First tool path with Vcarce Pro, unexpected Z dive

Software Vectric
1

I just purchased Varve pro, uploaded the PP from Neil Ferreri, (thank you very much). I created my first toolpath using vcarve, but when I ran it, after I hit the resume after the pause to turn on the spindle, the Z axis dove .75" below the set z as it was moving the what looked like XY zero, I shut off the machine before any damage. Two more attempts at running it were the same. Please have a look at my g-code and let me know what you think. I pasted a small portion from notepad, web site wouldn’t allow .gcode file.
Thanks,
Rick Jackson

G17
G20
G90
M6 T3
S18000M3
G53G0Z-5
G0X0.0000Y0.0000
G0X3.656873Y10.092313Z0.250000
G0Z0.200000
G1Z-0.070000F12.0
G3X3.745262I0.044194J0.044194F80.0
G3Y10.180701I-0.044194J0.044194
G3X3.656873I-0.044194J-0.044194
G3Y10.092313I0.044194J-0.044194
G1Z-0.140000F12.0
G3X3.745262I0.044194J0.044194F80.0
G3Y10.180701I-0.044194J0.044194
G3X3.656873I-0.044194J-0.044194
G3Y10.092313I0.044194J-0.044194
G0Z0.250000
G0X0.794358Y5.341884
G0Z0.200000
G1Z-0.070000F12.0
G3X0.705970I-0.044194J-0.044194F80.0
G3Y5.253496I0.044194J-0.044194
G3X0.794358I0.044194J0.044194
G3Y5.341884I-0.044194J0.044194
G1Z-0.140000F12.0
G3X0.705970I-0.044194J-0.044194F80.0
G3Y5.253496I0.044194J-0.044194
G3X0.794358I0.044194J0.044194
G3Y5.341884I-0.044194J0.044194
G0Z0.250000
G0X0.972909Y5.516812
G0Z0.200000
G1Z-0.070000F12.0
G1X0.988631Y5.499745F80.0
G1X0.997479Y5.488401
G1X1.014189Y5.529136
G1X1.098872Y5.710326
G1X1.175982Y5.873872
G1X1.243257Y6.014345
G1X1.294098Y6.119211
G1X1.332758Y6.197370
G1X1.349250Y6.228919
G1X1.364559Y6.256253
G1X1.379475Y6.280322
G1X1.394721Y6.301784
G1X1.410900Y6.321010
G1X1.428286Y6.338079
G1X1.446775Y6.353037
G1X1.466147Y6.366221
G1X1.486456Y6.378328
G1X1.508156Y6.390237
G1X1.558757Y6.417027
G1X1.638012Y6.459785
G1X1.697444Y6.492552
G1X1.743220Y6.518459
G1X2.123357Y6.730903
G1X2.175563Y6.758593
G1X2.243779Y6.796772
G1X2.336452Y6.850772
G1X2.583676Y6.996689
G1X2.643888Y7.032579
G1X2.706985Y7.070999
G1X2.765452Y7.107326
G1X2.811779Y7.136936
G1X2.837064Y7.153485
G1X2.830175Y7.152655
G1X2.763491Y7.143528
G1X2.702801Y7.135831
G1X2.648789Y7.129665
G1X2.601352Y7.125028
G1X2.560311Y7.121924
G1X2.525312Y7.120380
G1X2.495547Y7.120506
G1X2.471272Y7.122640
G1X2.444259Y7.127569
G1X2.420369Y7.133208
G1X2.398293Y7.139803
G1X2.377892Y7.147542
G1X2.358557Y7.157146
G1X2.341004Y7.169505
G1X2.329731Y7.181141
G1X2.319798Y7.196355
G1X2.312897Y7.218054
G1X2.313959Y7.242538
G1X2.321527Y7.261770
G1X2.330619Y7.275728
G1X2.345711Y7.291807
G1X2.363249Y7.306262
G1X2.382696Y7.320003
G1X2.404413Y7.333789
G1X2.428326Y7.347774
G1X2.454182Y7.361906
G1X2.481642Y7.376048
G1X2.510330Y7.390024
G1X2.539848Y7.403640
G1X2.569793Y7.416692
G1X2.599767Y7.428972
G1X2.629387Y7.440269
G1X2.658302Y7.450373
G1X2.686221Y7.459076
G1X2.712013Y7.465908
G1X2.763292Y7.478044
G1X2.846098Y7.596221
G1X2.837987Y7.628351
G1X2.829641Y7.661557
G1X2.821508Y7.697672
G1X2.813841Y7.735321
G1X2.806637Y7.774238
G1X2.794073Y7.852406
G1X2.784174Y7.928442
G1X2.780337Y7.964717
G1X2.777379Y7.998693
G1X2.775344Y8.030169
G1X2.774313Y8.058818
G1X2.774417Y8.084573
G1X2.775986Y8.108142
G1X2.780020Y8.130115
G1X2.786253Y8.146683
G1X2.800602Y8.167809
G1X2.827247Y8.182891
G1X2.855391Y8.184557
G1X2.878135Y8.177091
G1X2.893399Y8.168010
G1X2.906103Y8.158497
G1X2.928912Y8.138157
G1X2.953998Y8.112693
G1X2.980300Y8.083525
G1X3.006807Y8.051798
G1X3.032287Y8.018772
G1X3.055471Y7.985634
G1X3.078240Y7.948282
G1X3.101716Y7.905343
G1X3.123467Y7.861656
G1X3.133273Y7.840252
G1X3.141400Y7.821115
G1X3.158979Y7.778639
G1X3.172998Y7.748162
G1X3.178291Y7.738277
G1X3.182820Y7.730975
G1X3.186158Y7.726507
G1X3.188165Y7.724370
G1X3.189019Y7.723677
G1X3.189483Y7.723402
G1X3.190778Y7.722867
G1X3.194054Y7.721975
G1X3.199982Y7.720973
G1X3.208323Y7.720163
G1X3.235275Y7.719206
G1X3.252719Y7.718957
G1X3.260930Y7.794959
G1X3.265340Y7.839644
G1X3.269289Y7.887730
G1X3.272797Y7.939462
G1X3.275857Y7.994780
G1X3.278465Y8.053628
G1X3.280614Y8.115830
G1X3.283545Y8.250885
G1X3.284626Y8.399170
G1X3.283849Y8.560496
G1X3.281205Y8.734542
G1X3.276686Y8.921113
G1X3.269849Y9.162508
G1X3.298619Y9.221780
G1X3.364296Y9.359629
G1X3.395185Y9.424207
G1X3.423684Y9.481655
G1X3.450930Y9.533890
G1X3.478117Y9.582950
G1X3.506387Y9.630802
G1X3.536855Y9.679416
G1X3.570656Y9.730822
G1X3.608904Y9.787034
G1X3.638767Y9.830381
G1X3.631154Y9.831879
G1X3.612814Y9.836658
G1X3.594725Y9.842568
G1X3.576943Y9.849613
G1X3.559528Y9.857790
G1X3.542537Y9.867098
G1X3.526033Y9.877533
G1X3.510079Y9.889088
G1X3.494737Y9.901753
G1X3.481521Y9.914156
G1X3.480097Y9.915536
G2Y10.357478I0.220971J0.220971
G2X3.922039I0.220971J-0.220971
G1X3.923292Y10.356188
G1X3.934578Y10.344233
G1X3.946201Y10.330406
G1X3.956912Y10.316067
G1X3.966704Y10.301261

