need help on mach3 setup, i made a simple test from vcarve . i simple sign 5x6
well i set the home point of z on top the material zero all before start and the router bit 1/4 goes down on material hard. what am i doing wrong ???
on the tool-path i set the cutting depth of start at 0 and stop the flat depth at 0.2. the sign its an oval shape with letter stay up, i pocket around the letters. but when i hit start on mach3 the bit goes down from start and made the line.
the cut on the wood , its about 0.209 of inch
Where did you set your work offset in Vcarve? Also it is possible to be in an other work offset in mach3 (say g55) but your post calls G54 in the header.
Can you load the header of your code and we can double check that too
Ok, still learning the g - code so what’s g54 and where will be or not be… sorry
I did a search on the g - code file for the g54 55 nothing .
here part of the g-code
( X= 15.000, Y= 10.000, Z= 0.500)
()
(Toolpaths used in this file:)
(V-Carve [Pocket])
(Tools used in this file: )
(1 = End Mill {0.25 inch})
N100G00G20G17G90G40G49G80
N110G70G91.1
N120T1M06
N130 (Tool: End Mill {0.25 inch})
N140G00G43Z0.8000H1
N150S12000M03
N160(Toolpath:- V-Carve [Pocket])
N170()
N180G94
N190X0.0000Y0.0000F100.0
N200G00X-3.1297Y3.2039Z0.2000
N210G1X-3.1297Y3.2039Z-0.2000F30.0
N220G1X-3.1061Y3.2234Z-0.2000F100.0
N230G1X-3.1625Y3.2234Z-0.2000
N240G1X-3.1520Y3.1859Z-0.2000
N250G1X-3.1297Y3.2039Z-0.2000
N260G1X-3.0667Y3.1267Z-0.2000
N270G1X-2.9902Y3.1906Z-0.2000
N280G1X-2.9165Y3.2554Z-0.2000
N290G1X-2.8456Y3.3210Z-0.2000
N300G1X-2.7944Y3.3707Z-0.2000
N310G1X-2.8512Y3.3495Z-0.2000
N320G1X-2.8587Y3.3471Z-0.2000
N330G2X-2.9732Y3.3253I-0.1548J0.5008
@Mike_Gallo G54-G59 are work offsets that you can setup to have different work Zero predefined for working with jigs, fixtures etc. You could have G55 active and set zero but your program calls G54 in the start so that now you have changed to a new work offset that MAY have different offset values. Work offsetting is one of the harder things to get your head around as a new CNC programmer/setter but worth the effort. I don’t think this is the case looking at your Gcode.
You may have chosen the work bottom as zero in Vcarve and then touched off the top of the material.
feel free to email me your vcarve file and I can have a faster look if you want.
Sounds like your Z is possibly not staying energized so it’s dropping as soon as you start.
??, you mean the motor loosing power. I retest l8r , by homing all axis and check for the g54 code…
Thank tou.
Not losing power necessarily, there are usually settings for when a motor is powered. There is an option for “when moving” but that is not the correct one, you would need “when in cycle” or “always” but I’m not familiar with Mach3 so not sure where to set that.
@Jace_Richardson Mach3 tends to not turn the steppers off when it’s powered. I get the feeling it will be that the work offset in the CAM is different to the work offset at the machine. Common for new users as Mach3 work offsets are more like a milling machine controller rather than the cut back version in most open controllers.
@Mike_Gallo send me your vcarve file as it will be the fastest way for me to double check your issue as it could also be post processor related
Ok , so far I find out my router holder on the z axis got loose , I extend the back because the router clamp hit the screw that hold the v - wheel. The leadscrew colar got loose, a t-nut fastner got stock on the X axis track. I think happen when I plunge hard to the material. One more think on Mach3 I unselected the reverse homing of the Z axis. So the bit goes up while starts and then goes down. Now I need to learn how to change bit with out loose the original home point. My bit are different length.
That’s a 2 pass, one a 1/4 bit and the v90 bit. You can see I moved the coordinate xyz. 
https://plus.google.com/photos/108921378497443668729/albums/6557716163740829729/6557716166643794034
Got better, still need more understanding of the software.
Carved number backwards. Oopss, my Z axis have wrong step calibration . Wood it’s a .750 inch and I set the depth to 1.365 and was not enough to cut true , I broke apart by hand.
question: do i need to change something else on mach3 to carve a text in the right direction or i need to mirror on the CAM/CAD Software ???. i see many youtube video and no one say anything about flip or mirror text.
