Tool Setter HOW TO!

I’ve spent the last 3 days stessing. To save you the same stresses I’m doing a write up on how to, since I couldn’t find the magic sequence. This assumes you have the hardware already wired.

On F1, under tool changer, manual tool change. This is your tool change position. Mine was in the middle of x forward y with z high


Save, save.

Auto tool zero:
Enable auto tool zero
Disable only auto tool when manually requested (this was where my error was for the past 3 days)


It’s your setter is located, the z safe distance is a rapid movement, then feedrate is self explanatory.

Have a file with multiple toolpaths & tool changes in it (see side note below).

After you home it’ll touch off the setter. Jog to and zero xyz with current tool. Doesnt matter what the tool is.

Initialize your gcode, see prompt, change to desired bit, it’ll touch off and proceed to tool path.

It does like to pause at several parts in several seemingly random spots in the sequence, and I don’t know why. My sample was just 2 squares with different toolpaths on 1 pass. The pause spot was the same, but I don’t know why it picked those spots.

Side note if you don’t uniqely number your tools in your CAD of choice, it won’t recognize that they were different and will proceed to the next tool path. You can label them as they will apper on the popup in the F4 screen, as long as the tool number there matches what your cad says.

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I have also been working on getting the tool setter setup in the Masso, I have a Chinese setter, the plunger type with two switches inside. I am able to get the tool setter switch to work good but the second switch is supposed to be setup to estop if triggered, I do not see an E stop option in the drop list for setting the input.
Anyway, I am able to home my machine, it then automatically goes to the tool setter and does its thing, goes down as set up and hits the switch , then goes up and stops, good right?
When I run a program with 3 tools it does the above, goes to origin then to begin cutting, finishes the first tool cutting , asks for a tool change, I make tool change, it does this then goes to part to machine, goes down a bit then I get a Z motor error.
I have my Z axis motor set to 0 as max and -6 as my min, I am nowhere close to exceeding these numbers.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Pat

Masso has some good information in their online manual, and CNCNutz has videos of this and other Masso related processes. As for the over travel wiring, there is no input. You need to add the switch to your E stop safety circuit.

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The problem i had was the information was for an older version and the newer version had options that weren’t discussed to include on the website as far as was seeing, or in the case of episode 017 he says after we set it up, it’ll do this… but he doesn’t say anything about what action he took to initiate the cycle. 10:45 was where I got lost

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It sounds like it’s good. After it touches with your initial tool, you do xyz zero with that tool.
When you hit start, it should go to your tool change location and initiate for you to insert your bit. Hit green button. Go to tool setter. Touch off and start the toolpath

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I also did not wire it how masso said.
It came pre-wired with a line to input 11 which is jumpered to merge with the probe wired into input 12. The jumpers go to power. The other lines go to ground

My Chinese toolsetter from Amazon had 4 wires
Masso says wire one to input X, another to cycle stop, and merge the last 2 with a 5.6k resistor and wire that to power. Cycle stop for me as input 2 i believe, but the reason you didn’t see it was it was already asigned

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I am still debating whether to add the over travel to the cycle stop, but at this time have not found a need or advantage over my E stop circuit. Being relatively new to machining, I tend to double and triple check everything. So as an example I always give my 3D probe a tap to see it activate, and since I have an ATC set up, the only time I use the tool setter is when adding a new tool which is relatively infrequent. As with the probe, I usually give the tool setter a small tap to ensure it is functioning.

Yes, i was able to get it to work with atc (see “my error”), depth stops or locking collets under F4… none of which apply for me.

I don’t understand how the logic of the cycle stop works. If it doesn’t hit your setter, it’ll keep going, but you’ll run out of z clearance or bury your bit into the setter (or both), and how is wiring something going to stop it before you run out of z travel.

Assuming a wire is loose and it misses the trigger point, which mine is like super sensitive. I would have liked to see it do some button action
Total travel is like 1/4". If it went like 1/16" before triggering that’d be what id like to see. I set it on the table and it triggered, it’s that touchy. I posted a video where i was hardly touching it and it was triggering

I ran the same program, it worked until i got to the 3rd tool this time then had the Z motor alarm again, I went into F1 and found the state for the Z motor alarm was high instead of low, changed it to low and all appears to be working now, this is the 3rd setting in F1 that was wrong from 1F, not sure what is going on.
Thanks for all your help
Pat

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Not sure what dust boot you use but I would like to find a low profile tool setter, the one I have is about 2" tall and the dust boot is an issue during tool changes.
Pat

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Your 3 steps ahead of me… i don’t even have a dust boot since pwncnc v7 doesn’t work with z20.

I can’t help with the motor alarm

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I purchased an EMG Sprite 10 as, at 43 mm tall, was the most compact quality setter I found.

I am not sure what you are describing as far as functionality and cycle stop. My setter triggers over travel after about 2 mm before it’s max 5 mm travel is reached.

I don’t know what you mean either with 2mm & 5mm.
I have long bits and short bits. Some 4" some 2" that’s including the portion that goes in the collet. How does it know it over traveled other than run out of z space to move.

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If we are talking about a tool setter with an added over travel circuit, like the Sprite 10 and similar, the tool offset circuit triggers almost immediately when the tool touches, then the safety over travel triggers after about 2 mm more z travel, which stops the machine well before the maximum 5 mm travel of the setter.

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Ok. I get it now. Yeah. Mine touches and immediately retracts, it also has a secondary switch but i couldn’t figure out how to test that since the the first switch activated it. At least i couldn’t find the magic combination to make it work. I’m assuming it’s the little metal that makes contact when depressed.

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Do you have a wiring diagram? How many wires does yours have? It is odd that both circuits are triggered by the first touch off - unless I am misunderstanding your description.

The guide i tried to use

I don’t know Chinese, but a commenter on Amazon figured it out.

This is where I’m at, but it works and that’s all i care about. I created this thread so other people can be saved of the frustration I was.

I only this morning did i discover that there’s already a resistor in there.

I was trying to make it plug n play and i was able to without the estop tie in

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Are you using the tool setter for both probing and tool length offset measure?

No. That’s how it came wired from Onefinity. I have a probe and know it’s seperate. I’m coming from shapeoko and have used both.

I don’t think you realize. I didn’t post to ask for help. I posted to offer solutions. It’s like your trying to troubleshoot after the fact.

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