So you are not impressed with it???
Can you elaborate?
Ok I re-installed VCarve and got the VTransfer installed now.
Will be giving it a try and providing feedback.
Thanks Neil for mentioning re-install.
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Not impressed. Not only does it leave out a lot of features (possibly the intent…I get it), but I tried streaming some code and it was very choppy. The streaming would pause frequently. I did this on a bare arduino, but I use the same one with plenty of other senders without issue.
I am currently using it to set up my g28 and g30 positions.
You cannot give it code like g28. But you can save coordinates and name them.
Also you have to enter metric moves and coordinates but it reads back in inches.
And the travel from one location to other does not seem to be at my grbl rapid settings
May not be too bad once I get locations saved.
Ok I found that and it works.
Can you figure out the “Enter Coordinates” option?
It does not seem to save positions.
Could not figure out how to send toolpath direct from VCarve.
Probing does not work. I suspect the NC/NO settings are opposite that of Easel as it immediately lifted and alarmed.
Set material xyz and loaded small pocket toolpath, hit carve and it lifted to near top of Z and did an air cut without turning on the router.
This is not going to work for me. It seems Vectric does not have VTransfer set up for XCarve as they had thought.
I will continue with Easel as my sender. Possibly learn UGS someday.
It’s most likely running in a mode which waits for response to each command.
I believe that most of the senders use the character counting method which would smooth things out.
That would explain the way it jogs. You cannot click 3 quick times on say X+, it will only move the value of one click. You have to wait until move is complete before it will accept another click
As Neil says the option is available when the software is first installed - see the screenshot below for Cut2D. If you have already installed your Vectric software, then re-running the latest installer from the Portal does no harm and you can check the option on the subsequent install to add VTransfer.
I should have pointed out some important points in the earlier post: VTransfer currently requires that Grbl must be in mm reporting mode ($13=0), hence only the X-Carve mm post supports the direct output method. This doesn’t affect your choice of units within VCarve - you can work in inches but still use the mm post. I think this is the cause of one of your issues @MarkA.Bachman? If you need to work with inch reporting then I’m afraid VTransfer isn’t going to work out for you. Similarly, if you are already manually setting G28, G30’s then VTransfer’s super-simple approach to coordinates (basically just one coordinate space from a single origin) is also going to be to simple for your needs. VTransfer’s current
origin setting will be setting these values as part of its normal operation and you are likely to clash - if you have the console running, you can see the commands that each button is issuing as you use them.
In general, if you have a successful streaming process already, then by all means stick with it. We provided VTransfer to get X-Carvers up and running who don’t have a streamer and simply want to create a toolpath, set the origin and stream the file -without the need for additional 3rd party software or an internet connection.
@NeilFerreri1 & @LarryM - I am very concerned about the choppy streaming performance as this is something we worked hard to eliminate during development. We are not using the simple response paradigm so the we should be streaming at near the buffer capacity all the time. Does the same toolpath always produce the choppy streaming - if so, would it be possible to send me the .gcode file? FAO Edward to support@vectric.com?
E
I was coming at this issue from the grbl side of things.
What method are you using to prevent buffer over runs in grbl?
I am a licensed user of Vcarve PRO 8.5
This feature is not in my release so I can’t test it locally. If you need some help from the grbl side of things I might be able to help you track down this issue.
Thanks for the clarification @LarryM - it you do decide to upgrade to v9 and find that you are able to reproduce this problem with streaming performance, then please do drop me a line. I ran all of my recent Vectric UGM samples using VTransfer earlier this month (maybe 30+ hrs of machining in total) and did not experience any choppy performance. This week I will try a couple of different spec. PC’s here (with different versions of Windows) as I really need to recreate the issue in order to investigate it.
Cheers, E
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Ed are you machining with an XCarve?
I tried a few times on an arduino loaded with GRBL 1.1 and the streaming was struggling, intermittent. I don’t know that I’ll test on an actual machine, but that shouldn’t make a difference. The gcode file did not make a difference.
@EdwardPowell Have you tried on a GRBL controlled machine?
@MarkA.Bachman Did you try running a job with vTransfer?
Hi @MarkA.Bachman, @NeilFerreri1 thanks for the replies.
Yes absolutely - XCarve (250mm) with standard XController. Grbl configured on initial setup using Easel once then VTransfer from then on.
@NeilFerreri1 do I understand correctly that you haven’t actually run a physical machine with VTransfer? Can you help me to understand your test process and what you mean by the streaming ‘struggling’? I had assumed you were reporting choppy physical movement of an X-Carve.
I made this video a few months ago for an slightly older version VTransfer in use with an Emblaser laser cutter (which is also GRBL controlled). It might still be useful for you to review as most of the intended workflow is the same, albeit that you need to probe/set the Z as well as X,Y origin. This link starts the video about 12mins in at the important bit: https://youtu.be/sIAnVvXfRk0?t=727
I will try and post a similar video using the latest VTransfer with my XCarve and XController soon.
E
Ed I have tried to place the pp for XCarve mm as my pp and now when I open VCarve I get the following warning and that pp is not available choice. How do make the XCarve mm pp available?
Hi @MarkA.Bachman,
I’m guessing that you have copied the X-Carve post into your My_PostP folder? If you do this you will also need to copy the Grbl_mm.pp file to the same location, as the X-Carve post is a mod of the core Grbl one (I’ll see if we can avoid this additional step in a future patch I think). For now though, the grbl_mm.pp file should be included in any standard install and you can get to it from File->Open Application Data Folder… then find and copy the file from the PostP folder into your My_PostP folder alongside the X-Carve one using windows file explorer.
I hope this gets you up and running.
E
Thanks Ed. Can I leave the Easel pp in that folder as well, then choose which one when saving or sending?
Yes.
Ok I have installed both those post processors and now the option to output direct to machine is there. However it still does not probe correctly.
As soon as I select ok it raises the spindle slowly about 15 mm and then alarms.
I am not convinced that VTransfer it will work with X Carve.
I am not going to change my GRBL settings so it will work with VTransfer and then not be able to use Easel.