rocket and all, the sh router (excitech) is on display at several booths that are near us, if there are any photos are any thing i can get for you. contacts etc. let me know!!!

jim

G`day Jim, Just had a look at the camaster thread. You blokes seem to be having a great time in Atlanta.

Very impressed with the camaster booth and the X3 machine.

If you could take some photos of the Excitech machines on display, it would be appreciated. Do they have the DSP system or are they using other control systems?

Rocket.

here ya go excitech routers at IWF

Lot of Mach3 screens on display there. You'd think that these guys would at least make some custom screens for their machines. :)

Hey all, if money was of no concern, which CNC machine would be the best you could purchase? Location is not of concern either - it will be shipped to Saudi Arabia.

Even if it is just brands recommended that is fine, I will follow up from there.

It would need to cut a lot of lattice work into our panel.

John

I only have experience using about three. If money is of no concern then you must be wanting ease of use and suitability for the type of work as deciding factors in your purchase?

In my ( Limited) experience the most expensive isn't always the best for the job at hand and is rarely the easiest to use. I have used a Excitech, a Multicam, and a Weeke. The Excitech I have is by far the most basic of them all but also by far the easiest to setup and run. IMHO YMMV :D

Shannon.

then you must be wanting ease of use and suitability for the type of work as deciding factors in your purchase?
QUOTE]

Ease of use is a major factor, the machine will be used by novices so minimal training is preferred.

[QUOTE=Big S;493410]
In my ( Limited) experience the most expensive isn't always the best for the job at hand and is rarely the easiest to use.


I agree, the jobs will require intricate detail I'm just putting the question out there - if you want to purchase a reliable easy to use machine that does the best job, what would it be?

Here are a couple of photos of the business cards that I have made on my Excitech router. They are made out of 3mm mirror backed acrylic, I would use 1.5mm acrylic if I can find a supplier here in NZ. I am not sure what accuracy you require, but these cards are the same size as a standard business card (only a lot thicker) :D:D

Shannon.

John and Shannon, I am a big fan of Excitech - But in this instance i do wonder if it may be preferable to go to a machine which has great backup support and can be remotely fine tuned via the supplier?

I speak of the " camheads " from camaster. These blokes are doing excellent work with their customers. A big advantage is the level of support that they happily provide. And the fact that they speak good english. Their controller is wincnc.

See the camaster thread.

Rocket.

hey guys, its been a while since ive been online, you guys have learnt so much in this last few months..
i am struggling with something . i dont know if any of you can point me in the right direction.
i need some one to write a little converter program. my machine is older and uses HPGL code. the files it uses to cut with end in .plt
however most of the more advance creating software i want to use creates g-code. and the files they produce end in .dnc

so the little converter program must convert .dnc files to .plt files.
anyone have some clues. this is kind of the opposite way round to what most people do and anything i can find on the net so far... help pls

I was thinking about purchasing a water cooled spindle but I live in Ohio and my shop is unheated when not in use. I afraid that the water would freeze and crack the spindle. Can you use something like rv antifreeze or Ice thaw washer fluid as a coolant?

the chinese spindles i have seen are basically a fish pump in a bucket, i cannot imagine antifreeze would hurt it, in any way, probably more problem for the pum than the spindle!

jim

.

Hey Sally, Have you got a Mustang? We could go Cruising!http://www.cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

Excitech Rules!

But wait - there are more pics of Excitech and Mustangs

http://photobucket.com/rocket67

Rocket

:confused:

Mustang Sally could not see the humour - Will miss you Sally.

Our intended purchase of the Excitech 4 x 8 machine is getting further away. Just checked the AUD against the USD and we are down to 80 cents! Oh sh..te!That means we have gone from near parity of 98 cents only a month ago - to needing another 20%. That is another $1200!!!!
Can only hope the dollar improves.(nuts)

Bit quiet at the moment on the Excitech thread!

Fire up people!!

Rocket.

Hello,

Please allow me to introduce myself since this is my first post on this forum.
My name is Marco and I live in the Netherlands, Europe. I have ordered an Excitech SHM1312B machine and I expect it to arrive within approx. 2 (maybe 3) weeks. I have read a lot about this machine on the cnczone forum and I want to say a big THANKS to all the great info that can be found here. I hope to post usefull help as well, once I get to know my machine :-)

Software : I am practicing with Artcam software at the moment and although it has a lot of possibilities and is a bit complex, I think I will manage to get some nice results. I will probably need to get some practice with Autocad.
I also have a trial version of VcarvePro and that is very user-friendly software in my opinion. Works great for carving, but the 3D possibilities of Artcam are very impressive.

Purpose : I have bought this machine for private use, although it would be nice to earn some money with it :-) In my spare time I make furniture, building guitars and a lot of other things with wood. But I would also like to use the cnc-router to experiment with other materials like for instance Corian. I have a big list of creative ideas and I am so excited, I would not knwo where to start once it arrives :-))

If you like, I will post some pictures once my machine arrives.

Reagrds,
Marco

Hi Marco,

looking forward to seeing the pictures of your machine,

Shannon.

