This one is probably pretty easy for you folks...

[rob_jones]

I'm up and running for the first time and decided to try some text to carve. I had a piece of plywood 8.5" x 6", so in Part Wizard, I opened a new file with those dimensions. I put in a name and an ellipse around it, all within the page boundaries. I created cut files for the text, then for the oval.
I clamped my piece down with 2" spring clamps, Zz to top surface and Z(2) to the correct corner. Flip the router on and hit go. The router proceeds to cut with my brand new v-bit through the clamp, breaking the bit tip. It was going to carve the whole thing to some larger scale. (More like 10" wide) I put a large piece of plywood in and just let it do it's thing and the proportions were correct, just a little larger.
Any Suggestions?

[harryball]

You might want to practice with foam and double back tape like I did when I first setup mine.

Next, get in the habit of ALWAYS zeroing to the material top OR machine bed and don't mix techniques until you get some more experience. Otherwise you'll be carving up your machine bed at some point.

You should verify that your unit values are correct and do a short test. Measure on the gantry rail how far your x car is from the end of the rail and make a note. Then do a MX 12 and let the X gantry move to where it thinks 12" is then check it. So if your gantry was at 4" and you MX 12 you should now be 16" from the end. Try moving out to 24" and 36" etc... on X and verify the correct movement. Then MX 0 and repeat the process using jogs i.e. JX 12 etc... to make sure your jogging is accurate as well. Then repeat all this on the Y axis.

Start with small moves (12" or less) and work your way up noting that everything is working properly and your X motors are not moving at different rates etc... Once all that is done you can move on to verifying your square etc...

Good luck and keep us posted.

Robert

[rob_jones]

Come to think of it, when I first set everything up, I tried using the keypad to move around the table and I remember seeing 18" when I reached the edge of the table that should have been 24" and it didn't register with me as something being wrong because I assumed I was just Green.
If this is in fact the case, how do I correct it?

[rob_jones]

Oh, wait, I just searched for "unit values wrong" in the forum and got my question answered. I'll go see if that works.

[harryball]

Wrong unit values will get you every time. Let us know what you find out.

Robert

[rob_jones]

Still grumbling... After searching extensively through my Shopbot 3-ring binder I found a reference in troubleshooting for the command UR. So I looked on the list of shopbots to find mine and it appears it is not on it. The only two files for a benchtop are an alpha and a standard, so I chose the standard and the numbers are off. ie, 18" along the Y when it is supposed to be 24". The binder says that if the number is off, the correct numbers are in the stuff shopbot sent me but I can't find it anywhere. I'm still looking in the forums too. This is a new "Buddy" system. I also tried reloading the software but I still only have two benchtop options.
Rob

[zeykr]

Put in a call to shopbot tech support and leave a message - they often will call back on weekend when they check the messages.

Buddy is pretty new, so may be that if it has different values due to different ratios no one here will know them.

[fleinbach]

Robert,

What type Shopbot do you have? here is the unit values for 3 different models. The first is for a PRS Alpha, The second is a PRS Standard and the third is for a PRT Bench Alpha. You can select them with the UR command or just select VU and type them in. Also make sure your resolution Multiplier matches.



7614


7615


7616


7617

[rob_jones]

I have the PRS Standard Benchtop. What threw me off is the "Benchtop" I was looking for my table dimensions in the list and only saw benchtop. What I ended up doing was layed a 36" ruler on my table and zeroed the X axis at zero on the ruler. I then Jogged X to 30" on the ruler, dived 30" by what the screen said and got a factor of 1.25. I divided the current unit value by this and got 1833.465. I set x and y to this and they measured fine. My z was okay by measuring with my digital calipers at the edge of the table.
So I've done a couple text things today and I tried this 3d file too. Thank you for your help. I appreciate having a place to ask questions and someday I hope to be one with answers for someone else.
7618