believe it or not. Check your setup for ground loops and capacitive coupling and all that good stuff. Or maybe you should just buy some stepper drivers of higher quality. Step 1 for me now is to figure out what ground loops, and capacitive couplings are! I don't think I can afford any more stepper drivers. I have Sherline's only offering, and it was $600. Being a total newbie, and having decided I liked, and could afford their 5400 CNC package (completely non-profit, hobby use only), I've for simplicity, and guaranteed work-togetherness limited my purchases to their catalog. Still, $600 did seem very high, and it's missing things that I've since assumed come with other, possibly cheaper packages. For example, I have no option for a 5th axis, encoder inputs, servo anythings, a probe, actual e-stop button, spindle on/off, coolant on/off, that coffee maker attachment someone mentioned in here this week... How do people normally add things like contact stops, and probes? Are these part of better driver systems? I've also wondered if there was anything that could be done in-line. For example, the Sherline box would plug into another box, which would then plug into the serial port. That box could insert codes into the stream for the missing features above. This is probably an insane notion, and might quickly overflow any buffers it encounters along the way with too much data. If other drivers do all of this cool extra stuff, maybe I should just upgrade, and sell the Sherline box to someone who will undoubtedly then show up in here at some point, with all of my same problems, and I can instruct him to sell the box, and get something better. The circle of life continues. To keep the steppers cool, you can rig up some CPU fans to blow on them. But you really shouldn't leave the machine unattended. You can pause and resume if you need to leave in the middle of a job. If you must turn the drivers off, you can stop the program at a convenient place, and then edit the g-code file so that it starts there next time. (run-from-line is not quite ready yet.) I'm excited that a run-from-line is even in the works! It was one of the features I've already wished for, several times. I've taken to jotting down a sensible number from the scrolling lines, killing out, and then deleting everything before that line, and saving
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008, Gary Fixler wrote: The ini file should be IPS, whereas EMC's sliders show IPM. That's why I was getting in the 1300s in EMC for my DEFAULT_VELOCITY = 22. That doesn't explain why it's 1312 in EMC (22 * 60 = 1320), but at least it's close, and I can set more realistic values now. Awesome. This granularity is probably from the fixed number of pixels in the slider widget. Also, are any values NOT in the default install? I seem to recall in my travels finding some variables that weren't anywhere in my config file. It makes me wonder what cool features I might be missing. Maybe there's a list I haven't found yet? http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/config_ini_config.html The ini file is supposed to be described completely here^^, however sometimes people forget to write documentation. Did I just hear you volunteering? :) delete /usr/share/axis/images/axis.ngc or set the environment variable AXIS_OPEN_FILE to the ngc you want to open as default It doesn't seem to be respecting my environment variable here, even if I immediately run '$ emc' after setting it in the same shell. I haven't tried the file delete trick yet, but am glad to know where it resides now. Thanks. just tested this and it works: export AXIS_OPEN_FILE=/home/fenn/sandbox/cxf_splash.py emc I'm considering giving back eventually (when I know enough) by writing up very simple explanations for simple folk like me, who feel a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. When you're ready: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?BasicSteps I'm thinking now that a lot of my troubles, and strange occurrences in this particular area have been me incorrectly assuming that the conf settings are supposed to be in IPM (or forgetting that I read otherwise, as now it does sound familiar). I guess IPS just doesn't make sense to me, and as such I wouldn't presume it, because my mill has trouble moving just 1IPS. What's the use counting in floating points 1? :) I agree. The configuration file should allow you to specify in furlongs per fortnight if you so desire, but the .ini file format makes this impossible, or at least not worth the extra complexity. Step 1 for me now is to figure out what ground loops, and capacitive couplings are! I don't think I can afford any more stepper drivers. I have Sherline's only offering, and it was $600. Being a total newbie, and having decided I liked, and could afford their 5400 CNC package I'm not sure how you managed to acquire a sherline CNC for $600 as the base price is $2450 (which seems high to me). I would expect the factory setup to not hiss, catch fire, electrocute you, etc. You should call them and find out what the problem might be. How do people