Re: probing

[Jon Elson <jmelson-at-artsci.wustl.edu>]

Dan Falck wrote:

> The August binary release seems to work well on my Mandrake 7.0
> machine.  I have the control connected to my Techno Isle router
> (getting over 100 ipm with the tiny steppers that came with it- will
> run it harder to find it's limits later) and plan on doing a bunch of
> carving and inlay work with it.  Now my question is -  has anyone
> tried the probing routine out?  Will, can you enlighten us on it's
> use?

Probing?  As in using the CNC machine as a mediocre CMM to digitize
parts?
I didn't know this had been added, but I would sure like to see
documentation
for that, too!  I'd also like to know as much about it as possible, in
case there might
be any changes to my parallel port motion control project that would
help it work
better!

The best way I envision doing this is a touch probe that has an encoder
in it.  Something like mounting a dial indicator in the machine spindle
and
adding the probe reading plus the Z axis position to get part height at
that XY location.  This should be much faster than a simple contact/no
contact
probe, where at each XY location you have to lift up and bring down
until
the contact closes.  With a probe like I describe above, the machine's
Z axis only needs to move enough to keep the probe within its limits
of travel.

Or, is this like a tool probe on a turning center, to set the X and Z
offsets?
Perhaps, it could do both.

Jon