Home and Away

Easel has the home function button which I use all the time (I have limit switches). What would be really useful would be an “Away” button which took the spindle to the furthest away position. This would then allow access to the table to locate and secure the workpiece.

My current workaround is to invoke Carve and use the jog keyboard buttons (set to 10mm step) to move the spindle to the top right. This takes way too long. If anyone has an alternative method I’d be keen to hear it.

I think this feature could be very easily implemented by using the work area parameters and moving the spindle to max Z, X and Y. One button, one line of gcode and job done.

Cheers Dean

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Although less than ideal you can set G30 to yield your preferred location and then when you want it to move the spindle open Machine Inspector (shortcut ctrl+shift+D) and type G30 in the Console and hit enter.

But yea, macros would be much better.

2 Likes

I agree I’ve been using an x-carve for about 9 months now with my robotics team. I generally just cringe when seeing the kids just push the entire carriage out of the way… in their defense they learned it from me before i figured out you could blow the stepper motor controllers. so yeah immediately after a carve we have to re-open the carve dialog again and type in something like 20in and send the router to the back.

I realize that there are UGS options and I just figured out that Machine inspector exists (thanks Ray). But in the interest of not trying to make things too complicated we’re sticking to using easel at the moment. We generate g-code in fusion 360 and are finally getting to the point where we can cut what we want quickly and reliably. one thing at a time…

I’d find it to be super useful at the end, in the same dialog box that asks if everything turned out okay.

Definitely would be a big help to be able to rapidly jog to a prescribed location as i do, I move z up a half inch and then x to the right 10 inches and then y away 20 inches to unload and reload the machine and then be able to jog back rapidly to a prescribed (not necessarily home) position to get ready to z probe and start the next job.

@EricBaker
Set those points as G28 (Park) or G30 (Work). There currently is no button, but i’ve asked if it could be added like the Home under the machine menu or keyboard shortcuts. G28 and G30 buttons and or keyboard shortcuts

Assuming you have homed the machine so that everything you did after is relative to that…

Open the Machine Inspector by either:

Ctrl+Shift+D
or
Machine Menu > Advanced > Machine Inspector

In the Console box:
If you are at the location you want to “Park” type G28.1 to set that location.
If you are at the location you want to use as the “Work” (place to z-probe or whatever else) type G30.1 to set that location.

Workflow:
Turn machine on and HOME or change bit and HOME.
(I am assuming that XY=0 is already set)
Ctrl+Shift+D to open the Machine Inspector and type G28 to Park your machine
Place workpiece and secure
type G30 to move to Work
start the Carve process of clicking through the prompts and zeroing Z and run your carve
after carving Ctrl+Shift+D to open the Machine Inspector and type G28 to Park your machine
Place next workpiece and secure
type G30 to move to Work
start Carve and if it is the “same” work thickness do Manual instead of Probe and select Last

Like 0,0 the G28 and G30 will remain set. So long as you do a HOME when you turn the machine on or change a bit (if you accidentally move the gantry while changing) you can use those to quickly move the gantry away and back to the work without having to do too much fussing. That is why it would be great for the inventables team to add buttons or keyboard shortcuts to reduce the steps further.

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Thanks! I will try this in the next couple days as I currently have the machine down for maintenance.

I love being able to do this. It saves SO much time!
It is definitely a feature inventables should add to buttons on the main screen.