I just started getting back into my MPCNC after a “little” break. I ordered Ryan’s touchplate and just hooked it up to my Ramps with an LCD, not dual endstops. I primarily use the SD card and have rarely hooked it up to the computer for cutting. I’ve been reading on it and had a couple of questions:
Can I use the LCD to set Z min and if so, how do I do that? I don’t see that option in the menu.
I have lot’s of rc plane setups already saved on a SD card, will I have to put the touchplate G code in there for all of them if I can’t use the LCD?
Any good resources for learning how to do the bit changes? I’ve just been setting up different programs for different bits. I’d like to be able to smooth out the workflow by having it stop and wait, rehoming Z, then continuing on.
An easy way to home Z is to just put the GCODE that Ryan provides on the sales page for for his touchplate in a file with a .gcode extension on your SD card. Then you can just run this file like any other GCODE file to home your bit. I recently upgraded my Marlin and found that Ryan had provided a custom menu item to home Z, so you may also get this custom menu if you update the firmware for your Ramps board. Neither solution will disturb your old files.
As for bit changes, here is a recent thread on the issue, and I’m sure there are many more on the forum. There is not a one-size-fits all solution:
Awesome! I tried it on the SD card and it worked. Thank you!
I was kind of figuring on the updated firmware. I was searching for this off and on and everything was pointing to me missing something. I haven’t turned this thing on in awhile so I was wondering if there had been any updates. I’ll have to reload everything on my new laptop and get it updated. For now this seems to work perfectly for what I’m doing this weekend
Word of warning if you decide to try to update your firmware. It seems that current versions of Marlin no longer compile using the Arduino IDE…at least the versions for the Rambo boards. Most people I see on this forum are using PlatformIO to compile the firmware at this point.
I managed to fix that for the marlinbuilds by removing a bunch of unused files. But the devs don’t seem to care about arduino, so platformio is the future, for sure.
A quick report-back:
After a number of failed attempts at getting the router perfectly aligned (X, Y and Z) for subsequent cuts, I hit on the following method:
(1) Create a drill hole (in the CAD program) at the point you wish to nominate as X0 Y0
(2) Use Estlcam to locate X0, Y0 at the centre of this reference point
(3) Nudge the router bit to this position, and drill a pilot hole to a reasonable depth (in my case, 5mm).
This is now my reference point (X, Y, Z). To get the depth right, I get X and Y correct, and disengage the stepper motors. This allows the bit to drop to the bottom of the hole (ie 5mm drop).
That’s it. Raise the Z axis 5mm, zero X, Y and Z and I now have a repeatable starting point.
Of course, when my end-stop stuff arrives, I’ll be able to automate this - but as a poor man’s solution, it works perfectly.
I’m trying to visualize how you use this point since it is relative to the spoil board rather than the piece you are cutting. Is this point is the equivalent the home position in a dual end stop setup?. After you fixture the piece to cut, you then drive your router to the home position on the piece and record the position/offset? Then you zero the position to make the cut?
Hi,
Exactly right. The reference hole is cut into your cut sheet, not the spoil board. I place mine 10mm in from the corner (X and Y), and just make sure this isn’t being used by the piece being cut itself. If it is, find another open space. It doesn’t really matter - it just gives a fixed reference point to bring things to zero.
A very poor man’s solution, but it works, and is not dependent on cranky switches etc.