CM Suggestions for improvement

CNC Machines Shapeoko
#1

Been using CM for a couple of months and have some ideas for improvements. CM is a great program and I like it, these are just suggestions.

  1. On the run page, have a slider so you can fast forward. Sometimes I have to restart and have to wait until it does the first part all over again. I had a problem with it just stopping in the middle of a pass.

  2. If you start the probing process and you started too high in Z, the probe fails and then you have to go home and start all over. If the probe fails, you leave the router where it is.

  3. If you unexpectedly hit one of the limit switches during a pass, stop! I was hitting the limit unknowingly and it reset the Z offset. The result was taking too deep of a cut in aluminum, it wrenched the material out of the clamps, spun it around and broke 6 V-wheels.

  4. When you are in the jog menu, if the user selects the run menu go to it. I have not trained myself well enough yet and still fail to hit the done button before changing menus. I come from a software programming background and just expect to be able to change menus without hitting done first.

Thanks
Sheldon

#2

Regarding points 1 and 4,

  1. We have feedrate override in CM so you can run the machine at 200% speed. You cannot select an arbitrary percentage of a program to start from because that might plunge the machine into a partially completed cut. If you need to skip one or two time consuming toolpaths, it’s best to just go into the NC file and remove it manually.
  2. If you’re running the latest version of Carbide Motion, there shouldn’t be a ‘Done’ button. CM may not show an update available, need to go to the download page. v428 is the latest.
2 Likes
#3

To fast-forward through a G-Code file, it’s best to edit it:

If you must do this:

  • note what line the machine is currently sending
  • pause, then stop the job and shut things down
  • open up the G-Code file in a text editor
  • identify the preamble and copy it — see G-Code for the details of the codes
  • go to the line # noted above
  • scroll up from there until you find a move down from safety height
  • delete everything from the line above that line to the beginning of the file
  • paste in the preamble at the beginning
  • save under a new name
#4

Thanks - I’ll have to update my version of CM

#5

Thanks I have to become more knowledgeable about g-code. All my work to date has been in assembler, C, C++, and a little Java. Guess I’ll have to learn a new one :slight_smile:

1 Like
#6

if you rather read C than english:
https://github.com/fenrus75/FenrusCNCtools/blob/master/toolpath/gcode.c is some code that generates G code for various operations

2 Likes
#7

Wow, haven’t looked yet but this is right up my alley. Will check later

Thanks

#8

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