normally add things like contact stops, and probes? Are these part of better driver systems? I've also wondered if there was anything that could be done in-line. For example, the Sherline box would plug into another box, which would then plug into the serial port. That box could insert codes into the stream for the missing features above. This is probably an insane notion, and might quickly overflow any buffers it encounters along the way with too much data. This doesn't work, because rs-232 is not fast enough, and has unpredictable latencies, and needs special drivers for the device on the end of the cable. There are similar problems with most other networking technologies. This doesn't mean it's impossible, but it starts to diverge quickly from what EMC is really all about, a PC based machine control. (edit: i probably misunderstood you here. sherline uses a parport connector and simple logic signals, no codes or buffers or data) There are several interface cards you can add to the PCI bus, although for most people the parallel port connection they drive the steppers with has enough spare I/O for some switches and spindle control. You could tap into the parport line before it goes to the sherline driver card/box. interface cards: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?EMC2_Supported_Hardware If other drivers do all of this cool extra stuff, maybe I should just upgrade, and sell the Sherline box to someone who will undoubtedly then show up in here at some point, with all of my same problems, and I can instruct him to sell the box, and get something better. The circle of life continues. Some fancy motion control systems can cost up to 10 times (or more) what you paid for the whole system, and are overkill for this application. However, you can probably improve what you have if you learn a little bit. Maybe another sherline user can chime in here? I'm excited that a run-from-line is even in the works! It was one of the features I've already wished for, several times. I've taken to jotting down a sensible number from the scrolling lines, killing out, and then deleting everything before that line, and saving out as a new, partial file from which to complete things. I imagine
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
ben lipkowitz wrote: The hissing noise is due to 'noise' believe it or not. Check your setup for ground loops and capacitive coupling and all that good stuff. Or maybe you should just buy some stepper drivers of higher quality. I think Ben is being overly critical here. Xylotex drives do produce a hissing sound from the motor. It is a result of the type of PWM used by those drives, and it is normal and totally harmless. It does NOT indicate any kind of problem that you need to worry about. Regards, John Kasunich - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/ ___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On Thursday 20 March 2008, Gary Fixler wrote: [TRAJ] DEFAULT_LINEAR_VELOCITY = DEFAULT_ANGULAR_VELOCITY = Interesting. I don't have DEFAULT_LINEAR_VELOCITY, but I do have DEFAULT_VELOCITY, which seems to be the same. Has the name changed, or does EMC accept either? I had been skipping over those ini values, because they're wildly different from what I see as the startup values in EMC. Now I see why. The ini file should be IPS, whereas EMC's sliders show IPM. That's why I was getting in the 1300s in EMC for my DEFAULT_VELOCITY = 22. That doesn't explain why it's 1312 in EMC (22 * 60 = 1320), but at least it's close, and I can set more realistic values now. Awesome. Also, are any values NOT in the default install? I seem to recall in my travels finding some variables that weren't anywhere in my config file. It makes me wonder what cool features I might be missing. Maybe there's a list I haven't found yet? delete /usr/share/axis/images/axis.ngc or set the environment variable AXIS_OPEN_FILE to the ngc you want to open as default It doesn't seem to be respecting my environment variable here, even if I immediately run '$ emc' after setting it in the same shell. I haven't tried the file delete trick yet, but am glad to know where it resides now. Thanks. Sadly, the EMC2 AXIS default file is also set to run at a higher speed than my sad little machine can handle This isn't a problem with EMC2. Your machine's MAX_VELOCITY is configured wrong. The machine should not be able to lose steps simply by being commanded too fast. Why would you want to command the machine to move faster than is physically possible? I wouldn't! I just haven't managed to understand all of the settings yet. I've read a lot, and have toyed with things like MAX_VELOCITY (which is at 30 currently - no wonder it seems limitless! That's 1800 IPM!), but I've gotten such strange results for so many things, I haven't yet learned to trust myself, or any of the settings yet. That's why I'm here, though. You guys have been extremely helpful already. I'm considering giving back eventually (when I know enough) by writing up very simple explanations for simple folk like me, who feel a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. I'm