Calibrating axes.

[SteinarJohansen]

Hi, first of all i'm new to this forum and to UCCNC. Have been using Arduino but upgrading.Waiting for my AXBBE controller and looking at the software to UCCNC. Software setting is steps pr unit? How much is a unit? Is it metric?
I have steppemotor Nema 23 with 1.8 degree steps and run with 3200 steps pr. rev. The screw is pitch 5 mm. I need to know "steps per unit". What is 1 unit?

[appiuccnc]

Hi, first of all i'm new to this forum and to UCCNC. Have been using Arduino but upgrading.Waiting for my AXBBE controller and looking at the software to UCCNC. Software setting is steps pr unit? How much is a unit? Is it metric?
I have steppemotor Nema 23 with 1.8 degree steps and run with 3200 steps pr. rev. The screw is pitch 5 mm. I need to know "steps per unit". What is 1 unit?

Hello Steinar

As a new(ish) user I'll try to help.

UCCNC is very easy to setup - with a little learning curve behind you. You don't really need to calculate steps, pitch...... as when you run a calibration UCCNC askes you have far you want to move in units and you measure the movement and input that movement number. the number ( units )is either mm OR inches, I'm using mm's but I think it is the same in inches, if you tell it to move 10 ( inches ) and it moves 1/2 an inch you input .5.

UCCNC works out all the mechanical variable for you, I recently calibrated a 4th ( rotary ) axis and was dreading doing it, using a digital level, it couldn't have been easier. same for the linear axes I have done.

Years ago I was using Mach 2 then 3, I don't know if Mach4 is any better but back then setting an axis was a tedious process, UCCNC isn't hard or tedious.

Best regards

Ed

[ger21]

How much is a unit? Is it metric?
I have steppemotor Nema 23 with 1.8 degree steps and run with 3200 steps pr. rev. The screw is pitch 5 mm. I need to know "steps per unit". What is 1 unit?

UCCNC works in whatever units you want. If you do your CAD/CAM in mm's, and your g-code is in mm's, then steps/unit is steps/mm.
It's basically whatever units your g-code uses.

[wmgeorge]

This is the only motion control program that I have used that does not have a Metric or Imperial setup choice, including my lasers, why? All my old Mach3/4 files are in Inches, so when I would try to run in UCCNC they all need to be converted to MM? Or do I use a G20 to make sure the controller knows these are Inch files not Metric. Units of MM are much different than Units of Inches.

Ready to dump Mach4 because of the Homing and Limit issues I am having but I am not prepared to lose all my old work.

[ger21]

Just setup two profiles, one for metric, and one for inches.

[wmgeorge]

So to change over to Inches just use the Calibrate to equal One Inch and then Save as a Inches Profile? Never used Calibrate before.

[Delco]

This is the only motion control program that I have used that does not have a Metric or Imperial setup choice, including my lasers, why? All my old Mach3/4 files are in Inches, so when I would try to run in UCCNC they all need to be converted to MM? Or do I use a G20 to make sure the controller knows these are Inch files not Metric. Units of MM are much different than Units of Inches.

Ready to dump Mach4 because of the Homing and Limit issues I am having but I am not prepared to lose all my old work.

To be honest it is not good practice to use code generated for a different system on your current system , easy to regenerate with the proper UCCNC post processsor.

[wmgeorge]

This is the only motion control program that I have used that does not have a Metric or Imperial setup choice, including my lasers, why? All my old Mach3/4 files are in Inches, so when I would try to run in UCCNC they all need to be converted to MM? Or do I use a G20 to make sure the controller knows these are Inch files not Metric. Units of MM are much different than Units of Inches.

Ready to dump Mach4 because of the Homing and Limit issues I am having but I am not prepared to lose all my old work.

To be honest it is not good practice to use code generated for a different system on your current system , easy to regenerate with the proper UCCNC post processsor.

Yes your right, instead of messing around with the Inches conversion I will do as you suggested, thanks again!