#linuxcnc Logs
Jul 12 2025
#linuxcnc Calendar
03:40 AM lcnc-relay: <travis_farmer@> Morning
04:57 AM Deejay: hi
06:16 AM Tom_L: morning
10:14 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
10:34 AM lcnc-relay: <roguish> good morning....
10:35 AM lcnc-relay: <roguish> well, forecast mid 80's today. yesterday 97, Thur was 99
10:39 AM fluffywolf: way, way too hot.
10:39 AM fluffywolf: it's supposed to hit 59F here today, which at least is only mildly too hot.
10:41 AM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> 80% huminity...
10:41 AM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> here
10:42 AM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> it is gross
10:43 AM fluffywolf: 95% here.
10:44 AM fluffywolf: https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/KEKA I like how on the 10 day tab, humidity is basically a horizontal line at the top of the graph...
10:45 AM lcnc-relay: <roguish> fluffywolf: my weather station https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KCAWALNU149
10:47 AM fluffywolf: my weather station hasn't worked in a few years... the old nslu2 (did I say old?) talking to it went non-responsive, and since both the anemometer and the rainfall thingy had failed already, never fixed it...
10:50 AM fluffywolf: at some point I'll buy a new weather station, pull down the pole and mount it, run new cables, set up a rpi to talk to it, .... but that's like a full weekend of projects and a couple hundred bucks, and I have time for about two minutes of projects and two bucks...
10:53 AM lcnc-relay: <roguish> fluffywolf: mine is an Ambient, WS-2000. https://ambientweather.com/
10:54 AM lcnc-relay: <roguish> works good, no problems for years now
10:54 AM lcnc-relay: <roguish> no wires needed
10:55 AM fluffywolf: I'm inside a farady cage; wires are always needed. heh.
10:56 AM fluffywolf: (mobile home)
11:15 AM fluffywolf: do they require an internet connection? googling suggests they do, but I'm not finding a definitive answer. I want my data entirely local, no "cloud".
11:34 AM fluffywolf: lol, a reddit post suggests the cheapest weather station is a rtlsdr box, an antenna, and finding which of your neighbors already has one. :)
11:38 AM fluffywolf: I shall need to be observant on a walk around the neighborhood. :)
11:56 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
12:08 PM Unterhaus__ is now known as Unterhausen
12:19 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> https://photos.app.goo.gl/d3JRcUNsxgEvKDWP9
12:23 PM JT-Shop: new machinist?
12:25 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> Starting.. making tree house parts
12:25 PM JT-Shop: cool
12:36 PM fluffywolf: when I was a kid, the only treehouse tools I had was a hand saw and a hammer!
01:02 PM lcnc-relay: <roguish> fluffywolf: the Ambient weather station does not need internet, unless you want to join their network. it's sort of like Weatherunderground. no internet needed just for regular operation
02:00 PM pere: Is there a way to get the Z maximum value for the current machine, ie AXIS_Z/JOINT_2 MAX_LIMIT from within a G-code program, for example using a named or numbered paramter?
02:07 PM Tom_L: i think that may be possible with flexgui
02:08 PM Tom_L: pull the parameter from the ini, store it to a numbered parameter and then it's available
02:08 PM Tom_L: there might be a simpler way but that was my first thought
02:08 PM pere: thanks. #<maxz> = #<_ini[axis_z]max_limit> seem to do the trick.
02:09 PM lcnc-relay: <roguish> pere: I don't see the max/min in the parameters explicitly... https://linuxcnc.org/docs/2.8/html/gcode/overview.html#_parameters
02:10 PM lcnc-relay: <roguish> so your .ini reference is best
02:10 PM Tom_L: i originally had stored my subroutine parameters in an ini section
02:11 PM pere: I'm working on a tool height measuring subroutine, and want to move to the top of the workspace before moving around, to avoid hitting any workpiece.
02:11 PM lcnc-relay: <roguish> good idea
02:13 PM Tom_L: some of those things are harder to find in flex but i recall using them early on
02:13 PM Tom_L: in the docs..
02:21 PM Tom_L: [AXIS] and [JOINT] both have MIN_LIMIT MAX_LIMIT
02:24 PM Tom_L: The [JOINT_N]MIN_LIMIT/MAX_LIMIT settings are enforced while jogging in joint mode prior to homing. After homing, [AXIS_L]MIN_LIMIT/MAX_LIMIT coordinate limits are used as constraints for axis (coordinate letter) jogging and by the trajectory planning used for G-code moves...
