Will be buying the SO5 with vfd. Have experience with vcarve pro on my prior machine(onefinity) with router. Being new to vfd, is installing and running VC pro and vfd difficult to setup? For example when you have a multi tool job will vfd start up at cycle start and stop for tool change. Got tires of turning router on and off between tool changes. Also what post processor is used in vcp 12 for SO5 and are there any hangups or workarounds needed for vfd in this machine/software combo?
It should be quite automatic — just select the correct post-processor for Vectric and it should “just work” — @neilferreri made one (which I believe Vectric tech support has been sending out):
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I don’t have the VFD but I have the Pro with BitRunner and Vcarve with the “Carbide Motion ATC (inches)” post processor works fine for me to start/stop the router. I can’t speak to the VFD speed changes though.
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From what I’ve read on here and other places, the better post processor to run would the MM since GRBL is native to MM and doesn’t have to convert into inches. (I think I said that right.) I have the same machine as you and have always ran Vcarve. You can still design with inches it will just save everything in MM for you to run in carbide motion.
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I have read those discussions and it seems like there are folks on both sides of the fence. I haven’t done any experimentation to validate one way or the other.
Most of my nice rulers and table saw etc… are marked in inches so that’s easier for my brain but I get your point that the design and post can be different.
I actually went to Lowe’s the other day to find a yard/meter stick marked in centimeters and couldn’t find one.
If the G-code is output in metric, it will still work to set Carbide Motion to show distances and feed rates in Imperial — the application will convert so as to display using the requested units.
I bought a folding metric ruler a while back (imported from the U.K.), but passed on the nice metric beechwood rule which was a bit more expensive than seemed workable. Probably the best option is to get a metric tape measure — FastCap makes affordable ones which are widely available, and I’ve had a Tajima tape in my Amazon cart for a while now, but it hasn’t yet migrated into a purchase.
Interesting. I hadn’t thought of having CM set differently than the input GCode. I don’t really use the measurements in CM for anything other than increments in jogging I guess. Doesn’t really matter if those are in mm even though my brain is in inches.
I run a Pro5 with Vcarve Pro 11.5 and now 12, i also have used the Carbide VFD and now a 2.2kw VFD/spindle combo.
No issues and yes the speeds will adapt to each bit as programed in vcarve, works great. Either from the tool database or if you set specific speeds on that toolpath.
Vcarve will download the post processor for you when you select the machine if memory serves.
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