Hi Marco,

I am very glad to hear you are getting an Excitech very soon. Is this going to be the first one in the Netherlands? A student (HMC) doing a 3 month stage at our company is doing a CNC-guitar project at his school's end project. We have to wait another 5 weeks before our Excitech will arrive, so sadly enough there will be not much time left to use the company machine for his project. But we are also very excited and preparing all sorts of test projects.
Does your machine arrive in Rotterdam harbour? How did you arrange import and the last part of the transport?

Regards,

Gerrit

Hi Marco,

I am very glad to hear you are getting an Excitech very soon. Is this going to be the first one in the Netherlands? A student (HMC) doing a 3 month stage at our company is doing a CNC-guitar project at his school's end project. We have to wait another 5 weeks before our Excitech will arrive, so sadly enough there will be not much time left to use the company machine for his project. But we are also very excited and preparing all sorts of test projects.
Does your machine arrive in Rotterdam harbour? How did you arrange import and the last part of the transport?

Regards,

Gerrit

Hello Gerrit,
I have bought my machine through Germany (I am not sure if I am allowed to mention his website here), there is a very friendly guy who runs a business selling cnc-machines/parts. I know he imports the machine from China, and of course it would be cheaper if I would have done that myself but now he will take care of everything (import, custom duties) and he will check if everything is okay before he will send it to me. If I have a problem, he will give support. My machine arrived this week in Hamburg, Germany. So it is very close to the Netherlands :-)

If this is the first one in the Netherlands? The German guy told me he sold another one to someone in Holland. So maybe it is the second? And when your machine arrives, it will be the third :-)

mm, guitar building has my interest as well :-))

Keep in contact please, maybe we can exchange experiences!

Hi all,
I have EXCITECH 0609 CNC Router (with RZNC 0501 DSP control system). It's good CNC for the horizontal goods, but my business is growing, and I need in the rotate table for the rotate objects. I use ArtCam, Type3 and Ucancam software.
1. Who can help me for true selection at the Rotate Table.
2. Where I can buy the additional rotate table for low cost? (P.S. A'm from Ukraine, the seller must ship to Ukraine)
3. Can I make the rotate objects for CNC in my software?

Ula:

There is some things you need to know in respect of the machine you have:

1. The DSP do not support automatic rotation/control of a 4th axis. It might through some good firmware update, but this is not supported by the factory.

2. I have not used a 0609 but I know you have a external box which I guess contains a similar controller board setup as I have, which I guess in you're case is named RZNC 0501. I would therefor expect that you need to rebuild the machine where you remove the DSP controller and the interface board. Then you need to get a breakout board which could be connected to a PC which then would be the new "DSP" where you would import you're G-code from the U-disk.

3. The PC must then run some kind of controller SW which makes the PC work like a "DSP". This could be Mach3 or other SW packages. Note that there are SW packages containing separate PC boards to interface with the CNC machine - typical WinCNC.

4. You would then need a extra stepper motor driver which could be connected to the new setup. This driver would be connected to the breakout board and through this to the PC which controls the machine. This would depend on what's inside you're external box, but in my machine I have 5 separate motor drivers, which might be a smaller unit in you're external box setup.

5. Then you need to find a 4th axis which has a stepper motor to connect to the stepper motor driver. The particular 4th axis vendor need to supply you some details in respect of reduction ratios to work out how the 4th axis should be controlled by the PC (in for instance Mach3). This would be, I guess step/degree, step/revolution or something similar.

It's not as trivial as you might think, and I have been investigating the same thing for a long time.

In respect of 4th axis, you simply need to do a search on the net. I have found the cheapest tho be Sherlines setup, http://www.sherline.com/8730pg.htm which is good for indexing but then I'm not sure if it would be good for turning and milling at the same time.
Another one is
http://www.cnc-router-routers.com/html/drehtisch_cnc_router_routing_e.html
which is more expensive but except from this I have no experience with it.

Here is some more expensive one
http://www.isel-germany.de/products/category.php?lang=de&ID=c57
Price range €1300 to €6000

EDIT: You need a advanced SW for proper 4th axis milling (controlling the item milled while milling). For simple indexing you could insert a single command in you're G Code, at the correct place. Ucancam has no support for 4 axis machining, the Type 3 version I received was VERY limited and has never been used by me.

If you find any good deals on rotary tables/4th axis some where else, please let me know (send me a PM in case)

Hope it helped

K

I was going to suggest that Kent is the one you need to hear from, He is the closest that I know of to setting up a fourth axis on an Excitech router.

Shannon.

Thank Kent,
wow... an answer for the my little question

since we are on fourth axis topic, look on page four of this thread!!

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=945809#post945809

Jim,

I've tried to register now 5-10 times and what ever I do I receive the feedback that:
That username is already in use or does not meet the administrator's standards. If you are XXXXX and you have forgotten your password, bla bla

I give up!!!

