New Here, Need Help (Don't we all!?)

[Janinio1964]

Hi everyone,

Posting on behalf of hubby, as he is somewhere pulling his hair out trying to sort a new cnc we have just purchased from China (oh no! you all say). this is our 3rd machine, all different and all good and bad in their own ways but we are used to them and suit our basic needs. We aren't fancy dancy cnc-ers by any means, basic stuff but it keeps the wolves from the door!

We have this lovely machine arrived this week, we use Vectric V6 and it came with NC Studio V8. We have used V5/6 on our other machines successfully and they are fine, this new machine seems to have a little issue which i can't seem to get hold of seller to sort (she is on maternity leave - I have seen pic of baby so she isn't pulling a fast one).

We have loaded V Carve on to our PC ( we don't use DSP) and all is fine, we use dxf files for our shapes and when loading any of them once toolpath is set and uploaded and open in NC all looks well, however, the machine seems to want to replicate the cut over and over and over again, it does the normal 2 passes set up, then goes back to zero then does it again, then again back to zero and will do this until you actually manually stop it. After 20 repeats we got the idea something is amiss but for the life of us we do not know what.

Has anyone come up against this before? I have emailed seller, emailed Weihong also and no replies so we have this beautiful machine doing nothing but repeating its path over and over again. Most annoying and poor hubby is pulling his hair out with it.

We aren't technically clever on cnc's but we can do what we need but just can't seem to understand why it would do this.

Just to update, have now installed trial version of V Carve to test their test files on it and still same issue, parameters are set correctly.

Have emailed Weihong directly and no response.

We feel it must be an issue with NC Studio and maybe just a setting but have no idea what or where.

Any help gratefully received

[AvalignMaint]

This sounds like a software issue to me. You may also need to have the parameters checked. I would not think this is machine/hardware related.

[Janinio1964]

Hi,
thank you for replying, we will check parameters, we don't think it is the machine, more likely the software but we are total novices when it comes to code and all the "gubbins" of cnc'ing we just about get by with what we need.
will speak to hubby regarding parameters.

Have installed trial V Carve and their test files to test and same issue, parameters are fine, just this duplicating issue which must be a setting but we cannot find out what setting and where.

Janine

[handlewanker]

Hi.....so you have a new machine.....I assume it's a CNC router and it has it's own controller connected to it's own computer to run it.

The software for the work is what came with the machine.........that for a start is a dodgy practice as by all accounts practically all if not completely all of the stuff that comes in from China is pirated.....you only get what you pay for.

As you have 2 other machines that are running OK, I would disconnect the controller and computer from one of them and plug in the new machine's computer and controller with the new software in it and see if the other machine also has the same problem.

CNC routers all have the same mechanicals connected to a controller and their own computer etc.....unless you have fundamental differences in the new machine, so swapping parts around will be a simple test.

Don't load the new machine's software to the other machine........keep it with it's own computer and controller so you can isolate the problem and analyse the results when you do a swap around.

BTW....I'm a noob in CNC....learning fast..... but do have success with writing simple G code programs for the CNC mill I also bought from China.
Ian.

[Janinio1964]

Hi there Mr Handlwanker!

sorry, yes it is a cnc router, 8 foot by 4 foot cutting size. I can't connect pc to other cnc and run as the new machine has a different pci card for the NC Studio as that card came with it, so it would mean removing card off the other machine and replacing and installing new nc studio on there, hubby had thought of that also. I presume that is what you meant? The disc seems legit that the nc studio came with, more legit than the last 2 which didn't come with a disc at all, only reason we use NC studio is that is what came with the first cnc and hubby is used to it now, don't want to have to change them all over to something else at this point. the other two machines run on an older version of NC Studio but V6 of V Carve, we just tried installing the trial version of V Carve and it does exactly the same thing so it must be a setting somewhere and hoping someone on here knows enough about NC Studio and Settings to sy "oh yea its this!"

By the way we don't use a DSP. we use a stand a lone pc for all our machines.

thank you for your reply and if I have misunderstood please let me know.

Regards,
Janine

[NIC 77]

Silly question, I assume you've already done this, but have you checked the G code to make sure it doesn't repeat it's self? Other than that, is there a loop option that is enabled in the software? Have you tried changing your keyboard? Perhaps a key is stuck. Some sort of shortcut key to make it repeat the program, I don't know?

Yes, we all need help. Lots of help. To bad I could be more.

