Recently bought a low frequency cut 50L plasma cutter as recommended from Dr Flo video cannot find any info of how it is hooked up to the black box controller.Any links to a detailed description would be greatly appreciated.
Basically yes. The button you press just closes two wires together. The relay in the BlackBox, does exactly that for you
Thanks again guys but yet another question .The floating head as per the Dr FLO plasma build has a limit switch and if i understand correctly it is hooked up to the to the probe input in the black box does a wiring diagram exist some where on witch wire goes to which terminal. Thanks again Doug
Is there somewhere i can find some some help to set up a plasma cut in your cam software.Do I just highlight the plasma on off box in the settings or do i have to enter a cutting height some where etc. Thanks again Doug
Settings configures the overall operation. When you set up Toolpaths you enter the parameters for the cut as material thicknesses etc differ between jobs
Hey Peter me again so zeroed the z axis where do i set it up for retraction as now it touches material but stays there
Probe moves: Probing macro is set up in Settings tab > Settings button > Advanced section: You have to write your own Gcode sequece here, using G38.2 to probe, G10 to set Zero, etc What it should do, depends on how you want your machine to probe. They grayed out example lift Z up first, comes back down and probes. Stops when switch triggers and sets Z-Zero right there. Probably will need some extra moves prior to Z-Zeroing with the G10 command, to clear the switch Cut moves: are set in the toolpath parameters: And if a toolpath has to use your Probing macro, remember to enable it Also read through Openbuilds CAM: Initial Height Sensing setup help needed
Hey Peter thanks for responding so quickly.Will all the advanced settings show up when a tool path is put into the cam software.Sorry not to savvy in g code . I am using 12 guage mild steel if that helps .Was looking for the advanced g code touch off seqence in the controller software couldnt find anything in advanced settings for that
Not in CONTROL. In CAM. Gcode is generated by CAMs. Thus, what you want GCODE to do during a Job, will almost always be something you set up in a CAM application, of which OpenBuildsCAM is just one of many options CONTROL just sets up and sends GCODE to your Controller hardware. The probing stuff should already be in your GCODE coming from your CAM. Please read docs:software:overview [OpenBuilds Documentation]
Pretty much as easy as this (probe code, and cut parameter values used is just examples for my machine, your's will be different)
Hello once again and merry christmas.New update.Did a simple square in cam 10mm x10mm generated g code when i went to type in touch off sequence it would only let me type in three lines of code also when i generate g code the window for transporting the gcode to the controller wont highlight and let me send it the controller
No... Make sure CONTROL is a) up to date - v1.0.309 at the time of writing and b) running (don't forget to start it) If it us up and running and up to date, point 1 of the onscreen checklist will be green. Still disabled? Then you forgot to continue on and load a file or drawing, create a (valid) toolpath and generate GCODE. Once thats been done, you can transfer - if you didn't complete any of those steps, there is no GCODE to transfer, thus its still disabled.
First I opened control version v 1.0.309 then opened cam software from open builds button hit browse and proceeded to draw a small box generated g code but the window would not highlight to transfer gcode. When i went to advanced settings first said does not support touch off so deleted that wording and entered the four lines of g code not sure if that was right because before the box did appear with some g code in it
OkPeter back at it again.Got gcode over to cam software when I try to run job z goes up and then goes up again and hits z axis limit switch get an error message error 20 nsuppported or invalid gcode command
As mentioned: So please do not just blindly copy the demonstration, which at the time was meant to show you where to enter it into CAM > Settings > Settings > Advanced as at the time you were still confusing CONTROL and CAM from each other - it was not meant as an example macro. Change the G32.2 to G38.2 The probe command is G38.2 G Codes G32 = invalid gcode just as the error says The rest of the Macro needs your work too - again, I was demonstrating WHERE to type, not WHAT to type... See But, let's do this: 1) Jog to about 10mm above the plate 2) on the Serial console tab, enter: G38.2 Z-20 F100 and send/ENTER It will now Probe and stop when the switch triggers 3) Enter G10 L20 Z20 - this sets Z0 at this point 4) Jog Z up a bit 5) Run G0 Z0 Now report: -- Did it hit perfectly stop on top of the plate? -- Did it hit the plate too hard and kept moving after it hit the plate? How much did it lift the floating head? or -- Did it not reach the plate - if so, high many millimeters (exact) above the plate did the tip stop? That's how you'd start to determine the needed moves. Post those details EXACTLY for us to help you write a Macro
ok feeling like a real nob now where do I find the serial terminal tab or is that the touch sequence box
You are now doing this right? If so, provide details step-by-step as requested - we'd love to help, but vague answers are just as frustrating to you as to us During the G38.2 right? That is what it should do (Touching the plate, activates the switch, move stops) - is that what happened? Did it move at 100mm/min (slowly)? If not, did you even perform basic machine first? Calibration, tested that all axes move the correct distance, direction, and reliably? Did you overshoot or undershoot (This affects the fact that your switch is not triggering at the exact moment the tip touches - which is normal - but we need measurements to add the correct offsets to the macro)
Hello again entered G38.2 Z-20 F100 Z axis went down until floating head hit switch then typed G10 L20 Z20 nothing happened rased up Z about 5 mill above plate typed in G0 Z0 Z axis came down fast until floating head swiched off
Well, feels like that, but it wasn't the switch that stopped it. If you watch the DRO you'll see it went back to Z0 (which was set by G10 above, it wasnt doing nothing, it was setting Z0) Right so jog it back up in small increments till its just touching the plate - then note the value of the DRO so we can work that into an offset on the next run's G10
OK: Then let's try: Setting G10 L20 to Z-7 (13mm on DRO, I asked you to set Z20 earlier, difference is -7) 1) Jog to about 10mm above the plate 2) on the Serial console tab, enter: G38.2 Z-20 F100 and send/ENTER It will now Probe and stop when the switch triggers 3) Enter G10 L20 Z-7 - this sets Z0 at 7mm above the trigger point, accounting for the offset in the spring 4) Jog Z up a bit 5) Run G0 Z0 Dialing it in further involves playing with the value of Z in (3) above until you are happy that that G0Z0 in (5) puts it perfectly at the surface of the plate And that's how you use the Serial Console to develop and test a Macro line-by-line After you worked out what it needs to do in this way, you can put it together into a macro
