New Buddy32 Owner with Issues...

[btkfrisco]

I am sure you can help me... and I appreciate it... I am brand new to this game and I have a lot to learn. However, I am a computer guy and a long time wood worker - so I am cautiously optimistic...

First, when I send my tools to 24,32 it only moves about 75% of the way there. This should be the back corner of my table. I used the z3 command to zero the corners first. I tried several times... Just wondered what I might be missing.

Second, the dust collection hose on the bot is 3.5" and a standard hose is 4". What have other owners done to do the reduction? Is there a standard reduction fitting somewhere or does this have to become a project?

Your help is appreciated!

[Gary Campbell]

Brian...
Reinstall the software and make sure that you select the proper machine. Pay attention to standard versus alpha. The 2 machines have different sized pinions and therefore different unit values. If this does not solve the problem, call tech support in the AM and have your unit values available. Usually this is where the problem lies.

As far as the dust hose goes, if you use one of the wire encapsulated plastic hoses,(recommended for grounding) you can simply insert the 3.5" hose from the dustfoot inside the 4" and clamp. Dont forget the ground clip.
Gary

[dana_swift]

Brian.. welcome! The first question is "do you have an Alpha or a Standard BT32?", there are different answers for each type of machine. With a standard, the speed of the moves can be an issue.

Most likely is the values in your VU settings are wrong, as Gary pointed out when you set up these values initially its important you select the correct machine definition. You can enter the values manually.. for my Alpha BT32 the following values:
x = -2979.38053
y = -2979.38053
z = 2979.38053

These values are the scale factors to convert real distance move commands into stepper motor counts. So they are the obvious suspects.

Does your move commands go to the same place each time? If so.. the the VU settings are almost certainly the culprit.

If you are computer savvy you will really enjoy the shopbot. As your experience with the machine grows you will learn about the SBP programming options, and perhaps how to generate custom toolpaths to get results off-the-shelf software never thought of.

You will soon get to know about a half dozen people on this forum who will give answers that are definitive, and are "user community tech support". Some advise is not as good as others, so be sure to check out whatever you get told. I will vouch for Gary tho.. he hits them straight on.

One of the best parts of owning a shopbot is their tech support. You paid for the service, so feel free to call them, usually you can get the answer you want within minutes of having the problem. The forum is slower, but the experience of all of us using the machines is invaluable. I wouldn't be surprised to discover the tech support folks comb this thing regularly for good ideas.

Again - welcome!

D

[btkfrisco]

Thanks to each of you! And I really appreciate good advice. I started getting ready to level the spoil board late yesterday evening after they were closed on the east coast. So, the forum was my first thought. You were both exactly right. The values were automatically loaded using the wrong machine. I actually never got the chance to select which machine in the install. So, once I went out and found the right file, everything works better. Amazing how that works!
I also appreciate the advice to be careful about advice... As we all know 'advice is cheap'... 'good advice is priceless'...
BTW - I make acoustic guitars. If I can ever help in that area, please let me know...

Thanks again for a very pleasant first post on this forum!
BK

[wilbear]

Hi
I also am new and I too am having the same trouble with the numbers. Could someone tell the correct numbers for my Buddy 48 std. with 2.2 hp spindle.
Thanks
Wil

[btkfrisco]

Wil, My VU settings were wrong. I actually called support on Friday AM and talked them. They took me thru a 2 minute effort to use a ShopBot default file that was on my PC intended for my particular configuration. My file was located at C:\Program Files\ShopBot\ShopBot 3\Settings\PRS ShopBots\PRS_standard_tools. There are 7 standard files in that folder.
All the information I got from these folks was good and led me to the conclusion that they know what they are talking about. This is one of the best forums I've seen...
The command they directed me to use was UR (on page 30 of the Command Reference). You simply type UR into the command prompt and then follow the prompts.
I hope this helps...

[dana_swift]

Wil.. the 2.2hp spindle has nothing to do with the distance scaling. Only the configuration for your "standard".

Actually there are 4 basic shopbot variations, all the current ones sold are "PRS" and either standard or alpha.

The file with the appropriate data is:
C:\Program Files\ShopBot\ShopBot 3\Settings\PRS ShopBots\PRS_standard Tools\ShopBot_PRS_BT32standard.sbd

Within that file the following line sets the VU settings:
VU, 1833.465, 1833.465, 2291.831, 2291.831, .05, , , .25, 34.72225, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

You can go to the VU form and change the settings, they will be saved so they should be correct every time you start the machine after that.

Another (better) way to set up your machine is to use the FP command and navigate to the directory containing the setup files. In the open file dialog select "Default Config Files(*.sbd)" then select the file "ShopBot_PRS_BT32standard.sbd" and open it. That should make all the settings go to the correct default values for your machine.

As I have discussed elsewhere, I have personal preferences for other axis configurations and feel free to use other values in some places. At that point you should be running.

Otherwise Wil- welcome to the user community!

D

[wilbear]

Thanks
Brian and Dana
Your help will make it work and with the right values I can get to work making fun things. This toy is for my hobby and really not for work but I still want it to work like it should.
Thanks so very much
Wil

[dana_swift]

Wil, I'm quite happy to help as best I can. As to making fun things, your life is about to change in ways you scarcely imagine. My bot is for commercial use, but being the owner I feel pretty free to use it for personal things. Both last year and this year I made all my Christmas presents on it. That has been FUN! Stuff where the final quality control is somebody tearing the wrapping paper off the gift!

And once you have CNC you can make almost anything, and I am forever coming up with little doo-dads for the house, car, etc just because they are so easy to make. Now its just a matter of thinking of what I need. After that I just ponder it a while to see if I can come with anything better in the design.. then its off to building.

Most of the home projects now take about an hour to complete. No real impact on anything else. Things that pay get priority of course..

Let us know what you do with yours! And keep your eye on the projects directory where other people post their creations. Its just amazing and educational!

D