thinking now that a lot of my troubles, and strange occurrences in this particular area have been me incorrectly assuming that the conf settings are supposed to be in IPM (or forgetting that I read otherwise, as now it does sound familiar). I guess IPS just doesn't make sense to me, and as such I wouldn't presume it, because my mill has trouble moving just 1IPS. What's the use counting in floating points 1? :) The hissing noise is due to 'noise' believe it or not. Check your setup for ground loops and capacitive coupling and all that good stuff. Or maybe you should just buy some stepper drivers of higher quality. Step 1 for me now is to figure out what ground loops, and capacitive couplings are! I don't think I can afford any more stepper drivers. I have Sherline's only offering, and it was $600. Being a total newbie, and having decided I liked, and could afford their 5400 CNC package (completely non-profit, hobby use only), I've for simplicity, and guaranteed work-togetherness limited my purchases to their catalog. Still, $600 did seem very high, and it's missing things that I've since assumed come with other, possibly cheaper packages. For example, I have no option for a 5th axis, encoder inputs, servo anythings, a probe, actual e-stop button, spindle on/off, coolant on/off, that coffee maker attachment someone mentioned in here this week... How do people normally add things like contact stops, and probes? Are these part of better driver systems? I've also wondered if there was anything that could be done in-line. For example, the Sherline box would plug into another box, which would then plug into the serial port. That box could insert codes into the stream for the missing features above. This is probably an insane notion, and might quickly overflow any buffers it encounters along the way with too much data. If other drivers do all of this cool extra stuff, maybe I should just upgrade, and sell the Sherline box to someone who will undoubtedly then show up in here at some point, with all of my same problems, and I can instruct him to sell the box, and get something better. The circle of life continues. To keep the steppers cool, you can rig up some CPU fans to blow on them. But you really shouldn't leave the machine unattended. You can pause and resume if you need to leave in the middle of a job. If you must turn the drivers off, you can stop the program at a convenient place, and then edit the g-code file so that it starts there next time. (run-from-line is not quite ready yet.) I'm excited that a run-from-line is even in the works! It was one of the features I've already wished for, several times. I've taken to jotting down a sensible number from the scrolling lines, killing out, and then deleting
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
The ini file should be IPS, whereas EMC's sliders show IPM. That's why I was getting in the 1300s in EMC for my DEFAULT_VELOCITY = 22. That doesn't explain why it's 1312 in EMC (22 * 60 = 1320), but at least it's close, and I can set more realistic values now. Awesome. This granularity is probably from the fixed number of pixels in the slider widget. Interesting! I've done quite a bit of UI stuff in scripting environments for work, and play, and they usually allow explicitly setting a value. Once you touch the slider, you mess it up, of course, and trap yourself in the discrete steps of the slider, but often the slider will include an editable int field for being more explicit than the slider itself. It probably doesn't matter, however. I'm never going to notice the difference between a few IPM. http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/config_ini_config.html The ini file is supposed to be described completely here^^, however sometimes people forget to write documentation. Did I just hear you volunteering? :) Oh no! What have I done!? :) Yeah, I'll help out where I can, when, and as I can. just tested this and it works: export AXIS_OPEN_FILE=/home/fenn/sandbox/cxf_splash.py emc I'll give it a shot, but meanwhile, I can open Python scripts in EMC? I'm considering giving back eventually (when I know enough) by writing up very simple explanations for simple folk like me, who feel a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. When you're ready: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?BasicSteps Cool, thanks! I agree. The configuration file should allow you to specify in furlongs per fortnight if you so desire, but the .ini file format makes this impossible, or at least not worth the extra complexity. Ha! You've put things in perspective for me. I'll get over myself, and just remember from now on that it's IPS in the .ini file. I'm not sure how you managed to acquire a sherline CNC for $600 as the base price is $2450 (which seems high to me). I would expect the factory setup to not hiss, catch fire, electrocute you, etc. You should call them and find out what the problem might be. Oh no, the cnc-ready mill was indeed a few thousand. It didn't come with a control box, though, and their offering was $600: http://www.sherline.com/8760pg.htm