Build Thread Mach3 to Acorn

[ShawnM]

Just don't use the Teflon coated ones!

[Leo Voisine]

I am going to make a cheap conductive plate today and I will use the Mfunc6-Clint - unmodified, just to get past the movable touch plate thing.

I am not into trying to do things the hard way. When I was using Mach3 I had a mechanical touch probe to touch off. That device will not work here.

[Leo Voisine]

Just don't use the Teflon coated ones!

I have a nice soft plastic one that will not chip my cutters.

I will use a dead worn cutter from the scrap carbide bin as a test piece.

[ShawnM]

PTFE is a nice dielectric, low leakage and handy at high frequencies. Not ideal for conductive touch surfaces, that's for sure.

You guys are making me wish I had an insulation tester to try on some wood.

I cut a ton of HDPE on my router and it's "no bueno" for touch plates either.

Before I knew any better I recessed a 1-1/2" circular piece of aluminum into a HDPE puck I made for a DIY conductive tool touch off. Attached a coil cord wire to it and it worked great but I wanted a better mouse trap. I cringed every time the O flute bit touched the aluminum. Soft metal or not I still hated it.

I have two of these on the new Weeke router I just retrofit with AcornSix. One fixed and one movable.

https://www.amazon.com/BTER-Automatic-N ... 4534&psc=1

[ShawnM]

I am going to make a cheap conductive plate today and I will use the Mfunc6-Clint - unmodified, just to get past the movable touch plate thing.

I am not into trying to do things the hard way. When I was using Mach3 I had a mechanical touch probe to touch off. That device will not work here.

With the movable touch off, no matter what it is, it's 10 times faster than setting it manually. You'll wonder why you waited so long to get one.

There will still be some minor mods to Clint's M6 (that macro was written YEARS ago for older versions of CNC12) and you have to make sure your G28 is set and also the correct return is called for the fixed tool touch off.

[Leo Voisine]

I made my plastic touch plate and wired it into acorn. Works like a charm. I don't wonder why, because I am just now setting up Acorn for the first time, and what I was using on Mach3 worked just as well.

Glad you guys bullied me into it. Thanks for that one. Much easier and faster.

I will start off with Clint m6 and yes I know it was done in 2018. Seems like ages ago. I was still in the workforce way back then. I am retired now.

I put the touch probe on Amazon in my wish list.

[Sword]

Some minor editing to the manual one I posted yesterday (adding the Z probing part back to what's in the previous one and changing some of the messages) will do exactly what you want with a touch plate, but if you want to work through the old ones in that thread to update them and roll your own, have at it.

[Leo Voisine]

I am working on one with the auto moveable touch plate.

I will change a couple of mesages to make more sense to me.

Tomorrow is yet another day.

[Leo Voisine]

I need to put the Mfunc6 on the back burner for a while and move on.

Centroid runs BEAUTIFULLY as is but with a minor inconvience of operating a bit Old School with work flow process. I am still very happy with Centroid.

I ran a small job yesterday and Centroid performed nicely.

I will succeed on the Mfunc6 macro to the way I want it but after several weeks of nearly every day trying, I need a break and I need to move on.

I want to thank Sword and ShawnM for your efforts in trying to help me. I know I am a tough nut, but that is just me. I do not give up.

So Thank You both for being so persistant with me. I just need to learn a bit more about how to achieve what I am after. I will!

[suntravel]

What you think is inconvenient old school, is simply CNC industry standard.

Probe tools
Probe part
Hit cycle start

It will not get more convenient than this.

Uwe