I was only interested in the pics

K

they require a full name, i joined a few months ago and while it is a woodworkers forum it is a good one!!

jim

Jim,


You must have a iPhone or something, posting a whopping 1101 posts :)

I saw the setup, innovative I agree but it's not for me. I guess I would chase that 4th axis for a while :p
Still trying to decide which breakout board to go for, where I'm trying to home in something which has good support.

K

i am always amazed at innovation!!

i have computers in the office, cnc room office at home, the pond house and the barn, it might look like a lot of post but you would not believe what it has done for me in what i have learned from you guy's

jim

ROCKET, i fely i had to let you in on this!!

http://vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3875

While James Booth was making his closing remarks about the Aspire Software I was writing the check. From what I can see from it so far, and I have not really had a good chance to play with it yet, it is the equal of ArtCam, and alot more affordable. It actually has some features already in it that will not be in AC until it's next release. My hat is off to all the people at Vectric for creating this software, Way to go Guys!!!!!

Kent norway, I was finally successful registering on the sawmill creek site today like you I have tried a bunch of times! what I had to do was enter my real first and last name with a space in between, not just a user name like it says

Kent norway, I was finally successful registering on the sawmill creek site today like you I have tried a bunch of times! what I had to do was enter my real first and last name with a space in between, not just a user name like it says

Gary,

Thank's for the feedback. I did manage to register after several tries so now I'm Kent Jnorway up there :)

Kent

Hello everyone,

Today my SHM1312 router arrived :) The machine comes from China of course, but I bought it in Germany from cnc-router.de. They do all the handling, import-duties and they will support me if I have problems. The guy that works there (Wolfgang Walle) is a very friendly and helpfull guy.

Although one side-panel is damaged during transport, I am still very happy with it.

I am checking everything before switching it on and I have to do a lot of cleaning: there is a sort of grease everywhere but Wolfgang has told me that this is not lubrication, it is for rust-prevention and I should remove it. So I will.

But after I have cleaned everything, I will need to lubricate it. And although I have searched the forum and the internet, I am still not sure what to do/use. So I have a few questions, any help is much appreciated :)



- The HIWIN Linear Guideways : my German contact tells me to use oil and not grease because with grease they won't live long. When I look at the HIWIN website I have found "the standard grease nipple may be replaced by an oil piping joint.....Generally, grease is applied for speeds that do not exceed 60m/min, faster speeds will require high-viscosity oil as a lubricant" .
My machine doesn't go that fast. Will it be okay to use grease? Or is Wolfgang right (in which case I should find out where to find those "oil piping joints").

- The other question is about the last picture in this post: Here you can see a different nipple :this one is open and not closed with a small ball like on the linear guideways. What do I put into this (and onto the spiral thing, don't know the exact english word for it)?

Stupid of me that I did not think of these questions earlier, when I had all the time to find the right lubrication.:(

BTW that is not me in the pictures, it's my father in law :p

Your router looks good,

I have been using grease on my SHM1530 and it stays on the rails fine, ie there is a film of grease on the rails when you touch them. I have been greasing the machine about once a month or so and its fine.

The spiral thing is a ball screw, the fitting on the ball nut (ball screw runs into it) looks like an oil piping connector, I have been using a spray lube on my ball screw as there is no grease nipple on it. You could use the oil fitting to grease the ball screw but it would be best to put a small cap over the fitting to stop the dust getting into the grease.

Shannon.

Crank it up!!

jim

Hello everyone,

- The HIWIN Linear Guideways : my German contact tells me to use oil and not grease because with grease they won't live long. When I look at the HIWIN website I have found "the standard grease nipple may be replaced by an oil piping joint.....Generally, grease is applied for speeds that do not exceed 60m/min, faster speeds will require high-viscosity oil as a lubricant" .
My machine doesn't go that fast. Will it be okay to use grease? Or is Wolfgang right (in which case I should find out where to find those "oil piping joints").

Coco; You're machine looks great. I have the same but I did go for the version which don't need the extra power/control cabinet. I have used grease on my machine but this is only in the Y axis. I greased with a high sticky red type of grease on the cogwheels and one with a lower viscosity(Thinner) on the rails.

In the X axis, there is however only those "metal ball" filling caps. On these I have used a special spray fluid called InduFett
https://www1.elfa.se/elfa~eu_en/b2b/catalogstart.do?tab=catalog

This is a special spray which I have to say has worked very well. It even feels better than the grease used in the Y axis. I have however not applied this through the "metal ball" opening on the HiWin it self, but I have added it to the rails. I would however start to use it through the me metal ball opening as well.

On the ball screw was initially lubricated with the same oil as in X, but I have now added grease both on the rails and the ball screw.

Please take note of the following: Check paper towel when you have cleaned the ball screw in Z! Mine had a lot of metal dust in it when I used the spray oil and I had to lube - clean - lube - clean - lube -clean ..... a lot of times to get most of it out.

I have discussed the lubrication subject a lot in this thread, but I guess this thread is so long that we can't keep track of it :)

Also, check the homing sensors distance in the Z axis ! Mine has some times passed the "mark" and if it was'nt because I was there and followed the movement, it would have knocked the Z axis to it's end position and possibly destroyed the machine .....