How do people normally add things like contact stops, and probes? Are these part of better driver systems? I've also wondered if there was anything that could be done in-line. For example, the Sherline box would plug into another box, which would then plug into the serial port. That box could insert codes into the stream for the missing features above. This is probably an insane notion, and might quickly overflow any buffers it encounters along the way with too much data. This doesn't work, because rs-232 is not fast enough, and has unpredictable latencies, and needs special drivers for the device on the end of the cable. There are similar problems with most other networking technologies. This doesn't mean it's impossible, but it starts to diverge quickly from what EMC is really all about, a PC based machine control. (edit: i probably misunderstood you here. sherline uses a parport connector and simple logic signals, no codes or buffers or data) You know, it's been so long since I've been behind the machine, I totally forgot it's parallel. I've been working with microcontrollers, too, and am using serial with them, and got my wires crossed. Now it comes back to me. I had to special order a part for my Shuttle XPC to give me back the missing parallel port. There are several interface cards you can add to the PCI bus, although for most people the parallel port connection they drive the steppers with has enough spare I/O for some switches and spindle control. You could tap into the parport line before it goes to the sherline driver card/box. interface cards: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?EMC2_Supported_Hardware Thanks for the link. Now that I'm reminded it's a parport interface, I'm a bit excited. I suppose it all just comes down to telling the system (via HAL) which pins should be connected to what. The shrouds of mystery are being peeled away, slowly. Also, thanks for the link. Some fancy motion control systems can cost up to 10 times (or more) what you paid for the whole system, and are overkill for this application. However, you can probably improve what you have if you learn a little bit. Maybe another sherline user can chime in here? True, I can't spend loads of money, as this isn't a financial investment. It's all for fun. Also, I have at least a dozen other hobbies, the current most expensive involving building up my woodshop out in the garage. I think I stand a pretty good chance of proving to the world that money can indeed buy great happiness, if I only I could find someone with deep pockets willing to take me up on this wager. run-from-line has been around for a long time, but
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
I think Ben is being overly critical here. Xylotex drives do produce a hissing sound from the motor. It is a result of the type of PWM used by those drives, and it is normal and totally harmless. It does NOT indicate any kind of problem that you need to worry about. Thanks, John. I suspected as much. They did that the first day I hooked them up, and I've made my own beginner-level stepper drives for hobby projects with things like BASIC Stamps, and PIC microcontrollers, and they've made hissing, and squealing noises, too, albeit more quietly, with less power to their coils. I have some EL wire drivers, too, which are basically voltage multipliers, and they squeal like they're about to explode! -Gary - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
It's also just occurred to me that I could leave the PC, and driver box on, and just unplug the motors until I'm ready to go again. I'm not sure how bad that would be for the system. My thoughts turned toward things like back-EMF. And that will u$ually break the mirror and let the $moke out of the driver$. The motors must be connected with dependable, solid, no intermittents allowed cabling as long as the drivers are powered up. Alright, that's two people spreading caution. Thanks for the warnings! Point taken - I definitely don't want to burn out a $600 box. I have left it running, turned out the lights and gone to bed, not coming back till noonish the next day on a couple of projects and have gotten away with it. I've done it once so far, with a really complicated (for me, as a newb) setup that I didn't want to have to redo. In the morning, however, I couldn't take it anymore, and shut it all down before heading off to work. I was right, too - it was nearly impossible to get it back to the right location later. I had essentially nothing off of which to key. The box is a long cube, long enough to hold a 4 axis board, 3.5 square, with a 12 volt ex psu fan in each end, one blowing in, the other out, and they are running on about 18 volts. Not all of those fans will take that sort of abuse, but its been my experience here that if it lasts an hour, it will last for years, one of them is probably 10 years old now! They are noisy at that speed though. And zero chance of my drivers overheating which is the real criteria. :) Wow, I didn't realize they were so rugged. I'll definitely keep them in mind now, for all manner of