First post and brand new to the CNC world. I realize there are many ways/philosophies to set the X, Y and Z zero axis. With or without a probe. That being said, I have a couple of questions about my Shapeoko touch probe.
Is there any way to use this probe in a location other than lower left (SW) for the X and Y axis?
My motors make a very unique and strange sound during the probe “cycle”. Is this typical?
Is there a simple thin and flat plate that is available for the Shapeoko for the Z axis only?
Thanks for looking at this post. Although I am climbing the fairly step learning curve, this journey has been a blast so far.
Yes. By sending G-code directly, manually, you can issue probe commands in Carbide Motion. (Other senders can handle custom macros)
For example: G21 ;set mm mode G91 set relative motion mode G38.2 X-25 F75 ;probe to the LEFT for 25mm at feedrate of 75mm/min G10 L20 X10.175 ;Set position as work X10.175 (half of a 1/4" + 7mm for C3D probe) G90 ;set back to absolute motion mode
Just the motor going slow…You can get steppers to play all range of notes.
I use AL foil for most Z probing. You can use anything conductive.
Thanks Neil. Super helpful. How does the “new” metal contact (Al foil in your case) connect to the Shapeko circuit board? The Carbide touch probe is just PnP. How can I extend the function to another metal object? I assume just make sure the metal (foil in your case) is also in contact with the Carbide probe base.
Yes, but as @neilferreri showed, requires manual G-Code input if using Carbide3D Motion. You could use other G-Code senders that have deeper customization and more advanced functionality but might not recommend it until you are comfortable with-in the CNC world and start to hit limits with Motion and workflow.
Its normal, has to do with the stepper drivers, micro-stepping, current, voltage. The slower they step/move usually the noisier they are.
I flip my probe upside down so it is stable on top of the work piece and probe it’s backside. Note that this would require manual G-Code as well for C3D Motion’s sake, as it “alters” the Z offset that is hard coded in Carbide3D’s software.