My Sherline 5400 mill with Acorn control build

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martyscncgarage
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by martyscncgarage »

Installation manual can be found on this page:
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=3397

Also do not confuse Part position with machine position.
Press Alt d to toggle machine position . Which is actual distance from home

You would do well to start reading the Mill Operators Manual and Large Operators Manual.to better familiarize yourself with CNC12. They can be found on this page:
https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_di ... nuals.html
Reminder, for support please follow this post: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=383
We can't "SEE" what you see...
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tblough
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by tblough »

You should be able to jog off the switch using the X1 jog setting.
Cheers,

Tom
Confidence is the feeling you have before you fully understand the situation.
I have CDO. It's like OCD, but the letters are where they should be.
ShawnM
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by ShawnM »

BillB wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:08 am ...... When setting up soft limits you travel the axis until you trip the limit switch. What I can't figure out is how to jog off the limit switch, since once it's tripped jog is no longer available......
Now I'm confused, with "soft limits" there is no need for a limit switch at the far end of travel. That's why it's called "soft limits". What limit switch are you referring to? Did you install limit switches also?

After you home the machine to the "home switches" the DRO's zero out and you are at "machine zero". Press ALT+D to switch to machine coordinates. Then jog each axis, one at a time, to the opposite end of travel, stop just short of the max travel, maybe 1/8" to be safe. The DRO will read your travel distance, Again, do each axis one at a time and write the values down. Now take those values you just wrote down and enter them into the soft limits in the wizard for that axis. Set X and Y travel limits in the (+) boxes and set the Z axis in the (-) box with a negative number. Do it for all 3 axis. Again, there's no need for limit switches if you are using the soft limits.

The video you are watching is 4 years old and not really current. Use the wizard and set the values on the "homing and travel" page.

If you must use limit switches in conjunction with the soft limit, which some people do, then just stop the axis 1/8" before the limit switch and use that value as your travel limit. You don't need to actually trip the limit switch to determine your max travel.
BillB
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by BillB »

ShawnM wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:23 pm
BillB wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:08 am ...... When setting up soft limits you travel the axis until you trip the limit switch. What I can't figure out is how to jog off the limit switch, since once it's tripped jog is no longer available......
Now I'm confused, with "soft limits" there is no need for a limit switch at the far end of travel. That's why it's called "soft limits". What limit switch are you referring to? Did you install limit switches also?

After you home the machine to the "home switches" the DRO's zero out and you are at "machine zero". Press ALT+D to switch to machine coordinates. Then jog each axis, one at a time, to the opposite end of travel, stop just short of the max travel, maybe 1/8" to be safe. The DRO will read your travel distance, Again, do each axis one at a time and write the values down. Now take those values you just wrote down and enter them into the soft limits in the wizard for that axis. Set X and Y travel limits in the (+) boxes and set the Z axis in the (-) box with a negative number. Do it for all 3 axis. Again, there's no need for limit switches if you are using the soft limits.

The video you are watching is 4 years old and not really current. Use the wizard and set the values on the "homing and travel" page.

If you must use limit switches in conjunction with the soft limit, which some people do, then just stop the axis 1/8" before the limit switch and use that value as your travel limit. You don't need to actually trip the limit switch to determine your max travel.
I realize that vid is 4 years old I was I’m just trying to get a handle on the setup. Your input is really helpful thanks.

I run a Tormach 440 and a Zenbot router at my work. When you home the Tormach it searches for the limit switches, trips it one at a time, then comes off the switch by about 1/8 or so and that establishes your home position. I “THOUGHT” that is the goal here with the set up and use of limit switches as Homing switches??? That’s the way I want set my machines up. I thought we want the machine to search for each switch’s,trip them, then come off a bit, then those points are your 0,0,0 home. ?

Yes I’ve installed limit/homing switches.

