Well here I go again

thank you for the reply,
I have been having so much trouble with UGS that I thought I would try something else.
I have been reading good things about picsender, so I downloaded the trial version yesterday morning…
However, cant even get it to jog.
That’s why I was starting to wonder if I may have a problem with the X controller.
Just to give you a little info about me.
I am nowhere close to knowing anything about CNC and or its programming.
6 months ago I didn’t even know how to turn one on.
Its been a steep and sometimes frustrating learning curve for me.
But overall I’m having fun with it.

I am not at all familiar with the Grbl settings or what they mean.
As far as the display, yesterday if I click on the “viewer” the correct file would eventually pop up, but the curser / tool would not move and the progress would not animate.
I’m using the latest version of UGS (I think its 1.0.9)

As far as the cable goes, I was going to replace it with what I thought would be a better one, but the person at Micro Center told my wife that the one that I have is better than anything that they sell.

I’m not at the machine now so I cant post any screen shots.
But I can this evening.

This happens when you load a file that is English and your trying to jog in metric.
Just make everything metric.
Also if you are using the zero block. Make sure that is in metric too.
even if you set it to metric and you load g-code for the zero bock in standard it will set the machine to standard disregarding the metric you have set in the interface.
UGS is dumb like that.

Stephen,
Everything I do is in standard.
but for some reason, UGS will simply make metric moves.
Sometimes I will click the metric button and make one jog and then go back to the English and all is good.
It doesn’t do it all the time and it may or may not do it with the same program that I’m trying to run.
Sometimes I can get a job all set up just to click the send button and the machine will move ~1/8" and freeze up.
Then I have to start all over by shutting UGS completely down, then open it up and to through the complete setup procedure again.
Other times it will work perfectly.
VERY VERY frustrating…

If you mean “alarm” by the red bar showing up, then no, there are never any alarms.
The screen just freezes and there is nothing more that I can do with it.
It actually freezes to the point where I cant even click the close button.
I have to go the black (I believe its the DOS screen) and close it before the other control screen closes.
I can at that time start over by opening up the program from scratch again.

That’s interesting.
What could be the issue with my computer.
Its a Sony laptop with windows 10.
I have the power setting changed so it will not go to sleep while plugged in.
I really don’t want to buy a new laptop.

So I am at this moment doing an “air” cut using the UGS nightly build.
So far it is performing flawless.
Now I need to see how it reacts with Charley’s Triquetra.
I’m going to do this right after this program runs out as that was part of my fits also.
I have to mention that Charley was good enough to spend a lot of time with me to try and sort this out.
Thank you Phil for the information.
One question.
Because this is the “nightly” build, do I have to reinstall it periodically?

The visualizer even works again.

2 Likes

I don’t know Phil.
Now I’m

getting this.

I don’t have a clue as to what I’m doing wrong

what a mess

Now it actually appears to be running backwards in the Z axis.

G17
G20
G0Z0.5000
G0X0.0000Y0.0000S16000M3
“M3”
G0X-0.0107Y0.8143Z0.3000
“M3”
G0Z0.2000
G1Z-0.0387F10.0
G1X-0.0106Y0.8139Z-0.0384F60.0
G1X-0.0107Y0.8145Z-0.0386
G1X-0.0107Y0.8309Z-0.0246
G1Y0.8412Z-0.0179
G1Y0.8438Z-0.0168
G1Y0.8498Z-0.0157
G1Y1.2653
G1Y1.2722Z-0.0171
G1Y1.2800Z-0.0214
G1Y1.3037Z-0.0376
G1X0.0269Y1.2888Z0.0000
G1X-0.0107Y1.3037Z-0.0376
G1Y1.7596
G1X-0.0030Y1.7661Z-0.0299
G1X0.0128Y1.7757Z-0.0141
G1X0.0269Y1.7824Z0.0000
G1X0.0128Y1.7757Z-0.0141

why does M3 keep showing up throughout the program ?
isn’t that the end of the program?

