Custom job locations

Feature Request
1

I’d like to propose being able to set custom locations for the spindle to be rapidly moved to. If I have a bunch of pieces that need to be aligned on the wasteboard so the center is always at x=-216 y=-114 (fictitious numbers), I’d like to be able to set that as a custom location.

I’m not at my machine at the moment, so…in the job screen, can I enter the coordinates by typing them in the appropriate boxes or do I have to use the up/down/left/right keys/arrows? If I could enter that directly, I could macro the feature and make this feature request go away.

2

Click on the MDI button and type

G0 X (your number here) Y (your number here) and click Send

Alternatively you can send it slower by typing:

G1 X (your number here) Y (your number here) F 1500 and click Send

3

I’m guessing your looking for WCS. WCS is very nice for multiple camping location setups.

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4

Tried to do a G10 L20 P2 X0 Y0 Z0 and get an error message that there is an invalid address P for G10. No value of P is accepted but P1, but he says that is overwritten by Carbide anyway.

5

It’s been about a year since CM dropped WCS (other then the P1) location.

My Work Around:
I have several key locations on my table. I record the XY values, and store them in a text file.

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6

I do this all the time with my S03, but I use cncjs or chilipeppr. Just started using cncjs and I’ve found it to be very flexible. The developer is very active releasing fixes and reviewing feature requests daily.

I really like working with WSC’s and have several fixtures that I can quickly mount to my wasteboard at known locations. I also use Fusion360 and you can set the WCS in the post processor for grbl. In combination with a touch plate it makes set up very quick and repeatable.

Now that I’m use to using WCS’s I’d have a hard time not using them.

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7

Ah, I see. I didn’t know they dropped WCS. I’ve never used Carbide Motion to send code. Always have used bCNC.

8

How to you view absolute coordinates in carbide motion?

9

You don’t, but you can use them on the command line (MDI) via a G90 or G91 command.

Example: You are at X287, and you want to move to X127

MDI G0 X127

Now let’s say you wanted to move just 1.0mm (Positive)
MDI G91 G0 X1.0

I mostly use it when probing with the Additive Aerospace probe when locating to the center of a circle.

G91 G38.1 X10 F88 (then I add a - in front of the 10 to probe in the minus direction, and then change the X to a Y…etc. It can be a time saver.

Yes I could just reset my XY zero in (about) the center of the hole I am probing, but I want to know the exact position from X0Y0.

I hope this helps.

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10

Okay thanks for that, but to get absolute values to write down for various positions do you have to first zero the machine once you homed and then move the machine from that location to your work and then write down the coordinates? Carbide motion only shows the machine coordinates on the display relative to the last place it was zeroed.

Am I missing something?!

11

You can verify but I think that Richard is saying the only way to see absolute coordinates (not the offsets as reported in the Zero window in CM) is to interact with the machine via the MDI window in CM. You can move to absolute coordinates in the MDI as well using the appropriate G-codes and commands.

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12

Ahhhhhh okay, makes sense now!!

I just wish they would add WCS to carbide motion…

13

me too :frowning: makes me want to install python 2.7 again for bcnc.

14

Take a look at grbl-panel. The docs are really lean, but it has features that you might find of interest. I’ve used it for a couple of projects and it’s worked as advertised, but I haven’t gone into it too far.

2 Likes
15

I’m gonna check this out! the developer is working on allowing jogging during a pause which will make tool changes so much nicer!!