Bitsetter Workflow

CNC Machines Shapeoko
1

Just got done doing a bunch of work to my XXL - upgraded to HDZ, upgraded to steel belts, trammed, resurfaced spoil board, calibrated X and Y and added a bitsetter.

I don’t know if this belongs with Carbide Motion or V Carve Pro Post Processor

I’ve only run one test job with the bitsetter, (and so far it seems like it’ll be awesome) but this seemed to be a small concern. Turn the machine on, it homes, moves to front center, asks to insert bit, hit OK, moves over to bitsetter and measures - all good.
I then run a probe for X, Y, Z, turn the router on and hit run - all good. Bit 1 finishes, moves to front center and asks for bit 2, turn router off, swap bits hit continue, moves to bitsetter - all good. Probes bit on bitsetter and immediately starts to run job - does NOT give a prompt to turn on router - NOT GOOD!

I know there is time between bitsetter and actual start of cut to tun the router on, but it seems to me it should get confirmation BEFORE cutting just in case. Is this the way it’s designed? Or is that something that could easily be added to CM or VCarve PP? Or maybe it’s already in VCarve PP and I just have the wrong version. I do have CM 4.0.428

If this is the way it’s supposed to be that’s fine, I just need to be sure to turn router on after it leaves bitsetter but before it starts cutting.

2

there was a bug in the earlier postprocessor where it did not issue an m3 (start spindle) command after spindle change

get the latest from github, it has that fixed

1 Like
3

Which one do I use? I see GRBL mm and inch and Shapeoko mm and inch. I assume they are different

4

@neilferreri will know best

1 Like
5

Please see: https://github.com/neilferreri/V-Carve-PPs

1 Like
6

Not really. There might be an (unnecessary) added decimal of precision on the Shapeoko one, and the Grbl one has an M5 at the end of the file (redundant really because of the M2). I had a few requests to publish the Shapeoko ones as we are creatures of habit. People like using what they’ve used. I’ve always used straight grbl stuff.

Summary: choose whichever you want. They’ll work.

1 Like
7

I’m most likely doing something wrong, but I go to the github locstion, I “save link as” and then go to Vcarve and paste that in my “Application Data/PostP” folder. After that I shut Vcarve down and reopen it and I get an error "Config File – Unknown statement found in file On line 7 of file C:\ProgramData\Vectric\VCarve Pro\V10.0\PostP\Shapeoko_mm_TC.pp

Am I supposed to be downloading this a different way? Do I select RAW on github and copy the text and paste it into a separate text file? Like I said, I’m sure I’m just being stupid but I don’t see any way to download the file from github.

Thanks

8

@ctdodge GitHub takes some getting used to.
Check this post and the few after it:
Vcarve Pro and Post Processor

4 Likes
9

@neilferreri - Got it

Thank you so much for your help and for all you’ve done with post processors and macros!!

3 Likes
10

Let us know how it goes.

11

That is strange bc for what it’s worth, I’ve never seen that issue. After probing it automatically moves back to front center and prompts “turn on spindle to #####rpm”. Sorry that doesn’t provide a solution, but it is supposed to issue that command.

1 Like
12

Took a couple days for me to try it, but it works as advertised! And I think this is really going to help.

Thanks again @neilferreri

1 Like
13

Another kudos for the Bitsetter and the post processors. They both work well.
A problem I had was at the end of gcode the cutter would go backward about 5".
Unfortunately there was a hold down in it’s path and snap! Edited the Shapeoko_mm_TC.pp to remove either M02 or M30 and do not get the backward movement at the end of the gcode. I inserted a M5 at the end of the gcode,but although the cutter displays the “turn off spindle” on tool changes, I do not get the display at the end of the gcode. Is this a timing problem? Thanks to all who contributed to this work, makes multi-tool gcode a pleasure to use.

1 Like
14

This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.