Keep us updated on the setup part and how it goes. I have my own thread about my machine here http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57159 which I update every now and then when I have some news.

EDIT: Since you call you're self Cocobolo, you are not making pool cues by any chance :)

Kent

I had the Z-axis cover off my machine today and I saw the C.A.D wire coiled up in there (I had removed it a while ago and tucked the wire away)

I took it out and tried it out by touching it against the cutter when the Z-axis was slowly descending to set the Z-0 height. What I found was that when touched on the tool it would only work intermittently, but when I touched the wire to the spindle housing it would set the Z-0 every time. My spindle has ceramic bearings in the front and steel bearings in the rear but still doesn't seem to have enough continuity for a reliable Z-0. If I rotated the spindle manually with the wire against the cutter, the machine would set the Z-0 but only sometimes.

What I am planning to do is make a puck that has a micro switch in it and run a earth and C.A.D wire to the switch. I may also make it sprung so that it is less likely to chip the (expensive) carbide cutters if it goes too far..

Maybe Ramon could try touching the C.A.D puck on to the spindle housing and see if it sets the Z-0?

Shannon.

Thanks Kent/Shannon for the good advise!

Mmm,yes, I will indeed put a small cap over the fitting to prevent dust from getting in...

Ok, I will use grease for the Y-axis. On the Hiwin-rails I will also use grease and in the hiwin-guideways I will make use of those greasepoints (the manufacturer has installed them for that purpose so I can;t imagine it can do any harm). For the greasepoint I will buy such a greasegun (will get one tomorrow). And for the Z-axis I will use the oil-piping point (a sort of grease point but without the little ball) and I will use a synthetic lubrication with PTFE (we call it Teflon but not sure if this is the word for it).

Good advise about the paper towel, thanks :-) I will clean everything very carefull. Yesterday I removed one of the gantry-sides and there were a lot of metal splinters (is that the correct word? I mean metal chips) in there. So I will now check everything before turning it on.

About that homing-sensor advise : not sure if I understand what you mean. Are you talking about the sensor for detecting the material thickness? I will have a close look at the machine this evening and will get back on this subject if I don't get it.

Thanks all!

First of all, when I was typing this post I noticed I don't know the exact word for some of the parts of the machine, I apologize. I will do my best to learn to use the correct names for the parts, I am sure after a few posts it will go better :o

@Kent : I forgot to answer your question about my cocobolo nickname : no, I don't make pool cues but cocobolo is sometimes used in guitarbuilding and I have built a few guitars so that's why (couldn't think of a better name at this moment).


I have just switched on the machine for the first time, couldn't resist to take her for a short ride :) That was a bit exciting/scary but fortunately it switched on and responds to my manual x/y/z instructions on the DSP.

Now, when I press home, the machine goes of course to the home position. But the router is outside the table at that position, is that normal? I have made a picture of it. I have also made 2 pictures of the switches that should detect the end of the Y-axis is reached.


2 other things I noticed of which I would like your opinion if this is normal:
#1) When I move the router on the x-axis to the left, the router stops before it is at the beginning. Ok, it is close to the start of the x-axis but not as close as could be. And when I looked at the switch (homing sensor? is that the word?) there is much room left before the metal strip is reached (please see the picture, that probably explains it better than my bad English, sorry about that).

#2) When I move the router on the x-axis to the right, it bangs into the right side of the gauntry.
Could it be that the #1 problem is the cause of the #2 problem? I mean, if it stops before the beginning of the x-axis (because the machine thinks it is at the beginning), is the end of the x-axis relative to this point (x millimeters/inches to the right of this point)?

Thanks,
Marco

Marco,

Everything seems normal, the machine origin can be set inside the machinable area.

1, The tab and homing sensor seems to be working properly, the sensor trips when the metal is inside its field of view. It doesn't have to be directly in front of it. I have the sensor manual here if you want a copy.

2, You have the right idea on this one, the axis banging sounds like the soft limits aren't set properly and that its traveling too far, if you need help doing this just let us know.

Shannon.

Marco,

everything seems normal, the machine origin can be set inside the machinable area.

1, The tab and homing sensor seems to be working properly, the sensor trips when the metal is inside its field of view. It doesn't have to be directly in front of it. I have the sensor manual her eif you want a copy.

2, You have the right idea on this one, the axis banging sounds like the soft limits aren't set properly and that its traveling too far, if you need help doing this just let us know.

Shannon.

That's a fast answer :-)
Aha, I see, I thought the metal strip needed to be in front of the sensor. The metal strip from the x-axis is still quite far from the metal strip (see last picture) but if this is normal then okay, no problem :-) I will try to figure out how I can adjust the soft limits (I am sure that it must be in the DSP menu somewhere, where else could it be? :) . But if I don't manage, I will gladly accept your help.

To be continued (of that I am sure)...

Ok I didn't look close enough at the last picture. The sensor should be closer than that, the tab doesn't have to be directly in front of the sensor but maybe 2-3mm over it, just like in the third photo.