And I also thought that the soft limits are an additional safeguard when it comes to the limit switch side or home side of the travel. As for the far end of the travel, this is the max limit controlled by the software, so yes no switch required. But if you watch that 4 year old vid of Marty that machine has limit switch’s on both sides. SO I guess it’s all about how fail safe you want the machine to be, a beast machine like that or a real VMC like VF2 I bet has limit sensors on both sides. ? The Tormach at work only has switches on home side.

If I’m completely wrong please someone chime in and correct me. I’ve just stared to dive into the manuals in the last few days so trying to get perspective on all this while I still assemble stuff.
BillB
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by BillB »

Hey guys for lathe set up is it possible to switch keyboard keys for jogging. Can you customize the jog keys, have not seen that yet in the manual. I would like to use arrow L&R for Z, and arrows UP & Down for X.

AND IS there any reason this wold be a bad idea? Other than not industry standard?
BillB
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by BillB »

tblough wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 12:34 pm You should be able to jog off the switch using the X1 jog setting.
Hey there been trolling threw the CNC 12 manual today but not finding this X1 jog setting, could you give me more input on it or were it is in the manual. I would appreciate it.
BillB
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by BillB »

Why won’t my machine home as I’m expecting? As per my comment above to ShawnM. After booting CNC 12, Turing on the driver box, and hitting cycle start to home the machine the Z axis goes up in z + hits the limit switch and stops. That’s it, it stops there never homing axis 2 &3. What is going on.

Again I thought the idea for HomeAll is to home each axis one at a time tripping the limit switch to establish the home position for that axis, backing off a bit and setting 0 for that axis? THEN going to the next axis until all 3 or all 4 axis. This is not happening on my set up, WHY? Am I not understanding what home all is suppose to do??????

I have tried This with and without entering my travel limits. What am I missing here?
Yes evertime I make a change I write it to Acorn and follow prompts to reboot pc and or Acorn.

My limit switches are
X is on table right
Y is on base front
Z is on top of column
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tblough
Posts: 3072
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100327
102696
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7804732B977B-0624192192
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by tblough »

BillB wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:56 pm
tblough wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 12:34 pm You should be able to jog off the switch using the X1 jog setting.
Hey there been trolling threw the CNC 12 manual today but not finding this X1 jog setting, could you give me more input on it or were it is in the manual. I would appreciate it.
Three white buttons in the center of the VCP labeled X1, X10, X100. Mill manual, section 2.4, pg. 18.
Cheers,

Tom
Confidence is the feeling you have before you fully understand the situation.
I have CDO. It's like OCD, but the letters are where they should be.
ShawnM
Posts: 2190
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by ShawnM »

BillB wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 3:52 am Again I thought the idea for HomeAll is to home each axis one at a time tripping the limit switch to establish the home position for that axis, backing off a bit and setting 0 for that axis? THEN going to the next axis until all 3 or all 4 axis. This is not happening on my set up, WHY? Am I not understanding what home all is suppose to do??????
Yup, that's exactly what my machine does at every startup. I have only soft limits set on my machine with no limit switches opposite my 3 home switches and this is simply personal preference. The soft limits have never failed me.
martyscncgarage
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Re: My Sherline chucker lathe & 5400 mill with Acorn control build

Post by martyscncgarage »

On your X axis, does your table have to move to the LEFT(positive direction) to trip the X axis home switch or does it move to the right(negative direction) to trip the switch?

Right now, you show in your homing and travel screen that your X must move left in the negative direction to home to it's switch. Please post pictures of your machines showing the home switch placement and how they are being tripped.

Not sure why it's like pulling teeth to get you to post a fresh report each time you ask for more guidance. At least you post screenshots.

PLEASE POST A FRESH REPORT WHEN YOU ASK FOR HELP. Fresh means you get a report after you are done working on the machine and come here to post. Not one you created, then made more changes and then come here.

If you don't get in the habit of posting a fresh report, you aren't going to get good accurate help. I want to see your machine configuration and log files.

Marty
Reminder, for support please follow this post: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=383
We can't "SEE" what you see...
Mesa, AZ
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