I just rebooted to see if that makes a difference

how can I stop UGS from opening up in metric?

M3 is spindle on.

Can you post the Post Processor file that you use here?

Larry,
You may correct me if i’m wrong, but I think that’s what I posted above.
Please forgive me, but I’m VERY new to all of this.

Not a problem.

The Post Processor file is the file that you select when you generate a toolpath in Vcarve Desktop.

It will be in one of the two directories with a path similar to this one for Vcarve PRO if you did the standard install.

C:\ProgramData\Vectric\VCarve Pro\V8.5\My_PostP
C:\ProgramData\Vectric\VCarve Pro\V8.5\PostP

1 Like

This is the post processor that I use.
It is for the X carve.
+================================================
+

  • Grbl - Vectric machine output configuration file

+================================================
+

  • History
  • Who When What
  • ======== ========== ===========================
  • EdwardP 11/02/2015 Written from Grbl_mm.pp but
  •                 set G20
    
  • EdwardP 11/02/2015 Commented out arcs as these
  •                 slow GRBL performance appear 
    
  •                 interpolated anyway
    
  • Mark 24/11/2015 Updated for interim 0.9 spec.
  •                 Renaming to be machine specific.
    
  •                 Removing M30 from Footer.
    

+================================================

POST_NAME = “X-Carve-JVL (inch) (*.gcode)”

FILE_EXTENSION = “gcode”

UNITS = “INCHES”

±-----------------------------------------------

  • Line terminating characters
    ±-----------------------------------------------

LINE_ENDING = “[13][10]”

±-----------------------------------------------

  • Block numbering
    ±-----------------------------------------------

LINE_NUMBER_START = 0
LINE_NUMBER_INCREMENT = 10
LINE_NUMBER_MAXIMUM = 999999

+================================================
+

  • Formating for variables

+================================================

VAR LINE_NUMBER = [N|A|N|1.0]
VAR SPINDLE_SPEED = [S|A|S|1.0]
VAR FEED_RATE = [F|C|F|1.1]
VAR X_POSITION = [X|C|X|1.4]
VAR Y_POSITION = [Y|C|Y|1.4]
VAR Z_POSITION = [Z|C|Z|1.4]
+VAR ARC_CENTRE_I_INC_POSITION = [I|A|I|1.4]
+VAR ARC_CENTRE_J_INC_POSITION = [J|A|J|1.4]
VAR X_HOME_POSITION = [XH|A|X|1.4]
VAR Y_HOME_POSITION = [YH|A|Y|1.4]
VAR Z_HOME_POSITION = [ZH|A|Z|1.4]

+================================================
+

  • Block definitions for toolpath output

+================================================

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output at the start of the file
    ±--------------------------------------------------

begin HEADER

“G17”
“G20”
“G0[ZH]”
“G0[XH][YH][S]M3”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output for rapid moves
    ±--------------------------------------------------

begin RAPID_MOVE
“M3”
“G0[X][Y][Z]”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output for the first feed rate move
    ±--------------------------------------------------

begin FIRST_FEED_MOVE

“G1[X][Y][Z][F]”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output for feed rate moves
    ±--------------------------------------------------

begin FEED_MOVE

“G1[X][Y][Z]”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output for the first clockwise arc move
    ±--------------------------------------------------

+begin FIRST_CW_ARC_MOVE

+“G2[X][Y][I][J][F]”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output for clockwise arc move
    ±--------------------------------------------------

+begin CW_ARC_MOVE

+“G2[X][Y][I][J]”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output for the first counterclockwise arc move
    ±--------------------------------------------------

+begin FIRST_CCW_ARC_MOVE

+“G3[X][Y][I][J][F]”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output for counterclockwise arc move
    ±--------------------------------------------------

+begin CCW_ARC_MOVE

+“G3[X][Y][I][J]”

±--------------------------------------------------

  • Commands output at the end of the file
    ±--------------------------------------------------

begin FOOTER

“G0[ZH]”
“M5”
“G0[XH][YH]”
“M03”

I hope that is what you needed