[mactec54]

Hi everyone,

Posting on behalf of hubby, as he is somewhere pulling his hair out trying to sort a new cnc we have just purchased from China (oh no! you all say). this is our 3rd machine, all different and all good and bad in their own ways but we are used to them and suit our basic needs. We aren't fancy dancy cnc-ers by any means, basic stuff but it keeps the wolves from the door!

We have this lovely machine arrived this week, we use Vectric V6 and it came with NC Studio V8. We have used V5/6 on our other machines successfully and they are fine, this new machine seems to have a little issue which i can't seem to get hold of seller to sort (she is on maternity leave - I have seen pic of baby so she isn't pulling a fast one).

We have loaded V Carve on to our PC ( we don't use DSP) and all is fine, we use dxf files for our shapes and when loading any of them once toolpath is set and uploaded and open in NC all looks well, however, the machine seems to want to replicate the cut over and over and over again, it does the normal 2 passes set up, then goes back to zero then does it again, then again back to zero and will do this until you actually manually stop it. After 20 repeats we got the idea something is amiss but for the life of us we do not know what.

Has anyone come up against this before? I have emailed seller, emailed Weihong also and no replies so we have this beautiful machine doing nothing but repeating its path over and over again. Most annoying and poor hubby is pulling his hair out with it.

We aren't technically clever on cnc's but we can do what we need but just can't seem to understand why it would do this.

Just to update, have now installed trial version of V Carve to test their test files on it and still same issue, parameters are set correctly.

Have emailed Weihong directly and no response.

We feel it must be an issue with NC Studio and maybe just a setting but have no idea what or where.

Any help gratefully received

Sounds like fun, post the G-code ( program ) you used that was doing this, just paste it in here, that will rule out the program side

Make sure you have a real copy of NC Studio, this control software has been copied by many machine suppliers, and some don't work correct

[handlewanker]

Hi....I don't want to bore you with simplistic solutions as I'm too new to CNC to really get into the technical nitty gritty of it..............my mill runs with Mach3 as the control platform and I write short G code programs as I'm learning etc...... so I assume that NC Studios is the equivalent and V carve is the actual CAM program that creates the tool path to do the cutting etc.......correct me if I'm wrong.

With the hobbiests, when we get a machine from China and it comes with Mach3 we ditch that "freebie" and go on line and down load Mach3 from Artsoft and install it.......the Chinese supplied copies of Mach3 have been a problem as they are pirated and cause many glitches etc.

My simple way of seeing it is, everybody and his dog uses Mach3 and many also Vcarve for the cutting.......if you down loaded and installed Mach 3 on the new machine's computer and ran V carve with a short test program with it..... would that be a solution?

For hobby use Mach 3 is free and allows 500 lines of code to be run which would be OK for a short test run as it's not a commercial use etc.
Ian.

[mactec54]

Hi....I don't want to bore you with simplistic solutions as I'm too new to CNC to really get into the technical nitty gritty of it..............my mill runs with Mach3 as the control platform and I write short G code programs as I'm learning etc...... so I assume that NC Studios is the equivalent and V carve is the actual CAM program that creates the tool path to do the cutting etc.......correct me if I'm wrong.

With the hobbiests, when we get a machine from China and it comes with Mach3 we ditch that "freebie" and go on line and down load Mach3 from Artsoft and install it.......the Chinese supplied copies of Mach3 have been a problem as they are pirated and cause many glitches etc.

My simple way of seeing it is, everybody and his dog uses Mach3 and many also Vcarve for the cutting.......if you down loaded and installed Mach 3 on the new machine's computer and ran V carve with a short test program with it..... would that be a solution?

For hobby use Mach 3 is free and allows 500 lines of code to be run which would be OK for a short test run as it's not a commercial use etc.
Ian.

NC Studio software is a totally different machine control than Mach3, you can not use Mach3 on a NC Studio machine without major Hardware changes

[handlewanker]

Hi Mac, thanks for the revelation.......I confused the thinking of it.......an 8' x 4' machine is a different ball game to the small hobby machines and controllers are not all the same.

It would be interesting if a short bit of G code was run with the NC Studios to see if it reacted the same way as with a V carve generated one........that would indicate that the later version of the NC Studio controller just needs tweaking to bring it in line with the older version that runs OK on the other machines.

Surely, when they installed this later controller on this machine, they did some tests to see if it worked better......otherwise why go to a later version.
Ian.
.

[Janinio1964]

NC Studio software is a totally different machine control than Mach3, you can not use Mach3 on a NC Studio machine without major Hardware changes

That much I do know myself. You cannot change NC Studio and as our other machines use it (not out of choice I might add) this is why we went with it again to keep them the sane. If it was the V5 as the others we could copy over but we cant as the PCI card is for V8.