It should go right to the tab when you home the machine. If I were you I would get the sensor sorted out before you change the soft limits. Does it stop at the same place each time you press the 'home' button on the DSP?

Shannon.

Marco;

Just a short one;
-I'm pretty sure that my machine is flush to the table when homed. I'll check next weekend.
-Soft limits; when you first turn the machine on, it some times has these wild settings. It stops the machine then due to the soft limits. This has always been solved by hitting "Home" and possibly XY=0.

Have to head horizontal. Pool tournament tomorrow.

K

hi
Looking with interest at your excitech problems. Got the same machine 2 weeks ago and am having big problems. I can't get the machine to go HOME, I thought i had the problem sorted-the Z axis sensor dos not seem to be working, i can't get it to work even by using a screw driver in front of it. The y and x axis i can set the sensor light off inside the control box. So-i got a new sensor sent out, fitted it up just now and with great anticipation started the machine.....Same problem the machine wants to keep travelling upward until it runs ot of travel on the ball screw.
Any ideas, the machine looks good for its price, i have a 900*600 excitch also and it has been great. But i am desperate to get the thing going.
Please help me i am a novice

hi
Looking with interest at your excitech problems. Got the same machine 2 weeks ago and am having big problems. I can't get the machine to go HOME, I thought i had the problem sorted-the Z axis sensor dos not seem to be working, i can't get it to work even by using a screw driver in front of it. The y and x axis i can set the sensor light off inside the control box. So-i got a new sensor sent out, fitted it up just now and with great anticipation started the machine.....Same problem the machine wants to keep travelling upward until it runs ot of travel on the ball screw.
Any ideas, the machine looks good for its price, i have a 900*600 excitch also and it has been great. But i am desperate to get the thing going.
Please help me i am a novice

I would check the wiring and where it plugs into the card inside the control box (power off first) The screwdriver should be enough to trip the sensor, if you have a multimeter handy, check that the sensor is getting 24volts to it.

Shannon.

Ok I didn't look close enough at the last picture. The sensor should be closer than that, the tab doesn't have to be directly in front of the sensor but maybe 2-3mm over it, just like in the third photo.

It should go right to the tab when you home the machine. If I were you I would get the sensor sorted out before you change the soft limits. Does it stop at the same place each time you press the 'home' button on the DSP?

Shannon.

Update : when I press HOME, it goes to the beginning of the x-axis and stops when the sensor reaches the metal strip, so then everything is fine :)

Now when I jog the machine manually in 'continuous' mode to the right and then back to the left, it works fine. But ONLY if I keep pressing the button. It then stops at the limit switch.
But if I let go of it for example 10 centimeters (4 inch) before the beginning of the x-axis, and then use small steps to move it further, then it will stop like in the last picture. So it seems that I can only go to the beginning of the x-axis if the router moves in continuous mode with a certain speed. Strange...

The question is now if it would do the same if I run a programm : would it also stop before the beginning of the x-axis is reached if my programm is running with small steps? Probably...

So I don't think there is anything wrong with my sensor?

It does sound like your sensor is fine, I am not sure why its stops short of the sensor.
If you press home, then XY-0, does jogging it away and back again show the same fault?

Shannon.

It does sound like your sensor is fine, I am not sure why its stops short of the sensor.
If you press home, then XY-0, does jogging it away and back again show the same fault?

Shannon.

I've just done that. The dsp displays x 000.000 y 000.000 z 000.000
Now jogging it away and back again (in step mode) stops on different points, all approx. between 8 and 5 centimeters (x displays for instance 48.000).
Now when I press the X- button, you can just see the MANL text in the upper-right corner of the display change to STOP (but you have to look closely, it is only a very brief moment. What I did next, was to set the DISTANCE in the distance mode to 10mm. And now when I press X- in the distancemode it does continue to the X 0 position (where in step-mode I couldn't get it to move any further)!
So maybe I should not bother that much. I mean, I can get the x-axis manually to the zero position with the Distance-mode or with the continous mode. So I will have to try it with some g-code and see if it responds okay.

Just set the Z-0 high and run a file without the spindle on or anything, I would be giving it a solid test if mine was doing the same thing.

Is the z-axis unit binding or tight around that spot? if you turn the machine off and push it by hand there should be about the same amount of resistance the whole way across the y-axis. Just a thought.


Shannon.

Just set the Z-0 high and run a file without the spindle on or anything, I would be giving it a solid test if mine was doing the same thing.

Is the z-axis unit binding or tight around that spot? if you turn the machine off and push it by hand there should be about the same amount of resistance the whole way across the y-axis. Just a thought.


Shannon.

mmm, good suggestion, I will check it! Unfortunately I have to be somewhere else the rest of the day, can't wait to investigate it a little furter. Maybe this evening ...

What I should also ask is do the numbers on the DSP keep changing when the gantry has stopped (most likely a jam or something) or is it that the DSP doesn't respond to the key press or is thinking that it has reached the limit when it hasn't? It should show a warning on the DSP screen when you go over a limit and will only let you jog away from it.


Shannon.

