Hi everyone,
I’ve just finished building a machine and so far i’ve trashed 4 microswitches and looks like i’ve now written off the fan on the top of the quiet cut spindle, maybe even the spindle itself.
I got everything set up and ran a homing cycle, it bumped into all the homing switches then backed off just fine.
I set up a job to drill one hole in a piece of mdf (actually the wasteboard but that is irrelevant). Fire up the spindle and off we go. i’m expecting it to drill the hole in the front left corner of my washboard, but instead it makes a run for the back right corner and tops out the spindle fan against the top plate of the x-axis which grinds that to a halt.
it also proceeds the run into the z-axis micro switch and smash that too. I’m getting very frustrated here, i haven’t actually cut anything yet and i’m spending money on bits everywhere i look.
I wonder if i’ve bitten off more than i can chew.
During the setup in easel all the axis moved correct? I had to turn up the pots on the g-shield to make the x and y axis move smooth.
You were using Easel to do this? Did you run through the setup found here:
http://easel.inventables.com/setup/
I did use the easel setup. That worked.
I think what I did wrong was I fed g-code from fusion 360 after resetting the machine and failing to re-zero.
Novice mistake, after a reset the machine decides it’s new starting point is the new zero. I failed to re-zero after the reset.
Ah, yep, that would do it…
Is it just a simple hole in the wasteboard that you are trying to drill?
It is. my first attempt at cutting something. The machine can’t drill deep enough into the board with the bits i have (not enough Z movement). The plan is to drill them as starters then go at it with a drill. it will serve to save me measuring and also to learn about using the machine.
But even if that’s so… why did it break your limit switches? just curious…
I had disabled hard limits. I didn’t know that at the time. Instead of bumping into the micro switch and stopping everything (hard limits enabled) it ignored it and kept going.
Another option is soft limits… after you have homed, it won’t let you send a command that goes past the work boundaries.
Perhaps try running a few jobs using Easel to get a feel for the machine functioning correctly before trying to use another program with many more variables involved?
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I have got the homing, hard limits and soft limits bits nailed down. My work surface is slightly uneven, by half a mm or so.
I now have a machine that won’t go outside the limits and I guess i’m ready to cut something. I was hoping to let the x-carve cut it’s own clamp-down holes. but i think i’ll just get in there and drill them manually.
This was great advice Michael. I did exactly this and now know so much more.
