Need help with CNC pcb

[vertigo]

Hi guys, I'm hunting around of PCB cads that can use MACH2/3 software. I hope that the forum might be able to help. I have found lots of stuff on the net, but nothing that will help...i have seen videos of PCB's being made use MACH2, or 3, but no one explains the software that rhey are using to invoke g code

[CarveOne]

Mach 3 includes LazyCAM, which is what you use to generate the g code from your CAD drawing file.

There are other g code generator programs (free download or otherwise) on the web that you can try, like this one http://www.cambam.co.uk/

CarveOne

[chad123]

Hi,

That solution will work but your best bet is to use this:

http://www.cadsoft.de/

Eagle a great pcb program, and they have a free version!

Then you want to use a .ulp , think of this as a plug-in for eagle. This will make the g code that mach can use for routing.
Look for g code ulp's here.

http://www.cadsoft.de/cgi-bin/downlo.../userfiles/ulp


Chad

[vertigo]

Thanks guys, I already have Eagle. I don't really use Eagle very much, because it seems that I need a licence agreement to use the software properly.

I mainly use a licenced version of Proteus 7.2 to make the designs and I use ARES to autoroute the boards. I'm tring to find a way of using Mach2 to generate the correct g code out of the DXF file that ARES has created. I have attached a DXF file to this post in the hope that it might help.

I use Rhinoceros with mach2 which appears to work very well. For the last couple of weeks I have been tring hard to work out how I can make my PCB's g code work properly.

heres a test g code that ARES generated.

G04 PROTEUS RS274X GERBER FILE*
%FSLAX24Y24*%
%MOIN*%
%ADD10C,0.0150*%
%ADD11C,0.0100*%
%ADD12C,0.0120*%
%ADD13C,0.0600*%
%ADD14R,0.0500X0.0500*%
%ADD15C,0.0500*%
%ADD16C,0.0700*%
%ADD17R,0.0800X0.0800*%
%ADD18R,0.0800X0.0250*%
%ADD19C,0.0080*%
G54D10*
X+1083Y+5437D02*
X+1100Y+5837D01*
X+1100Y+5900D01*
X+1200Y+6000D01*
X+1500Y+6000D01*
X+1600Y+6100D01*
X+1600Y+6493D01*
X+1575Y+6618D01*
X+83Y+5437D02*
X+100Y+5837D01*
X+100Y+8000D01*
X+200Y+8100D01*
X+1175Y+8100D01*
X+1575Y+8118D01*
X+1575Y+6618D02*
X+1975Y+6600D01*
X+3225Y+6600D01*
X+3625Y+6618D01*
G54D11*
X+3600Y+6743D01*
X+3600Y+6993D01*
X+3625Y+7118D01*
G54D12*
X+1575Y+7618D02*
X+1975Y+7602D01*
X+2579Y+7602D01*
G54D10*
X+5083Y+5437D02*
X+5059Y+5037D01*
X+5059Y+3862D01*
X+2973Y+3862D01*
X+2973Y+3250D01*
X+3000Y+3000D01*
M00*

If I use the DXF file and import it into Rhino CAD everything looks great. Regardless if I save a DXF file in Rhino, or in ARES I can't generate a g code that Mach 2 will complete correctly. I know that Proteus uses photoplotter for their boards, but that isn't going to help me. I could spend over $15,000AUD to get a Photoplotter, but I don't have that kind of money, even if I did I wouldn't slash out on the photoplotter anyway.

[Fifty_ohm]

You could try importing your dxf output file into an older version of mach3 (before lazycam was included). That's how I did it before using pcb-gcode.ulp in eagle.

[vertigo]

Can I ask one of you to try it for me, because I'm totally out of ideas to get it working. I have attached how the board should turn out.

[vertigo]

Thanks guy,I got the stepper motors moving now. I attached a thermometer to one of the stepper motors after I noticed that they are getting very hot, I usually switch the controller off after the motors reach 55 degrees celsus, but I was wondering if these tempertues will affect the stepper motors or is this normal.

[pminmo]

steppers run hot. http://www.millpcbs.com/ will give some info on milling pcbs with eagle.

[Crevice Reamer]

If you can touch it with a wet finger, and it doesn't sizzle--Then it's probably ok. Usually anything below 80 degrees C. is okay.

CR.

[KTP]

So what temperature do the rare earth ceramic magnets in these motors lose their magnetism? I ask because I was trying to separate a magnet from a plate it was glued to by heating up the plate with a heat gun. I got the magnet off quickly enough, but found that it no longer had any magnetism. Hopefully the temp would be quite a bit higher than the motor would ever reach...

[vertigo]

Thanks guys, I recorded the temperture getting above the Specs of the datasheet which said that the motors shouldn't be operated at above 70 C.

I'm just running tests at the moment so I'm looking for help. I'm looking at getting two stepper motors from HobbyCNC, but the information says. "unipolar rating 3.6v, 2.1A, 200 S/R, 2.1mH" I running at 12v, 1.5A. Would I burn the stepper motors out if I tried to use them at 12v, 1.5A?

[tajord]

Originally Posted by vertigo Hi guys, I'm hunting around of PCB cads that can use MACH2/3 software. I hope that the forum might be able to help. I have found lots of stuff on the net, but nothing that will help...i have seen videos of PCB's being made use MACH2, or 3, but no one explains the software that rhey are using to invoke g code

Check this out, seems very easy to use and exports gcode, dxf's, gerber files and a few more formats, also it has quite a library.

http://www.diptrace.com/download.php