What I should also ask is do the numbers on the DSP keep changing when the gantry has stopped (most likely a jam or something) or is it that the DSP doesn't respond to the key press or is thinking that it has reached the limit when it hasn't? It should show a warning on the DSP screen when you go over a limit and will only let you jog away from it.


Shannon.

The DSP doesn't show the warning that it went over the limit (I know what you mean, I get that message when I move the z-axis to far). It stops and it shows the x-coordinate numbers.

The numbers on the DSP are each time different when it stops (range between 5 and 8 centimeter if I recall correct).

Once it has stopped, I think the DSP detects the key I press because the upper-right text MANL changes very briefly to STOP each time I press a key. [EDIT : I THINK IT DISPLAYS "STEP" AND NOT "STOP" ]

So maybe a jam like you say? I have inspected it for a short moment but it seems okay. Can it be that the hiwin-rails are from that point a little bit to close (or to far) from each other so the hiwin-guideways get stuck? I hope to look at it again within a few hours.

I don't think it would be the Hiwin rails, most likely the gear mesh on the rack and pinion being a little tight, if its not binding the only other thing might be a software issue in the DSP itself.

The aluminium on the gantry is machined parallel, so if you look directly at the front of it where the rails touch it, there shouldn't be any gaps or even a noticeable kink in the rails or anything.

Another idea I just had is that if there is an intermittent connection or broken wire in the cable chain, then it could show up as something similar to what you are saying. I would guess that it could even be inside the z-axis unit cover (ie the stepper motor plug??)

The good side is that when something like this goes wrong you end up learning a whole lot more about your CNC, its still a pain in the neck sometimes though :D.

Shannon.

Ok I tried my machine out and it does the same thing, I usually don't go right to the limits when in any of the HIGH jog modes (step, dist, cont.). In LOW mode it jogs right to the limits fine. I don't think it is too much of an issue in practice as the XY-0 is usually the corner of the sheet and I set it in from the home about 100mm.

Most of the time you should be using the jog to set the XY-0 and so then you can push ORIGIN and the machine will go back to the XY-0.


Shannon.

Ok I tried my machine out and it does the same thing, I usually don't go right to the limits when in any of the HIGH jog modes (step, dist, cont.). In LOW mode it jogs right to the limits fine. I don't think it is too much of an issue in practice as the XY-0 is usually the corner of the sheet and I set it in from the home about 100mm.

Most of the time you should be using the jog to set the XY-0 and so then you can push ORIGIN and the machine will go back to the XY-0.


Shannon.

Hello Shannon,

Thanks for all the trouble you take with helping me, I especially appreciate that you have tried it with your machine. Mmm, I did not use the HIGH/LOW button yet, but I know my dsp was in high-mode.

Yes, it will be logicall to keep the material a little bit away from the sides so like you say, in practice it will be just fine.

Today it is my daughter's birthday so the house will be full with friends and family. Not much time for the machine today but I have took the day off tomorrow so I can have all lthe time to do more testing. I hope to get my first results tomorrow. Will post some pictures of it :)

Regards,
Marco

No trouble at all, I only noticed it when turing the acceleration right down low, the machine would go to about 300mm away from each side and no closer :D:D. Once I reset the settings back, lo and behold it had the same thing as yours was doing. I think it is part of the DSP software to stop the machine crashing into the hard stops at high speed.

I use the high for basic positioning and then switch to low for a more accurate placement, then finally into step mode for a really accurate position. Then I XY-0 the machine.

Shannon.

Hello,

Today I machined my first blanks :)
I used some artwork I found, I am working on my own original artwork but for now a few internet-examples will do : I only want to see if my machine-computer communications is okay and if it responds okay to the postprocessor. And of course to see if I am impressed with the possibilities. Well, I AM!

I have included a few pictures. In the last picture I made twice the mistake of forgetting to z-zero after I had changed the router bit. :o You can see that the end mill was going a bit to deep, and it damaged the outerring. The workpiece is not important, I just hope this was the last time I made that mistake (I doubt it...)

It is an exciting machine! Can't wait to do some more testruns :)

Looks great, keep the pictures coming.

Shannon.

hi guys!

just found you, and glad i did. have a 1325 that i bought from taney two years ago. love the machine, but have never got the settings right i guess. i can't get it to rapid while traveling, and from day one, if i set the speeds for the dsp above 7500, i guarantee i'll stick the z axis through the table. (done it twice already).

i would love some help with these most likely simple set up problems. been cutting from day one, just not the way it is supposed to be.

Hello all,

I have a little problem :

When I run a programm, the DSP turns the spindle on at max speed. When I tried to alter the speed with the knob (or the arrow-keys) on the frequency inverter, it did not response at all. So I checked the manual and it turned out that one of the parameters (PR01) on the frequency inverter was causing this : I changed the value to 00 (should have been hte factory setting?!) which means " Operation determined by digital keypad". This helps a lot, I can now turn on the spindle on the freq.inverter and turn the knob or use the arrow keys to control spindle speed.

