Using G28

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Bill Shields
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Re: Using G28

Post by Bill Shields »

Glad you got going.

Not sure what you mean by REAL CNC..but fully appreciate the differences between machine logic ladders.


Compared to what some of us started on with only G1 G2 G3 everything today is nothing short of black magic and witchcraft.
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Marty_Escarcega
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Re: Using G28

Post by Marty_Escarcega »

Mach3 works but seems buggy. I too have left Mach in favor of Centroid. Hardware and software from the same company who has been doing it for over 30 years. No comparison in my humble opinion
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Re: Using G28

Post by Dave_C »

Compared to what some of us started on with only G1 G2 G3 everything today is nothing short of black magic and witchcraft.
Yup, I appreciate the black magic quote for sure.

Not having a reason to work with CNC every day it puts me at a big disadvantage on the learning curve. I read, I practice, I sleep, I forget!

Just something I have to live with at my age....

I may never be great at programming but I love the design and build part of making the machines go (accurately).

Dave C.
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Harold_V
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Re: Using G28

Post by Harold_V »

Dave_C wrote:Not having a reason to work with CNC every day it puts me at a big disadvantage on the learning curve. I read, I practice, I sleep, I forget!

Just something I have to live with at my age....
You are not alone!
I've managed to do the things I want with my mill, but it requires a manual at the ready, and careful concentration. I am painfully slow, as none of it has come easily.

I really admire folks who can walk up to a CNC and get it operating from memory. I expect that will never happen for me.

H
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Bill Shields
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Re: Using G28

Post by Bill Shields »

guys:

do not confuse "knowing how to program" and "knowing how to operate" as mutually inclusive.

while I have the better part of 1000 different machine configurations running around in my head (many long dead and sitting in the scrap yard), I NEVER touch a keyboard of a machine for which I have not had specific training and hands-on experience.

As you get deeper and deeper into this world you find that the more complex the machine, the higher the probability that it is setup differently than any other machine of the same make / model / controller -> and will require different programming and hands on operation.

It's like telling someone you have a white Toyota -> and you look out in the manufacturer's yard and you see 1000's of white Toyotas, all with different options. So what can you assume (safely?)

Color is white, has 4 wheels, brakes, some sort of engine, steering, suspension, doors and some unknown number of seats...the stuff you take for granted.

After that -> it's a crap shoot when it comes to knowing EXACTLY what is inside the wrapper.

Having a FANUC / MITSUBISHI / SIEMENS / SYNTEX / NUM or whatever manual is only a small part of the puzzle. You need the manufacturer's operation book, and frequently the ladder logic diagram from the PLC to tell you exactly what is going on inside....and frequently you need to dig into the individual control parameter settings to truly understand what and why things are happening....because if there is anything that I have learned over the past decades of doing this is that: NTA -> No Two Alike
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Dave_C
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Re: Using G28

Post by Dave_C »

And to add to Bill's comment, that was part of my struggle with G28 in the beginning and was what prompted me to ask the question. I started with Mach 3 and quickly realized it did not have a post processor like any other machine and now that Bill has pointed out "there are no two alike" it all makes sense. I bought Bob-Cad-Cam only to find Bob-Cad did not know how to properly write the post processor code to make Mach 3 work properly. So after a few emails and figuring out where the codes resided on my computer, I opened it and fixed it myself. I did this by taking the Mach 3 manual, looking at how it used the G codes and then input the proper data in the proper fields. I have it working as well as Mach 3 is going to work and it will run the Bob-Cad posted code to my satisfaction.

Now I am switching over from Bob-Cad to Fusion 360 because it is free to hobbyist and it is much easier for me to draw 3 D parts! However, I am back to the same challenge as what I had with Bob-Cad. The available post processor in Fusion 360 for Mach 3 has issues and so far I just have not taken the time to try and fix them.

So I'm thinking about doing the Acorn project with the Centroid software and if memory serves me correctly (probably not) the Centroid software uses standard Fanuc code? Marty, is that right or do I need something else for the post?

So this is the question I need to answer before I make a decision on the Acorn project. What post processor will I need for the Centroid software since there does not seem to be one just for Centroid.

Thanks,

Dave C.

Edit: I just went on the Fusion 360 post page and see they have a processor for Centroid! Also the Centroid support page seems to say it works just fine.
Last edited by Dave_C on Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Bill Shields
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Re: Using G28

Post by Bill Shields »

dave:

please contact me directly bshields@mehrs.com
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