2

My fault! So sorry!
Edit coming soon

Edit: I used metric-assuming commands on the Inch posts by mistake. I’d like to blame @Griff or @Gerry , but the fault is all mine.
The issue was the G53G0Z-5 that, in the inch posts, moves to a Z location 5 inches below your switch. I just updated the GitHub versions to use Z-0.2 for inch posts and Z-5 for mm posts.

3 Likes
3

WOW!! that was fast. No worries, I didn’t even break a bit. Thanks for what you did.

4

I don’t mess around.

5 Likes
5

I’ve been using an inch post you did for V carve, with the last update, (as entered in the post itself,) of 1/25/2020. I’ve only downloaded it a couple months ago, after I received my Pro XXL. What sort of updates happened from them until now?

6

The only thing I changed was the initial, and final, Z move. It was moving to “Z-Home” which seemed to be a setting that many ignore in V-Carve. I changed it to be a retract to a universal safe height of 5mm below the Z-limit. More similar to what I do with my Fusion 360 post and what C3D is doing with Motion (I think).

4 Likes
7

Neil,

quick question because I am new to your PP on Vcarve and have been using it with no issues. Does it update automatically when you make changes or am I supposed to check if a new version is out and redownload or do some sort of update. I ask because I have never had that issue when using the inch PP on there so is my version out of date and does that matter?

Thanks for creating that btw!

1 Like
8

You’d have to download the new and install, but there’s really no reason if you’ve been using it without issue. I just forced a bigger retract at the start of a job.
If vectric changes anything that warrants a major update, I’ll post something here.
If anyone sees an area for improvement, let me know. I know there’s not much to the vectric posts (they’re not as fun as the Fusion ones), but, collectively, we’ve come up with some good stuff in this community.

2 Likes
9

This was making me crazy, trying to set up a new machine.
I drove a 1/4" end mill completely through the extra waste board, regular waste board and into the aluminum plate!
I saw after the fact, the minus 5" Z move too late.
At least I know now what is the reason for the “problem”

Anybody recommend a decent simulator that would have caught this move?

10

List of previewers at:

https://wiki.shapeoko.com/index.php/Previewing_G-Code

Most folks use CAMotics — not sure about configuring it to handle G53 though.