But...when I run a programm from the usb stick, the DSP seems to send a "max speed" command or something, because the spindle will speed up to 300 (*60=18000 rpm). And the speed stays at maximum, no matter what I try on the freq.inverter.

I have even edited the G-code and removed (or lowered) the S(peed) parameter, but it doesn't seem to affect the operation.

I really need low-speed routing now, because I want to make myself a nice dustshoe from Acrylic (and I don't think I can rout that at high speed).

Any suggestion what I am doing wrong? Is there a setting in the DSP maybe that I need to alter?

Regards,
Marco

Marco,

I am not sure about the inverter settings, but if you have a sharp cutter you should be able to cut acrylic at max rpm. Just keep your feed rates higher to prevent melting, With a 6mm single flute cutter you should be around 1.5 - 3.0 m/min at the slowest, a faster feed if you are using a double flute cutter. If the plastic is melting, the cutter is too blunt or you are feeding to slow. If the edge of the acrylic is chipping and the cutter is sharp the feed is too high. Personally I have found that acrylic is reasonably forgiving of feed rates.

Shannon.

Marco,

I am not sure about the inverter settings, but if you have a sharp cutter you should be able to cut acrylic at max rpm. Just keep your feed rates higher to prevent melting, With a 6mm single flute cutter you should be around 1.5 - 3.0 m/min at the slowest, a faster feed if you are using a double flute cutter. If the plastic is melting, the cutter is too blunt or you are feeding to slow. If the edge of the acrylic is chipping and the cutter is sharp the feed is too high. Personally I have found that acrylic is reasonably forgiving of feed rates.

Shannon.

Great, I will give it a try! I have the day off to make that dush shoe and didn't expect to run in the spindle-speed problem. So I will try what works best on a small piece. Of course I will post pictures of the dus shoe when it is ready. I am not certain on how to attach it to the router so I will probably run into a few other issues but I will first machine the base where the hose will attach.

Thanks!

Marco,

I am not sure about the inverter settings, but if you have a sharp cutter you should be able to cut acrylic at max rpm. Just keep your feed rates higher to prevent melting, With a 6mm single flute cutter you should be around 1.5 - 3.0 m/min at the slowest, a faster feed if you are using a double flute cutter. If the plastic is melting, the cutter is too blunt or you are feeding to slow. If the edge of the acrylic is chipping and the cutter is sharp the feed is too high. Personally I have found that acrylic is reasonably forgiving of feed rates.

Shannon.
Hello,
You were absolutely right! I tried an old cutter and it didn't work to well (the acrylic melted to my cutter), and then I tried a brand new 2 flute cutter and everything worked out fine. Thanks for the help :)

Ok, a picture from my dust shoe so far. It is not finished of course (as you can see) but maybe you get the idea. I hope it will work. Tomorrow I will try to continue with it.

I only had 4mm acrylic but I wanted it to be thicker. So I glued 2 pieces together. It works, but isn't very pretty (you can see air-bubbles, and you can see the glue isn't everywhere). But for my dustshoe it is good enough (for now).

Hello,

Don't know if anybody is interested, but I thought I would post a few pictures of my dust shoe progress. I am not happy yet with the long things that should prevent the shoe from lowering (the shoe has a tite fit around the spindle, so it stays on without those long things). I will probably change something there.

I have bend the acrylic which wasn't even that hard (I had never done it before). Now I still need to install the brushes. Well, not brushes actually, but I don't know the English word for it. This is what I mean :
http://www.energy-technic.com/Strokengordijnen.jpg
I will use a small piece, it is very flexible (only 2mm thick). I hope it works.

Regards
Marco

Looking good, keep the pics coming.


Shannon.

I use brushes that I got from Sealeze they are bendable and give me a nice seal.

Ok guys,

I have just received an email back from Taney at Excitech with prices for the SHM0609 CNC router and additional parts.
The current prices are:
SHM0609 Router $3800.00
Dust collector $330.00
Type3 software $150.00 - although the machine description says (Ucancam software and Type3) so I don't know if the software is included in the $3800.00 or if it has to be added to the total cost. He is getting back to me on the shipping cost in to Tasmania. These prices are in U.S.$
It all seems pretty cheap. Would have been even cheaper before the Aussie dollar turned to sh!t.
I'm going to find out about a few other extras like an up rated spindle motor and a tool setter option.
What are your thoughts on the Type3 software?

Regards,
Dave.

What are your thoughts on the Type3 software?

Regards,
Dave.

My type3 manual was in chinese and the software wasn't all that helpful, I used Ucancam for a few months and got very sick of the bugs. Ucan cam doesn't like large complicated files, it would close on me for no apparent reason. you can use the supplied software to make things, its just the bugs gets annoying.

I now have V-carve pro and its far far better.

Shannon.

G'day Guys,

Just out of interest, does anyone know why the Excitech SHM0609 which has a 600mm x 900mm working area has a table size of 1560mm x 1050mm which is heaps bigger than the working size. I am wondering if the 0609 machine is the same machine that they use for a bigger machine - say 1200 x 900 work area - and they just fit shorter axis drives or different software or even just move the limits in to save having to make a whole new machine for just one size? Any ideas or thoughts on this? Has anyone seen one this size?
Could I buy a 600 x 900 machine only to find that when I get it here I only need to move the limit switches to gain some working area?

