For the past few days I have received the following error when using the probe with no settings changed. Has anyone else encounter this error message? the material I am probing on is 34mm thick.
When I probe a piece of wood that is 22mm it works just fine, Any ideas would be great as I have a ton of cutting boards to route out juice groves on.
My first started (which wasn’t that long ago) I would get a lot of those red x y and Z errors. In every case it was always one of 3 problems: I either set up the material incorrectly in VCarve or the bit was too short for the depth I was trying to cut or I had a previous file loaded when trying to probe Z.
I have deleted the previous files and even reset my machine configuration with the same results.
The depth was only 5mm so it could not be to deep for the Whiteside 1404 bit which leaves me with the setup in vcarve.
Let me double check my settings and get back to you.
Also thank you for your reply.
I’ve seen a similar message where the Z axis will go below the minimum soft limit but never the maximum. I’d assume it’s because you have the Z axis near the top and after it probes it will raise the Z up from the probe. In your case you’re so close to the top it’s giving you an error that when it tries to raise the bit after probing it can’t without hitting the limit.
I’d try a shorter bit or inserting the bit further into the collet so you have additional clearance.
I’ve had similar. I’ve been the cause, usually when at limits of 1F working area such that small variances kick in.
- Check your CAM zero position.
- Check CAM stock “extra”
- clamping or debris causing the stock to move slightly higher
I’ve cursed the machine but then had to apologise to it.
Check CAM for retract heights, Top heights etc. If using Fusion360 some some reference relatively to others adding to the height needed.
This is my first CNC machine and I am getting this similar error too. I am using a Whiteside 6210 1" Surfacing Bit on my spoilboard and I can’t get the Z to probe. I plug in the probe and once it is all connected I hit the Probe Z button and it comes back with “Test Probe Connection”, “Attach the probe to the magnet to the collet”, “Touch the probe block to the bit.” I won’t let me continue until I do those things. Once I touch the probe block to the bit I then click on “Continue”. That is when I get all my errors. Not sure what I am doing wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
You are working near the lower limit of the machine, probing Z assumes it may need to travel up to 25mm to eventually hit the probe even though your probe may be 5mm away, the controller doesn’t know. Try starting the probing cycle with the bit about 20mm above the block, it will take awhile to get to the block but it should work.
Alternately you can set it manually by lowering the bit till it just touches the spoil board zeroing it that way. You can also use a sheet of paper between the bit and the spoilboard.
1 Like
Are you lifting the block up with your hand to make it touch the bit or lowering the router to the block then leaving it there?
Jason,
The Whiteside 6210 is a very short bit. depending on the height that you installed the Z assembly the issue may be that the bit will not be able to reach the 0 position or the depth of your carve. After probing the software is determining that the bit will be outside of the limit. Have you installed the Z assembly in the highest position?
I use the 6210 and I found that I need to set my z assembly to the middle position. I have a .75 " MDF waste board on top of my table.
I hope that helps.
Mike
Actually thinking back to when I fist surfside my waste board I may have had to set the z assembly to the lowest position for that bit to reach the cut depth of the surfacing operation. I can not say for sure.
Mike
I think I figured it out, the 65mm held the router about 80mm from the bottom of the mount. My spindle sat lower thus the error message.
Here is what I did via pictures.
The 65mm mount with router attached
The 80mm mount with spindle attached and successful XYZ probing completed!!
I have not run a job yet because I just figured it out but I will after work tomorrow and report back!
Thank you. I definitely want to try getting this to probe the Z properly with the probe block. I will try different heights from the bit to the probe block. If I manually touch the bit to the waste board and set zero then there is no need to use the probe block? Thank you for all the help.
Hello Andy…
I have been leaving the probe block down and lowering the Z down to the probe block. Am I supposed to be raising the block to the bit?
Hi Mike. Thank you for your response. I am using 3/4" MDF that I am trying to surface. I also have my Z gantry set up in the middle. Maybe I should just scrap the idea of probing while using the surfacing bit and just zero the Z manually and only use the probe block when I am using other bits. I wish someone would do a new YouTube video showing the new probe block procedures using a surfacing bit. This is so frustrating.
Hi Jason,
If my theory is correct then I don’t think that it will help to zero out with paper. I am thinking that the short shaft of the bit causes the z assembly to bottom out before the bit will touch the waste board. To illustrate I have my Z assembly set in the middle position and I inserted my WS6210 bit. Notice in the attached pic that the Z assembly is bottomed out and the bit is still above the waste board. I don’t think that probing for a waste board is any different then if you were probing a project. When the 1F is homed it knows where the top of the z-travel is and it calculates the bottom. Then when you probe your waste board it calculates that the top of the waste board is below the reach of the bit and the error shows.
You may either need a longer bit or surface the waste board with the z assembly in the lower holes.
I hope that picture helps.
Mike