projects. Are you thinking emc uses a serial port? Not normally since there is little that is real-time about serial. Most use a parport interface. I was indeed thinking that, having forgotten (blocked out?) all of the annoyance of tracking down the parport 'upgrade' for my Shuttle XPC, and waiting for it to arrive. I used to turn my nose up at parports, as they were so large, and 'old-fashioned,' but having multiple, simultaneous I/O lines, and dead-simple communications I admit has enough appeal to draw me back in. I've wired up cables, and even ran a custom serial port to my electronics bench from my PC across the room, so I could program microcontrollers in places without constantly bringing the setup back over to the PC, so I'm thinking I should just rig up an inline box that provides me with headers for all these helpful extras I'm missing. Even though it's completely unnecessary fluff for me, I'd love to see the spindle stop itself when it's done making the part for once. I'd have to break into the mill's power box for that, but that's easy enough (he said, confidently). emc does have the inputs. If your box doesn't have them available due to a lack of breakouts, thats fixable. All 17 usable pins on a parport are either used by xylotex, or are present as passive terminals on the edge of the xylotex board, take 'em wherever. I'm running 4 axis's the spindle ATM, and still have about 5 pins I could use for other things leftover, but I don't have home/limit switches setup yet either. I've been convinced for probably a year now (while busy with other things, and procrastinating on getting my machine bench set up finally) that I had no easy option for getting more inputs to emc, so this is exciting news, indeed. I'm pretty eager to figure out a homing solution, too, though it's much lower priority than ATM about 20 other projects. There's never nearly enough time in a day, or a weekend. Thanks, Gene! -Gary - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
Re: [Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
On Thursday 20 March 2008, Gary Fixler wrote: It's also just occurred to me that I could leave the PC, and driver box on, and just unplug the motors until I'm ready to go again. I'm not sure how bad that would be for the system. My thoughts turned toward things like back-EMF. [...] And that will u$ually break the mirror and let the $moke out of the driver$. The motors must be connected with dependable, solid, no intermittents allowed cabling as long as the drivers are powered up. Alright, that's two people spreading caution. Thanks for the warnings! Point taken - I definitely don't want to burn out a $600 box. I have left it running, turned out the lights and gone to bed, not coming back till noonish the next day on a couple of projects and have gotten away with it. I've done it once so far, with a really complicated (for me, as a newb) setup that I didn't want to have to redo. In the morning, however, I couldn't take it anymore, and shut it all down before heading off to work. I was right, too - it was nearly impossible to get it back to the right location later. I had essentially nothing off of which to key. One of the reasons I often drill a useless hole someplace at the start of the project, and write my code with that as the 0,0,0 point. That makes getting back to within a couple thou a bit easier. The box is a long cube, long enough to hold a 4 axis board, 3.5 square, with a 12 volt ex psu fan in each end, one blowing in, the other out, and they are running on about 18 volts. Not all of those fans will take that sort of abuse, but its been my experience here that if it lasts an hour, it will last for years, one of them is probably 10 years old now! They are noisy at that speed though. And zero chance of my drivers overheating which is the real criteria. :) Wow, I didn't realize they were so rugged. I'll definitely keep them in mind now, for all manner of projects. Definitley test the ones you are going to use, if its not up to that sort of music, there's always that 45 gallon roughneck cannister just outside the door to store it in till the truck comes by. I'd run these on a bit less, but that is what happened to be available. Are you thinking emc uses a serial port? Not normally since there is little that is real-time about serial. Most use a parport interface. I was indeed thinking that, having forgotten (blocked out?) all of the annoyance of tracking down the parport 'upgrade' for my Shuttle XPC, and waiting for it to arrive. I used to turn my nose up at parports, as they were so large, and 'old-fashioned,' but having multiple, simultaneous I/O lines, and dead-simple communications I admit has enough appeal to draw me back in. I've wired up cables, and even ran a custom serial port to my electronics bench from my PC across the room, so I could program microcontrollers in places without constantly bringing the setup back over to the PC, so I'm thinking I should just rig up an inline box that provides me with headers for all these helpful extras I'm missing. Even though it's completely unnecessary fluff for