02:24 PM Tom_L: it goes on
02:24 PM Tom_L: if it matters when to use which one
02:26 PM xxcoder: workshop tetris menioned in yorkshire lol
02:26 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> G53 moves?
02:26 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> because if any offsets are applied...
02:27 PM Tom_L: me? i think the limits are world coordinates
02:27 PM Tom_L: (G53)
02:28 PM Tom_L: there was an old issue cited in that note
02:29 PM Tom_L: 2016?
02:30 PM Tom_L: http://linuxcnc.org/docs/stable/html/config/ini-config.html#sub:ini:sec:joint-num
02:34 PM Tom_L: work offsets still have to fit inside the world coord box
02:36 PM Tom_L: pere, i think for your purpose using the [AXIS] limits would be best since it must be homed to do what you're doing
02:38 PM pere: aha. I never quite understood the joint/axis separation.
02:39 PM Tom_L: i never gave it much thought until you asked
02:39 PM Tom_L: i've always just set them both the same
02:41 PM JT-Mobile: Yo
02:48 PM pcw---home: Ugg that was gruesome, found a cat leg in the driveway...
02:48 PM xxcoder: ew
02:48 PM pcw---home: Picked clean except the paw
02:50 PM pcw---home: Luckily was not our neighborhood cat, maybe dropped by a bird, spooky though
02:50 PM JT-Mobile: Damn
02:50 PM JT-Mobile: Eagle?
02:50 PM pcw---home: Maybe
02:50 PM xxcoder: likely I would say. eagles do hunt cats
02:52 PM pcw---home: We used to have coyotes around but expect that they would eat the bones, and have not seen any for a couple years
02:53 PM pcw---home: I did measure the 7I95T mounting holes and they are just where the are shown in the manual (at least as close as I can check with a dial caliper)
03:02 PM JT-Mobile: Did someone question the location of the holes
03:03 PM xxcoder: yeah
03:05 PM Tom_L: le_potato did
03:05 PM xxcoder: pretty amazing yorkshire video lol
03:05 PM Tom_L: i assume his metric ruler wasn't calibrated
03:19 PM pcw---home: It was possible that there was an error since the drawing is actually of a 7I95 not a 7I95T, but the component placement of the 7I95T was just copied from the 7I95.
03:43 PM pere: Will G30 include tool offset set by G43 when moving to a given position? The documentation is a bit unclear.
04:21 PM Tom_L: it's supposed to
04:21 PM Tom_L: :)
04:23 PM Tom_L: i suggest you test it carefully
04:26 PM Tom_L: read G28 and compare them
04:26 PM Tom_L: G28 X0 Y0 Z0 will go to 'world' or 'machine' home
04:27 PM Tom_L: neither G28 nor G30 are incremental
04:28 PM Tom_L: then compare those to G53
04:29 PM Tom_L: G53: It is an error if: or G53 is used while cutter compensation is on.
04:30 PM pere: I could not find a way to get correct Z height, so I ended up with G53 G0 X#5181 Y#5182.
04:30 PM Tom_L: although G43 isn't quite the same as G41..42
04:31 PM Tom_L: G53 is a safer bet since it will move from the 'homed' position set as 0
04:31 PM Tom_L: G53 Z-1 will move 1 unit down from zero
04:36 PM pere: thanks.
04:36 PM Tom_L: the tool table numbers can throw you too
04:37 PM Tom_L: afik it's a measurement from machine zero down
04:42 PM Tom_L: For example G53 G0 X0 Y0 Z0 will move the axes to the home position even if the currently selected coordinate system has offsets in effect.
04:48 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> pcw---home: do you know if there is a hal driver for the emc1 board from tormach>
04:48 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I think I have asked that before. I guess I could email tormach
04:48 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> For linuxcnc
04:49 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> The tree is slightly less than 2ft where the floor mount is going to be. SO my 3ft of 1 inch all thread should work great.
04:50 PM pcw---home: It should work without a special driver (The driver will complain but should work)
05:17 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> oh! ok!
05:17 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I just saw a linuxcnc thread that was erroring. I will try it.
05:17 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> thanks
05:27 PM pcw---home: It would probably be fairly trivial to add the support (but it's not critical, just pin name messages in the log)
07:54 PM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
07:56 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I will give it a try
07:56 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> (I want to try latest linuxcnc plasma setup with the tormach hardware)
08:02 PM pcw---home: Yeah, if you run into any trouble, I can probably fix it.
