Ok, I'm a dummy - how do I...

[johnm]

Folks -

Got the 'bot together, ready to go, double checked EVERYTHING. XYZ moves okay, no cable binds, all looks good... 'ceptin'.....

How the heck to I start the spindle? I can start it up in the keypad, but in the table surfacing instructions it just says "start your router"... would that I could! I feel like a real dummy! I've run all the programmng changes on the VFD so that it is supposed to be under shopbot control, but NOW what?

I'd sure appreciate some help. The wife AND the dog are snickering at me from a safe distance.

John Moorhead

PS: Pls forgive - I've also posted this in Assembly and I would REALLY like to suface the table tonight...

[Ryan Patterson]

John
Do you get a prompt from the control software to start the spindle? When you use the keyboard control is switch #4 On ? If in keyboard control switch #4 and #1 has to be on for the spindle to start. If both are on all you should have to do is press the green button on the side of the SB Control box. Hope this helps.

Ryan

[Ryan Patterson]

John
Reread you post(you can start using the keyboard) In the part file are you using the so,1,1 command? If the so command is not there switch #1 will not turn on.
Ryan

[johnm]

Ryan -

No software prompt.... Switches 1 & 4 are on, when I open the keypad I can start the spindle manually, but as soon as I close the keypad it turns off. No action at all when I hit the start button....

Any other ideas? I feel like a fool!

John Moorhead

[richards]

John,
The START button only works without first displaying a POPUP screen when you're in the manual keypad mode. When you are out of the manual keypad mode, the POPUP screen will tell you when to press the START button. If the number 1 output is turned on, then the POPUP screen should appear everytime you load a SBP file and the program should wait until you press Enter - which gives you time to press the START button, wait for the spindle to get to speed and then press Enter.

[Ryan Patterson]

John,
When you say you can start the spindle manually do you start it with the green button or turn it on at the VFD?

[johnm]

Ryan -

I can turn it on with the button - I don't have any docs from SB (or PDS Columbo) that give information on the VFD, other than how to change the programming for running the spindle on the bot.

I've done SO, 1,1, but then the dialog box just closes and nothing else happens....

I'm going to give things a fresh start this morning and keep careful track of my steps and the results and post here if I can't make any progress.

Thanks, and more to come...

John Moorhead

[richards]

John,

Put this code into a file named test.sbp:

SA
JZ, 1.0
J2, 0.0,0.0
SO, 1,1
MX, 2
MY, 2
MX, 0
MY, 0
SO, 1,0

When you run test.sbp, the code will lift the z axis to a safe height, jog the x and y axes to the zero point, turn on the spindle, air cut a two-inch square rectangle and finally, turn off the spindle.

If I understand your post above, you've run the SO,1,1 command from the command line instead of from within a program. The code sample listed above will run the commands from within a program.

[bill.young]

FYI, when you install the newest ShopBot software (3.4.15) you also get updated Part Wizard post processors that add the SO commands to the start and end of files.

[benchmark]

Hi Bill

How about adding the SO commands to the start and end of files created by the Virtual tools.....is this possible ?


Are you sick of the turkey yet.

Regards


Paul

[bill.young]

Good idea Paul...I'll add it to the list for the next release.

The turkey was delicious but I'm glad it's almost gone...and once again I got it fried without burning my house down! (http://www.ul.com/consumers/turkeys.html)

Bill

[mikejohn]

I wonder if you could use a plasma cutter for the turkey?
Rotating it on an indexer?

[benchmark]

Thanks Bill,

Could you include a button for the choice of SO1 or SO2.......many thanks

is that you in the brown suit and red a red hat.....looks just the job for cutting MDF


Paul