me, I'd love to see the spindle stop itself when it's done making the part for once. I'd have to break into the mill's power box for that, but that's easy enough (he said, confidently). emc does have the inputs. If your box doesn't have them available due to a lack of breakouts, thats fixable. All 17 usable pins on a parport are either used by xylotex, or are present as passive terminals on the edge of the xylotex board, take 'em wherever. I'm running 4 axis's the spindle ATM, and still have about 5 pins I could use for other things leftover, but I don't have home/limit switches setup yet either. I've been convinced for probably a year now (while busy with other things, and procrastinating on getting my machine bench set up finally) that I had no easy option for getting more inputs to emc, so this is exciting news, indeed. I'm pretty eager to figure out a homing solution, too, though it's much lower priority than ATM about 20 other projects. Watch your store bought cabling for the parport, make sure the cable you use actually has all 25 wires in it. There's never nearly enough time in a day, or a weekend. Chuckle, heck, I'd be happy to have enough time to get what I want to do done before I fall over. I suspect my plans will outlast me, diabetis beginning to slow me down, darnit. I hate unfinished business. :) Thanks, Gene! -Gary -- Cheers, Gene There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. -Ed Howdershelt (Author) I gained nothing at all from Supreme Enlightenment, and for that very reason it is called Supreme Enlightenment. -- Gotama Buddha - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008.
[Emc-users] How to set certain AXIS settings to defaults?
Anyone know how I can change the default jog speeds (linear/rotary) in AXIS? It always starts up in the thousands, and when I [often] forget, I end up jogging fast enough to lose steps, which has screwed me up a few times. It's also a pain to have to slide them way down each and every time I fire up the app. I've grepped through everything in my directories, and scoured the menus, but can't find a way to set/save these. Also, is there a way to have it start up with no default file loaded? It starts with the EMC2 AXIS path, and just this week while hitting hotkeys to turn off E-Stop, and turn on the machine, I somehow grazed either my mouse, or the R key, sending it off into my part. It being a simple mini-mill with not a lot of strength in the clamping (enough to mill, though), it knocked everything out of whack, ruining quite a lot of setup, and centering work. I feel it would be safer to load up my own file when I'm ready, despite the machine power toggle. Sadly, the EMC2 AXIS default file is also set to run at a higher speed than my sad little machine can handle, and so another time when I somehow grazed something, and sent it off again on that file, it skipped a ton of steps immediately with a loud buzzing noise, forcing me to start all of my keying off the part over again. It's a cool test path, and looks nice, but now that I've seen it a few hundred times, and had it ruin things for me, it's lost some of its charm, and I'd just like to open to a blank state. Relatedly, I often can't finish an operation before it's time to leave for bed, work, or the rare social occasion. I ran a part this week that took between 6 and 8 hours. I hate leaving my controller on while out. It runs the steppers on a duty cycle that makes a pretty loud hissing noise, and they heat up, and I'm afraid of returning to (or waking up in!) a fire. That said, I turn off the machine when I leave. When I start it up, sometimes it just whines, and then starts hissing. Other times I hear one or more loud clunks, as it appears the steppers are being relatched onto. I imagine that when it doesn't happen, they're lined up with the original stepper positions (A, B, C, or D). Does EMC remember which pins were active, or in the case of microstepping, which values/duties were on which pins? I'd love to see it save that data on exit, or maybe on machine off/e-stop? Then when it starts back up, it could just grab on right where I left it, holding the motors where they were. I don't see it being a problem, as if it starts on A every time, it's as arbitrary, and non-destructive to the system as any other pin. Having it remember pins would in many cases (most for me) find the machine where it was left last, and I could trust power cycles between machining sessions on a single part more. Some of my operations lately have been nearly impossible to recenter, as I have so little travel room, and the only places I can key from are past those limits (and I never had any place prior - I just started in an eyeballed position, and just wanted it to start again later relative to where it left off last time when I power back up). Yes, I know... I'm needy. Thanks! -Gary - This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft Defy all challenges. Microsoft(R) Visual Studio 2008. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/vse012070mrt/direct/01/___ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
