pcb-gcode - my Z plane will only cut at one depth!

[HankMcSpank]

Tearing my hair out here.

So I'm using a 60 deg V bit, I thought I'd start with some preliminary settings like these...



....but the cut was too shallow, here's the associated G-Code...

(This file generated 01/11/2011 15:22:48)
G21
(Absolute Coordinates)
G90
G00 X0.0000 Y0.0000
M03
G04 P3.000000
G00 Z2.5400
G00 X1.0472 Y-16.4655
G01 Z-0.1778 F38
G01 X1.0481 Y-13.5283 F150
G01 X1.7102 Y-13.0341
G01 X3.2500 Y-13.0341
G01 X3.2583 Y-13.0319
G01 X4.3262 Y-13.0319
G01 X4.3747 Y-13.0118
G01 X4.4118 Y-12.9747


...but it seems no matter what I make the pcb-gcode Z depth setting too, my g-code is always produced with the zame Z depth of -0.1778mm?!!!

Any ideas (I've deleted all .nc files, come out of Eagle, gone back in re-run with different settings, but still the Z depth is always -0.1778 !!!)

[Eurisko]

It looks like two different things are going on. The software is scaling the z value (10 %) and rounding the Z value to the nearest thousandths of an inch . Your 1.80 mm depth X .1 = .180mm, should be 0.007086 in.,
but .007 in = .1778 mm exactly.

I'm not familiar with this software, but I'd go through the settings to find a scaling factor.

[Eurisko]

If it ALWAYS outputs the same value with different inputs, it could be a setting for the Z axis negative limit. Okay, I'm done...

[HankMcSpank]

I live in the UK, we baled on imperial in the late 60s...so I use millimetres! (I find base 10 measuring systems easier on the eye/brain than base 32 & 64!)

Re this issue - I have no issues with any other g-code produced by any other program, just the stuff that pcb-gcode outputs...basically, whatever input I use on the parameters page, it'll not go down further than -0.1778mm!

My account has now been authorised on the software author's forum...I'll ask over there!

[psychoul]

I may have misunderstood what you are asking but I believe the setting you are looking for is in the SECOND tab (called "MACHINE") of the program. There you can set the heights of the Z axis...

[HankMcSpank]

I may have misunderstood what you are asking but I believe the setting you are looking for is in the SECOND tab (called "MACHINE") of the program. There you can set the heights of the Z axis...

Thanks...I sussed this earlier on ....no wonder the depth wasn't changing, I wasn't messing with that setting. I completely misunderstood how the front page 'isolation settings' worked...I thought they were aimed at V bits, and went deeper to isolate more!! (they obviously don't but move out a little bit more with each pass).

Sometimes I'm a bit of a bozo (actually not just sometimes!)

[psychoul]

I am glad you got it to work! Many tools with different settings each... its ok to miss some!