Dave.

Hi Dave,

I think the bed is only 890x1200, at least is says so here.
http://www.webshcnc.com/english/6096s.asp

Usually the bed is bigger that the machinable area to allow for the mechanics of the machine, My 1530 has a machinable area of 1560x3200 but the bed is closer to 4 meters long.

Shannon.

G'day Shannon,

I did see that one which is what made me wonder if this one was the same:
http://www.webshcnc.com/english/6096m.asp
I have just received a confirmation from Taney and the SHM does infact have the 1560 x 1050 size table. It seems like a bit of a waste of space really.
I tried to attach a photo of the new machine but couldn't get it to work :confused::confused::confused:
How do I attach a Bloomin' picture??? (chair)

Click go advanced and there should be a button 'manage attachments'

Shannon.

Thats what I did but it gets about half way through up loading and cuts out every time.

Thats what I did but it gets about half way through up loading and cuts out every time.

Maybe the Max. filesize (500Kb) is the problem, or otherwise maybe your picture is larger than 1000x1000?

What are your thoughts on the Type3 software?



I have not even installed it yet :o
Because I had to wait for a few months for the machine to arrive, I wanted to start learning the software in the mean time. But beacuse my Type3 software would also take a few months to arrive, I started with the trail version of VcarvePro. And it is a great programm, I can recommend it. But I have also tried Artcam which has lots of possibilities (especially 2.5D) but is quite complex (in my opinion though :drowning:)

G'day,

No I checked all of that. The picture is only 166kb and size is 691 x 518
I have just tried it again and it still drops out about half way trough the upload. :confused:

Dave.

I load my photos onto photobucket first and have no problems.

Like this -http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff331/excitechcnc/DSC00907.jpg

rocket, have you checked out aspire by vectric?
i have it now and it is worth it

jim

Jim, i had a look at it when you mentioned it a few weeks back. Sure looks to be impressive.

In reality, the V Carve Pro is all we need for the work that we do. Ramon is going to teach me how to use the software during December. Once i know how to use it properly it may be possible for me to make a few special pieces. Then i will really get into it and hopefully get the Aspire software as well. Started to work on it before i took ill, so have to start all over again. Looking forward to it.

Rocket.

Rocket

I use VcarvePro. Be sure to set aside about 4 hours to learn you way around VcarvePro.

I suggest you allocate the 4 hours this way to get the best use of your time.
45 minutes getting up to speed with VcarvePro and 3 hours 15 minutes talking about how easy VcarvePro is to use and any war stories you and your friend have to tell.

Great software.

PS. It may take longer than 4 hours, depending on the war stories.:)

Rocket

I use VcarvePro. Be sure to set aside about 4 hours to learn you way around VcarvePro.

I suggest you allocate the 4 hours this way to get the best use of your time.
45 minutes getting up to speed with VcarvePro and 3 hours 15 minutes talking about how easy VcarvePro is to use and any war stories you and your friend have to tell.

Great software.

PS. It may take longer than 4 hours, depending on the war stories.:)

Hi lovebug, We have been using V Carve Pro for almost a year - although we - is actually Ramon who works for us part time. He is in his last month at Uni, and next year will be employed in the computer industry. That means i am now the chosen one to operate our Excitech next year. Have only had a computer for a couple of years and know SFA about CAD/CAM programs, and how on earth do i learn about files and folders?
Guess it is about time. Have been putting it off all year! So i now have one month to become an expert. Should be fun! LOL!

Rocket.
http://cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

we'll teach you

lesson one

create design for door, save as afile in a folder named "closet doors", create door #2 save in same folder.



create garage door (file) save in floder named Garage doors, create door # 2
for garages save in same folder!!

jim

No worries mate - First the closet door, then the garage door, then the kitchen door, followed by the dunny door!! What happens when i run out of doors??????????http://cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://cnczone.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

Thanks Jim, i get the general idea. Forum member Matty Zee works close by and has helped Ramon to create a program which automatically calculates the sizes required for each panel. Really does make it quite easy.

I have already had a few sessions in front of the computer with Ramon. Problem is the constant interruptions from the office, so during December we will put the " do not interrupt " sign on the factory door. LOL. If i concentrate on it and practice at night instead of surfing the net all the time it should work out ok.

Rocket.

Well I have finally finished my conversion,
From CN DSP to mach 3 on my shg1312 Router.

And well worth the effort.
I have attached a couple of photos.

The setup,
A eeepc with touch screen running mach3 controlling the smooth stepper and
DC-03 digispeed controlling the VFD, a home made pendant with a laser guide (just to zero the XY axis quickly(thanks to a few guys on the mach forum).
All the same hardware that came with the SHG 1312 ,steppers ,drives,and a extra homing switch on the slaved axis to square it,etc etc.

and all at this stage working excellent ,fingers crossed.
Just have to find some work for it now?


Regards
Jubee