[Janinio1964]

Hi Mac, thanks for the revelation.......I confused the thinking of it.......an 8' x 4' machine is a different ball game to the small hobby machines and controllers are not all the same.

It would be interesting if a short bit of G code was run with the NC Studios to see if it reacted the same way as with a V carve generated one........that would indicate that the later version of the NC Studio controller just needs tweaking to bring it in line with the older version that runs OK on the other machines.

Surely, when they installed this later controller on this machine, they did some tests to see if it worked better......otherwise why go to a later version.
Ian.
.

Hi Ian. They did test apparently and sent a video. We think the issue is with NC STUDIO so may purchase a PCI card to match V5 and change to the V5 we already have here as we know it works.

After a bit of digging it would seem the drivers are out of date and they havent sent anything with machine. So trying to find drivers that work.

Seller is back from maternity leave on 22nd so i can. Chase her then if not resolved.

Many thanks.
Janind

[Janinio1964]

Sounds like fun, post the G-code ( program ) you used that was doing this, just paste it in here, that will rule out the program side

Make sure you have a real copy of NC Studio, this control software has been copied by many machine suppliers, and some don't work correct

I think we've sussed out now its NC STUDIO. Someone i know has looked at code and says its fine its some setting somewhere or just a rubbish copy more like.

Janine

[LeeWay]

If the code is posting M5 and M30 at the very end, this tells it to stop the spindle and rewind the program.
You may be able to place an M0 at the very start of the Gcode. This will stop the Gcode progression and wait for cycle start activation.
That is assuming the M1 or M0 block is checked in the controller.
50% chance that adding M0 at the top of the Gcode will prevent repeat until you are ready.
Short term fix until you find the controller switch that prevents repeats if that is what is occurring.

[mactec54]

I think we've sussed out now its NC STUDIO. Someone i know has looked at code and says its fine its some setting somewhere or just a rubbish copy more like.

Janine

Do you have a PDF of the new manual, I have the a older version manual, and there are some setting that could affect, how the control works, there explanation is not very clear, but could be just one of the boxes that are checked, or not checked, Have a look in this area under the Parameter tab

[mactec54]

I think we've sussed out now its NC STUDIO. Someone i know has looked at code and says its fine its some setting somewhere or just a rubbish copy more like.

Janine

Another thing it could be also did you do any Macro's ???

In your Program did you use a Sub Program ???

So ( 2 ) important things to eliminate before moving forward

So Post your program if there is a Sub in it, this can cause the program to loop if incorrectly formatted

[Janinio1964]

Sounds like fun, post the G-code ( program ) you used that was doing this, just paste it in here, that will rule out the program side

Make sure you have a real copy of NC Studio, this control software has been copied by many machine suppliers, and some don't work correct

I dont know how I would check its legit to be honest.

[Janinio1964]

Another thing it could be also did you do any Macro's ???

In your Program did you use a Sub Program ???

So ( 2 ) important things to eliminate before moving forward

So Post your program if there is a Sub in it, this can cause the program to loop if incorrectly formatted

Hi i.am sorry for sounding dim i dont know what either of those mean.

We have installed nc studio twice before albeit diff version on 2 other cnc's and work fine we just installed this from flashdrive they supplied as we have before. We have uninstalled and reinstalled and now it says drivers arent there so now there is that issue. Does anyone here have a legit copy or even a non legit but working copy of NC Studio 8?

[Janinio1964]

Silly question, I assume you've already done this, but have you checked the G code to make sure it doesn't repeat it's self? Other than that, is there a loop option that is enabled in the software? Have you tried changing your keyboard? Perhaps a key is stuck. Some sort of shortcut key to make it repeat the program, I don't know?

Yes, we all need help. Lots of help. To bad I could be more.

Hi thanks for responding. Someone has looked at the code and said it looks fine. I dont understand code but if someone could tell me what the code for a loop is i will certainly look.

I havent changed keyboard no i will try that tomorrow.

Thank you.

The fact we put a trial version of v carve on and it did the same leads me to think it is the code or a loop option we have never come across before. I have even emailed Weihong directly for help but they dont respond.

Janine

[Janinio1964]

Sounds like fun, post the G-code ( program ) you used that was doing this, just paste it in here, that will rule out the program side

Make sure you have a real copy of NC Studio, this control software has been copied by many machine suppliers, and some don't work correct

I will post the code here tomorrow