Upgraded belts idlers etc 269oz nemas and using a demon

[GregoryPresnell]

Done all the upgrades! As you can see from the pics something isn’t right. Belt tension is 3 lbs checked steps used distance of 200mm

[GregoryPresnell]

Any help will be very much appreciated!
Greg

[SethCNC]

Did you update the grbl settings?

X-Carve 9mm Belt and Linear Rail Upgrades GRBL Settings

[GregoryPresnell]

My current setting are 2.5 amps to 2.7 amps. I’m using a Demon Controller not sure if the machine inspector in easel will work with it I did update the grbl settings.

[BrandonR_Parker]

The Easel Machine Inspector should work perfectly fine. The Demon Controller is still GRBL based…

{:0)

Brandon Parker

[GregoryPresnell]

Thank you I’ll give it a shot tomorrow! Um , what exactly does the machine inspector do?

[SethCNC]

Shows status, displays alarms, shows work and machine positions shows all grbl settings

[GregoryPresnell]

Thank you

[CarlosOlvera]

I’m assuming these are rectangles and circles in your design so I may be stating the obvious, but have you calibrated the machine? The different X-Y measurements in rectangles and the ovals are typical of uncalibrated steps. You can also have a repeatability issue.

For the repeatability:

1. Run a square carve for 3-4 times ( I do only one square, any problem/fix will show on other forms that are tougher to measure). An alternative is to move the machine multiple times about 20 in (50mm) on X and then Y to make sure it stops at the same point in both directions. I’d rather the square method because i can take precise distances vs eyeballing, but my “close enough” may be different from yours
2. Measure the squares on 2 points on x and 2 points on Y, a digital caliper works best for this (more accurate readings). Actual measure is not important, but it should be very similar on both points within the square as well as from square to square (mine are within 0.5mm but again use your “close enough”)
3. If you have significant variations between the square or between squares, probable cause is skipping steps due to improper tension or step motor power. You must adjust them until you had repeatable measures.

No case going forward if you can’t solve repeatability. Once you do, then you calibrate the steps:

1. Go to machine → general settings->machine inspector and on the bottom (you should see a list of the settings.
2. Look for the values in $100 (X) and $101 (Y), those are the steps value; mine was 26.66 Write those down.
3. For each axis, divide the measure you wanted (ie 2 1/4 in) by the actual measure you got (or, if you did multiple squares, the average measure). If the actual measure is smaller (ie 2 3/16), you’ll get a value over 1. If the actual number is higher (ie 2.5/16), you’ll get a value under 1 (0.9XX). Another example of why metric is easier/better, but if you must use imperial use decimals.
4. Multiply the step value you got form $100 by the division result for X axis (ie 26.66 x 1.01= 27.2038)
5. In machine inspector, on Console write $100 = 26.9266 (your value here) and enter. This will write a new step value for X
6. Repeat for Y with $101=XXX
7. to make sure write $$ + enter, it will display all the configuration values. Scroll down to $100 / $101 and you should see the new values
8. Make another test carve, measure and repeat for each axis until you get the measure you want (or close enough). Always multiply the division by the NEW step value in $100/$101.

It took me 2 tries on Y and 3 on X to get where I wanted. Once you have calibrated X and Y, your circles should be circles and not ovals. These setting are stored on the machine so no need to adjust them again.