08:08 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> Thank you
08:18 PM Tom_L: gonna do some more fancy corrugated metal cutting?
08:18 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> no - I need to make some bracket for the tree house. I may just free hand it . I don't know yet.
08:19 PM Tom_L: i thought sully was in charge of fabrication...
08:19 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> LOL
08:19 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> he is a bit afraid of the plasma
08:20 PM Tom_L: gotta respect something that bites back
08:20 PM synfinatic_ is now known as synfinatic
08:21 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> https://photos.app.goo.gl/8UMfzWDgy1GCGLko7
08:21 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I need to make up some weldments out of maybe 1/8ish metal for the stuts and such. and then some out of 1/4 inch
08:21 PM xxcoder: interesting. also whats that box thiny in back?
08:22 PM Tom_L: is that the frame for the treehouse?
08:22 PM xxcoder: solar power?
08:22 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> yes - something I started in highschool and never finished.
08:22 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> 120 1ftX1ft mirros
08:22 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> mirrors
08:22 PM Tom_L: mmm you've mentioned that before i think
08:23 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> yes
08:23 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoVhDQlU38M
08:24 PM xxcoder: I bet it would work well as heat power gen yeah
08:25 PM xxcoder: I would add laser calibrator somehow
08:26 PM xxcoder: aim to center of mirror, then adjust mirror till return light is aimed correctly
08:26 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> I was (in the back of my head) thinking of some 3d printed assemblies that hold a mirror and are all synced together...
08:27 PM xxcoder: of course sun is always free, so I guess cover all mirrors but one a time to adjust
08:27 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> yah = that was kinda the thought - but I think I found girls at the time and never got back to it.
08:27 PM xxcoder: lol
08:28 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> at this point - I wish I wouldn't have.. (other than the kids are awesome)
08:29 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> side note.. Our daughter is working for my ex at her coffee shop.. She is so impressed at how well she works and today she was telling the actual workers what to do... (she is 12)
08:30 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> so maybe I am raising her right....
08:30 PM xxcoder: nice
08:30 PM Tom_L: sounds like it
08:30 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> (the kids have been with me for the last 6 years)
08:30 PM xxcoder: I was pretty smart as kid. too bad I lost most of it by now
08:33 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> why was step - bridged to dir -?
08:33 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> on mesa board i have to wire separate, right?
08:34 PM Tom_L: probably so
08:35 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/970073761770512384/1393764964149235872/20250713_021306.jpg?ex=68745c46&is=68730ac6&hm=f48ed6d45c649a9175ff2dff076d52831c046577d70b80fc8a08eeb601e22c6f&
08:35 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> are these good drivers or should i trash them
08:35 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> or at stepper doesnt matter that much
08:37 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> with old driver mine stepper cant do that microstep that requested
08:37 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> im not sure whats problem
08:37 PM xxcoder: switches on driver need to match configurtion
08:37 PM xxcoder: otherwise dunno
08:38 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> maybe mach3 cant control it that good
08:39 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> its direct drive, maybe belt drive better
08:39 PM xxcoder: whats microstepping set to?
08:39 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> if i use gear ratio like 2:1 or 4:1
08:39 PM xxcoder: if microstepping is too high, some steppers cant do it
08:40 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> Z 1600
08:40 PM xxcoder: 1600 microsteps sounds impossible
08:41 PM xxcoder: its not power of 2 for example
08:41 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> really
08:41 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> XY on more
08:41 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> thats on 6400
08:42 PM xxcoder: thats distance, which is pretty different
08:42 PM xxcoder: https://www.linearmotiontips.com/microstepping-basics/
08:43 PM xxcoder: keep in mind it only adds precision up to a point, as it would draft a little on too high microstep setting
08:43 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> i mean this is steps/rev
08:44 PM xxcoder: yes that is the base, most steppers is 200 steps per rev by default
08:44 PM xxcoder: drivers you can set to 1 to (insane) 256 microstep
08:44 PM xxcoder: most drivers max out at 128
08:45 PM Tom_L: do you know the step timing for the drivers?
08:45 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> china
08:45 PM xxcoder: thats something good to know also
08:46 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> so Z is 8 and XY is 32 microstep
08:46 PM Tom_L: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?Stepper_Drive_Timing
08:47 PM xxcoder: tom thats nice list
08:47 PM xxcoder: hey it even has crap driver tb6600 on it
08:49 PM xxcoder: 32 microstep not too sure if that's fine, unless it was default from machine youre working on
08:50 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> doesnt looks like its worked properly...
