Touch Probe ... Love t Hate

CNC Machines Shapeoko
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After using the touch Probe on numerous projects; I have develop a Love / Hate relationship with this gadget.

I hate the fact that I can’t rest the lip of the touch Probe on the corners of the stock to do a Y or X alignment. You would guess that the lip serves as a guide to keep the touch probe square and flush to the stock. It’s a no brainer …

CC … give us a software option to use the lip or not.

What good is placing the touch probe on top of the stock and eye balling if it’s parallel to the edge in question.

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My understanding was that there are two modes of operation with Carbide 3D’s probe:

  • place it on a corner of the stock, using the lip as a guide, and choose the probe X/Y/Z option
  • place it on top of the stock (anywhere, with no care for alignment with anything) and choose the probe Z (only) option
    Just curious, in what way do these two modes not satisfy your probing needs ?
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Please see:

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Here’s what I don’t like about the Touch Probe and CM.

  1. Position Probe on top of workpiece (do not overhang the lip)

  2. Position the Probe flush with the left edge of the workpiece

I have to place a straight edge guide flush with the stock edge then butt flush the Touch Probe to the straight edge guide then run the zero Probe command.

I do it this way to ensure that the touch Probe is always parallel with the stock.

Hanging the touch Probe over the edge will do the same thing with the straight edge guide but CM doesn’t support this feature.

I wish I could write a script that will accomplish doing this as well as saving ALL my calibration changes.

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Ahhhhhh you just triggered my brain cell … I can do the X Y & Z … then redo the Z on the machine bed.

I am trying to do all my profile using the machine bed as the Z zero reference vice the top of the stock.

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The easiest way I have found so far to do a backup of all my GRBL parameters (including those calibrated values) is to use Universal G-Code Sender, connect to the machine, go to “Machine => Firmware settings”, it will display all GRBL parameters (and allow you to edit them graphically), but above all there is an option to save them to a file. Later, you can tell it to open a backup file and restore parameter values from there. Very convenient.

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@GIban671 I’m going to be honest…I thought you weren’t reading directions. Then I read the directions. I’m sorry for my assumption.
It does get a little tricky when you’re probing just X or just Y, but I think that’s the only way to do it unless you’re probing conductive stock or have a custom probe block.

I’m picturing stock without a square corner.

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No worries …

Stock with out a square corner… doesn’t matter as long as I get to place the touch Probe in a repeatable spot or reference evertime.

I just like the fact of using the lip to but up against the stock. Then I know that when the bit touches the touch Probe the touch Probe won’t move.

Using the touch Probe with the lip resting on top of the stock I always get this feeling that the touch Probe moved the instance the bit touches the touch Probe. Just my inner guts second guessing.

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Ain’t second guessing. I’ve been using mine usually on top just for z axis. I’ve found that the probe can rock back having the circle you are probing be a mm or so high. I’ve been holding finger on the probe most of the time…

If overhanging for x,y,z, no issue
The one thing I don’t like is I have to get gap small for it to work. Just me…

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