Thank you for the reply. I’m still trying to figure out and learn g-code.
Gcode consists of 3 parts. The first is the preamble. Second are the movement commands. Third is the postamble.
The first sets up the measurement system, origin and preset up like first bit.
The second are the actual commands that position the router and cut the project.
The third moves the router to the back and either prompts router shut down or sends gcode commands to shut down router through BitRunner or relay to shut down router.
This is simplified explaination because CM is more than a gcode sender. There are tutorials on how to edit gcode to start at a particular point in the gcode.
Gcode is a formatted text document and can be edited by notepad in Windows.
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you “kind of” can start where you left of.
Gcode is just a series of lines that say “go to here (X,Y.Z)”… and you can continue that as long as the zero point is still valid (the X/Y/Z are relative to the zero)
there is one caveat:
since it’s only “go to new (X,Y.Z)” the starting point for that command matters (e.g. the end point of the previous command), and on a restart that’s super unlikely to be the same as during the real cut, and that’s as a general thing… not good.
But there is a set of places in the gcode where this is safe, and that is when the bit is above the material (e.g. retract height)… basically the section of gcode ends up being (assuming a 1.2mm retract height below for illustration)
G0Z1.2 (Go fast to 1.2mm above the material)
X300Y100 (Go to 300,100)
G1Z-1.0 (Go down into the material to 1mm below the surface)
restarting right after such a G0Z1.2 is a good point, the cutter is then not in the material and the next movement is an “X/Y only” to the new place where it goes back down in the material…
Going from “above the material” to “another place above the material” does not really suffer from the problem that the previous point matters for the cut… unlike when the cutter is in the material, where if the previous point is “random”, you get a random part of the material removed as part of this unusual movement.
So if there’s a stop at a certain place, you can edit the gcode, keep the boilerplate start stuff but remove all the movements until the last “retract” sequence before the point where it stopped… and continue from there. You will repeat some part of the cut, e.g. from the entry into the material to the point of stop, but most of the time that’s pretty limited in time duration.
If you’re using carbide motion and you don’t want to edit gcode by hand you can also split an existing gcode file to a per-toolpath file using GcodeSplit - Split gcode files by toolpath and do this at the toolpath level. You could obviously also disable toolpaths and save anew in carbide create.
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Thank you for the reply Fenrus!
Afterwards I realized I probably could have come on here to see if someone could have helped me sort it out, but didn’t. I should have, what was the worst that would have happened, it wouldn’t have lined up and it would have been destined for the fire pit anyway.
So far, most of my designs are basic, simple and cut pretty quick. Also, I’m using cleaned up pallet wood or inexpensive Douglas Fir, so the wood isn’t a huge investment.
Having some operator error trying to learn my way around Inkscape for image editing and converting jpg’s to svg’s, I’m not sure if there is something easier or better. And then learning Carbide Create. I’m wondering why an image created in Inkscape doesn’t transfer to Carbide Create with the same look. Again operator error.
Mistakes are learning experiences. When you make a mistake usually you do not repeat it. Everyone on this forum has made mistakes and learned from those mistakes. Mistakes are just part of the learning curve that everyone has to go through. There is a wealth of information in the collective knowledge of this forum. I have never seen anyone criticized for asking even the most rudimentary questions.
The only stupid question is the one not asked. Dont wander in the darkness. Try to figure it out but dont spend too much time just ask and you shall receive.
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