I am trying to learn (and teach) LW3, but on two machine the mouse disappears when entering the graphics subwindow then shows up when over the grid as a gun sight reticle. I can import gcode files but it’s interpreted as mm instead of inches. Zooming in I see the super large reticle moves when anywhere over the entire window, not just in the graphic subwindow. I can deal with it but I cannot teach it this way, they get really confused and frustrated.
I still have problems getting good results on this k-40 laser and may still have hardware issues.
A simple SVG (from Inkscape) seems to go into processing… forever as does DXF and STL. I get a TAB for the SVG but it never shows anything, like all the vector formats, except gcode and bitmaps.
Hope this helps you see this from the user view so we can get more people using it. Some of our clients will eventually be able to help with funds if we can get results that they can use. This has been a rough ride so far and taken much more time than I thought but I really like the potential and want to help. I have made nothing and in fact lost quite a bit on this so far, but I believe this is important work. Please continue to improve it so middle school kids can be taught how to use it in our STEAM program sometime next year after we get the CNC program going. I have to teach this stuff to the shop teachers, help design the program and support them once they begin teaching the classes next year. Thanks for you hard work, it has the potential to help a lot of people.
@Steve_Anken i believe you should open an issue case on LW github. That way we can help you spet by step including pictures and so on since gplus is not suitable for that. Be sure that youll receive answer to all your questions. Please follow this link and press the green icon " new issue "
I got some Gcode loaded using Artcam to make mm files but it just sits and burns on long up Z moves used for normal clearance on CNC files.
G1Z6.250F800.1
This spindle speed setting was also in the file and not sure what Smoothie does with it. I wish I had some test files with known output images for different settings.
G0X0.000Y0.000S20000M3
I cut some DXF files an that was working really nice except it does not seem like full power for this thing. It burns when it’s at 20mm and at 100 it is not cutting deep at all at full power.
Anyway, let me set this up so I can post the images and get some help and maybe help others. The DXF was really amazing to see cutting such fine details so fast and the potential is worth this effort to get all this working properly.
BTW, I got wonderful results from DXF files tonight. It’s a beautiful thing to watch it and hear those musical motor sounds I am so used to on CNC mill. This has so much potential and worth the effort. Once we get going and he makes some money I will ping him to hit that support button. We plan on getting you more users and being this responsive is really gong to help. Tomorrow I can show him you posted a fix already and I am sure that will help.
It is hard to explain non traditional funding. We did a decade of teaching at a small Island school in the Bahamas and had to constantly do fund raising. What is sad is that your work, and others like you, should be supported because it can impact so many people. It has a great multiplier effect which I hope will turn into a way for more folks like you to make a living. The timing looks good and non techie people seem to be much more willing to go down the Open Source direction. In the 90s it was almost impossible to get any schools or small businesses to even consider Open Source. Apple and Microsoft reps are on the tech adviser boards of all the school districts.
As for the hours you work… you’re young, or at least your image looks it. Enjoy having that energy as long as you can. I worked full time and studied classical guitar for years putting in so many hours of practice and study for classes that I fell asleep in 7 am theory class number of times, but it was OK since I was also tutoring the slower students privately for my prof at the time and she knew I was well ahead of the class at that time.
Got this from an artcam DXF. Winding direction maybe? This is a great work path from ArtCAM to DXF and laser cut. I am getting excited about what we can do with this tool.
Opps, in a text sample from artcam the text came in reversed and the holes now to the right. I flipped ONLY the text outline and the text reversed and the hole moved so it looks correct so it looks like a winding issue.