I’ve been toying around with this idea for a while now and finally got it to a point that I’m not scared to share it! I’m not sure if anyone here has attempted this or not, but here is mine.
I prefer setting my stock up in CAM with the Z Zero at the surface of the spoilboard; versus the top of the stock. So implementing a BitSetter would really make tool changes that much faster. So here is my work in progress…
It’s simply a limit switch inside of a 3D printed housing. The round pin has a smaller shaft on the bottom that presses against the button of the switch. There is a piece of metal (in this case a sanded dime) so that bits don’t dig into the soft PLA.
The BitSetter is also wired in parallel with the touch plate that Ryan sells, should I want to use it instead for whatever reason.
Here is a video showing it in action… I home all axis, change the coordinate system to G54. Move and zero my X and Y at an “origin” of my invisible stock, then simulate a bit change. The gcode uses G53 to move back to machine “zero”, resets the new bit height, and returns to my stock “origin”.
I was able to use the touch plate to measure the distance between the BitSetter’s trigger point and the spoilboard. I tested this measurement a dozen times and it stayed at the exact measurement (in my case) of 20.46mm each time. Pretty happy with that!
Would really like to hear your thoughts and input!