Okay, I have done as much to this as I can. I am not sure what is going on with this. Machine description: Using standard Open Builds parts, nothing custom made. 1000x1000 mm CBeam contruction. Lead screw with stepper motor and a XPro from Spark Concepts Software is combination of ESTLCam and UGS When initially built, everything was good, I could use UGS to control the machine with the arrow keys on my keyboard, and it would move correctly. I could hold down the arrow keys and it would move along the chosen axis just fine. Problem description: I had a problem with the ESTLCam software where I had incorrectly chosen standard instead of metric, so it sent the machine on a wild chase, and it hung on the stock for a bit before I could shut it down. Now when I hold down the arrow key for the X Axis, it will spin for a bit and then hang like it is binding. Y Axis works fine, and Z Axis does the same thing as X Axis. Video is attached to show X vs Y axis operation. Can someone please give some pointers as to what to check/adjust/replace? THANK YOU!
click the 'use metric' tick box in UGS a few times and maybe restart UGS after a click so make sure that UGS and GRBL agree on which mode is active.. Controllers understand both imperial and metric but have to be told which one to expect. Seems to me your controller has become confused as to what mode it is supposed to be in and is expecting inches but getting mm and thus travelling too far. G20 tells the controller that all the following dimensions are in inches. (and feedrate is inches/min) G21 tells it to expect millimeters. (and feedrate is in mm/min) Make sure that Estlcam outputs a G20 or G21 at the top of EVERY file it generates and that the code corresponds to the mode selected. Same with any other Gcode generator you use, the code must ALWAYS define the mode. Thus you will see at the top of every file generated from SketchUcam a line like G90 G21 G49 G17 F2540 which is defining the modes for the controller. G90 : use absolute dimensions, the alternate is G91 for relative dims G21 : use metric G49 : do not use cutter length offset G17 : set the active plane to XY which affects how circles are drawn F2540 : set the basic feedrate in mm/min These modes are 'modal' which means that once set the controller remembers them, often through reboots as well. That is why every file must define the modes is needs to function safely.
I will check the g-code file tonight when I get back to the house, and make sure it has everything required. Thank you! Jay Lytle
This is what is at the top of my g-code file: (60 deg vgrv) G21 G90 G94 M03 S24000 G00 Z5.0000 Thank you! Jay Lytle
Ok, from the video, looks like current is too low or speed is too high... unless you have your wheels (eccentrics) way tight. Good luck
I'll check the tightness of the wheels again. The speed is me holding down the arrow key so however fast the controller can accept the commands from UGS. Maybe that is the problem. Just don't want it to do that in the middle of a work piece. Thank you! Jay Lytle
