keeping home position

[brain]

hello,

i'd like to say hello to everyone. i'm new to this forum, and just got my prs4x8 this week. i've done a few test pieces to get used to it, but i do have a few questions. (i'm sure i'll ask alot of dumb questions, so please bear with me). first of all, how far can you go without loosing your home postion. today i started cutting a file that had multiple steps and bit changes. i got to a stopping point, but was unsure how to "pause" the operation. i left the program(sb3) up, but not running, left the shopbot powered, and closed the laptop. i was afraid if i shut everything down i would lose home. so can i shut everything down, is there a better way to "pause" a file?

thanks,
brian

[bobmoore]

Welcome to the Shopbot forum. Ask all the questions you need to enjoy your Shopbot. It always helps us answer your questions if you remind us which model you have and what software you are running. With any cnc I have used if it is powered down you can lose position. Will get more specific when I know what software you have. Read manuals and practice with some of the tutorials and samples. If you have partworks the Vectric sight has a wealth of knowledge.
Bob

[ssflyer]

Hi Brian, and welcome!

If I understand correctly you are asking if SB3 has to keep running to maintain your machine location. Quick answer is no. As long as the machine itself isn't powered down, you should be able to turn your computer completely off, and when you come back and open the SB3 program again, it will still know the location.

If you shut down the ShopBot, you may or may not maintain position. Best way I've found - if you always start from a fixed location, or write down any offset to home, is to use the C3 command on power up, to re-establish your home position via the proximity switches.

Since for most of my work, I zero to the lower left corner, I have a simple jig that I place my material against. Then with custom offsets for the C3 command, it zeroes my X & Y, automatically.

[myxpykalix]

I shut my machine down between cuts completely and have never had a problem by shutting my computer and control box down and have never lost coordinates.

Lets say i just ran a roughing pass but its too late to start the finishing pass at nite. Before i start a file to begin with here is what i do, and this would be a good practice for you to develop.

When you first set a file up to start a project do this:

One thing i do in case of situations like this where you don't want to lose work if you lose all settings is, prior to starting work i do a C3 to find table Zero.

Then i manually jog over to my material X,Y zero (I usually set mine in the center of material). I then write down those X,Y coordinates. Then I Zero X,Y.

So now if the gremlins sneak in on me during or between cuts all i have to do is go back do a C3, MX24, MY24 (or whatever the numbers are) and i'm back to manual center of the material even though all settings were lost.

HOWEVER...if i shut the machine down between toolpaths i usually park the carriage at the material 0,0 and remove the bit if i'm going to do a new toolpath when i resume. And even if i'm using the same bit I ALWAYS RE Zzero to material surface. Always leave yourself enough material so you can have a surface to Re Zzero your bits to.

I have lost my coordinates plenty of times for various reasons but my method of writing down coordinates has NEVER failed me:eek::D

[jerry_stanek]

On my PRS if the z is high it will creep down if I shut off my control unit off. I just shut my pc down and let the shopbot box on.

[myxpykalix]

Jerry in 6 years that has only happened to me a few times, maybe i'm lucky even when i turn my control box off it stays up (wish i could be so lucky!):D

But i always do re Z regardless when i come back to resume.

[brain]

thanks guys for the replies. lots of good info, especially writing down the home coords. i played around with it today, to see what i could get away with. and it went to home everytime. thanks again guys.

brian