08:50 PM xxcoder: im not expert so dunno
08:50 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> i see chinese vs chinese board. Nice info, ty!
08:50 PM xxcoder: tom is gold
08:51 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> 3d stepper drivers are better?
08:52 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> higher voltage / higher current helps?
08:56 PM xxcoder: im only very vaguely know those. more can improve, better torque and such but also can cook stepper and driver. theres certainly limits but I cant begin to tell you how to find out on those.
09:12 PM Tom_L: https://anaheimautomation.com/blog/post/stepper-driver-guide
09:35 PM xxcoder: very nice
09:37 PM Tom_L: most of ours are chopper drivers
09:38 PM fluffywolf: higher voltage increases acceleration and top speed, but only slightly motor heat. higher current increases torque and motor heat. good drivers don't run at full current all the time, reducing heat.
09:38 PM Tom_L: you can drive the motor with a higher current over a shorter period
09:40 PM Tom_L: same idea they do with tv remote ir leds. overdrive them in pulses
09:40 PM Tom_L: or at least they used to
09:40 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> I feel that experience is worth more than this 200-page document.
09:42 PM flyback: https://youtu.be/9kul1zlF3UE?t=288 <--- CHECK out this laser heatpipe sealer, so cool!
09:44 PM fluffywolf: I need to reduce the current limit on my quill stepper... last time I whoopsed it, I pressed the bearings out of the quill drive gears. lol
09:44 PM fluffywolf: (i.e. it has waaaaay too much torque)
09:44 PM Tom_L: my drivers are good for 7A but i set them at 3.5 iirc
09:45 PM fluffywolf: mine are 10; I don't remember what I have them set to. I think full 10 on x and y and 5 or so on quill. but quill has a worm reduction box and needs much less torque.
09:45 PM Tom_L: i have the mill sitting on my steel work table with a vise mounted to it
09:45 PM fluffywolf: while x and y are 2:1 belt drive and need much more torque.
09:45 PM Tom_L: one time i got too close to the vise with X and it just pushed the mill over
09:46 PM fluffywolf: quill needs to be lowered to like 1A. heh.
09:46 PM Tom_L: my XY are direct and Z is 3:1
09:47 PM Tom_L: probably wouldn't need to be
09:48 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> hm, maybe i need that too
09:48 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> i mean, mine is same, lol
09:48 PM Tom_L: http://tom-itx.no-ip.biz:443/~webpage/cnc/Mill_Steel/Assembly/Z_Motormount4.jpg
09:48 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> same as mine
09:49 PM lcnc-relay: <.le_potato@> xy is 7A Z is 12A
09:49 PM Tom_L: i have pulleys for 2:1 if i ever wanna try it
09:49 PM Tom_L: your mill is alot heavier than mine
09:51 PM fluffywolf: mine is a chinese lathe/mill combo, and I have very overkill steppers and drivers on it.
09:51 PM fluffywolf: big nema34 steppers about 7" long.
09:52 PM xxcoder: there is no overkill. just open fire and reload time
09:52 PM fluffywolf: 65V power supply
09:53 PM xxcoder: well I suppose if your stepper can spin the entire lathe around, it might be overkill 🙃
09:53 PM fluffywolf: xxcoder: as I said, when I crashed the quill, it pressed the bearings out of the housing. lol
09:54 PM xxcoder: lol
09:59 PM fluffywolf: I was sick of slow rapids on my sherline, so I built this one for speed. I might switch to 1:1 instead of 2:1 on the drives for more speed, since I have plenty of torque. but there's more pressing projects, like turning the pile of neatly cut aluminum sheet that's been sitting in my kitchen (I don't even remember why it's in there) for a couple years into an enclosure for the electronics...
10:00 PM xxcoder: hopefully by time you use it, you will remember what its for and order another sheet
10:00 PM fluffywolf: no, it's all pre-cut to the sizes needed to build the enclosure, complete with brackets and everything. I just don't remember why it's in my kitchen. lol
10:31 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> https://photos.app.goo.gl/8yHejs6B4uoH7NxP7
10:32 PM xxcoder: ribbons!
10:32 PM xxcoder: danger ribbons lol
10:35 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> They were perfectly all the same length
10:36 PM xxcoder: I guess it was stressed enough to break at same point
10:36 PM xxcoder: probably its own weight
10:37 PM Tom_L: or came to the end of the cut
10:37 PM lcnc-relay: <skunkworks8841@> First though I had to grab some hardened shaft that created some red shavings .