Board Size Can Be Exact

[bergerud]

Put in your board. Choose to measure the board. Record the size to the last decimal place. Without touching anything, pull out the card and run back to your computer. Make the board size of your project exactly as was measured and upload. Plug the card back in, go to project menu, and choose your project. The machine still remembers the board measurements and away you go with exactly the right size board.

I have not thought of a use for this - yet. I just thought it was interesting since we all fight with the board size thing.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Interesting.... Un Plugging the Card without turning off the machine.... And plugging the Card in while it is running.... Interesting... I would have thought the machine would have Crapped Itself...... ???

AL Who...

[bergerud]

It is like a thumb drive. The machine reads from it on boot and when loading files but otherwise it just sits there. Another one of those mistake discoveries. Opps the machine is still on!

[mtylerfl]

It is like a thumb drive. The machine reads from it on boot and when loading files but otherwise it just sits there. Another one of those mistake discoveries. Opps the machine is still on!

Sounds like this could be a useful tip. Very interesting...I was cautioned (albeit many years ago) to be sure the machine was turned off and the LCD gone blank to be certain, before removing or inserting the card. Perhaps you are right that it really doesn't matter. Good question for an LHR Tech, though!

Off Topic...Made me think of something going on with my four newest thumb drives (Sandisk brand). The darn things give me an error that I should "scan" the disk for errors everytime I plug them into a computer...any computer with Win 7. I searched for this issue and tons of folks are having the same warning - the consensus is to just ignore it and proceed (has worked fine so far for me too.) Did find where someone said that to prevent the problem is to use the "Safely Remove Device" icon in the task bar before unplugging the device. Made no difference for me - still recommends to "scan and fix"!

[bergerud]

I think as long as the machine computer is not trying to read or write to the card, it does not matter. If it was Microsoft it would be unsafe and you would hear about it!!

(What happens if you let windows go at the thumb drive? Maybe it will change what it does not like and be happy.)

[liquidguitars]

It is like a thumb drive. The machine reads from it on boot and when loading files but otherwise it just sits there. Another one of those mistake discoveries. Opps the machine is still on!



Normally when the card gets vibrated loose or the card goes bad during a carving it will give you a error and croak. Could be the new FW is not checking the card during the carve now I do not know...



pull out the card and run back to your computer.


I guess we need to ask the question why not just measure the board, turn off the CW and copy the size to Designer? :)

[mtylerfl]

...(What happens if you let windows go at the thumb drive? Maybe it will change what it does not like and be happy.)

I was hoping it would, too. A couple months ago, I did let it "scan and fix" one of the thumb drives...didn't make any difference, so I haven't tried it since. I have one lone computer that's still running Win XP Pro SP3 and that "scary" message doesn't come up (never has, in fact). Seems to happen only on my Win 7 systems for some reason.

I think you're probably right about the CW...if no files are being written to/from, seems it should be ok to remove or insert the card. (We should probably ask someone at LHR.)

The main concern the CW Techs have this time of year (as far as the memory cards) is static electricity "zapping" the cards (dry air). I was told every winter they have folks ruining their cards due to static when touching the card before dissipating the static from their bodies!

[bergerud]

"I guess we need to ask the question why not just measure the board, turn off the CW and copy the size to Designer?"

I you turn off the machine, you will have to measure the board again and the size will be different!

[Jeff_Birt]

This is a VERY bad idea. The memory card is NOT like a thumbdrive. The system is NOT designed to have it hot-swapped (i.e. plug/unplugged while powered up.) You are very likely to damage the memory card and/or your machine. (Just a warning, of course it is your machine so you are free to do what you want.)

The machine will generally measure to within 0.030", so there is not need trying to be more accurate than that. Measure your board with a tape measure, set your project in designer so it is just a hair smaller, and then tell the machine to center the project on the board.

[bergerud]

True, the card is not like a thumb drive, the machine knows not whether it is plugged in or not unless it reads or writes to it. It is not like the Windows system which is in a loop monitoring. As long as the machine is in limbo waiting, I do not believe there is any danger. Anyway, you miss the point. I posted this as a matter of interest only. Something interesting. Of course there is no reason to do it. Come on Jeff, lighten up.

[lynnfrwd]

It is not to be taken lightly. Turning on off on off is NOT a good idea!! Just like your computer, you don't turn it on off on off.

Just so everyone understands.


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[lynnfrwd]

And NEVER take card out powered on.


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[lynnfrwd]

Don't put in powered on either.


Sorry. Can't edit post on tapatalk or haven't figured out how.


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[Ike]

Opps I have inserted a card while it is on, but I always turn it off when I realize it was on. Instead of inserting the card while it is on since you took the time to measure the board. Turn off CW take out card and go to the computer and reload the project after you corrected and enter the exact measurements? Of course you need to save the mpc! For me it would be too much time for making signs, not to mention signs do not need to be exactly to size as a project does.

Interesting ideal though!

Ike

[bergerud]

That is all it was meant to be: an interesting idea. No one in their right mind (my mind may not be right!) would take a chance and do it since there is no real benefit from doing it. On the other hand, if there was a good reason to do it, I'll bet a detailed analysis of how the machine reads and writes to the card would show that, at certain times, it is safe.

Beware, just reading my posts may void your warranty!!

[liquidguitars]

Dan keep the ideas coming I think the forum has become a little more fun with your curiosity.

[Ike]

Lol I not saying I wouldn't try! I do everything *** backwards anyway! The thing with me is I use the scale to size and don't use the rollers! I just have the time to stop to change a board to the correct size nor to measure each board before designing a sign. Nor do I have the time during fair time to make each sign blanks the same size. I glue up my 2" scraps of old growth redwood to 8"to 12" blanks and try to make them true size. My 6" varies so in designer I set the width at 6". I also buy D grade second growth and it is dimensional lumber, so in designer I set it at 5.5" for a 6" on so on!

Now if I am making a project I follow the instructions including using the rollers. Still I am open to doing things are not status quo!

Ike

[liquidguitars]

Turning on off on off is NOT a good idea!! Just like your computer, you don't turn it on off on off.



I think she means don't turn it off during a carve. I turn the CW off then on before loading a new project to the machine, so if I have two carves one card I will reboot the CW for each run.


Then center



Also " Place on end" or "Place on cornor" works well 2.

[Ike]

Brandon, by placing on end does it speed up the carving? I never tried it. I know I have been worried a few times starting in the center and it carves a sign in the middle to the right and come back to the left. Then on the right would leave a letter half carved and when it was done on the left come back and finish the right! So I am wondering if it starts on end and carves completely from one end to the other?

Ike

[Kenm810]

Quote: -- Beware, just reading my posts may void your warranty!!

Already to late for me!! -- My Warranty ran out years ago, --- Ya can tell by the number of Doctor Bills I get each month :rolleyes:

[liquidguitars]

Brandon, by placing on end does it speed up the carving? I never tried it. I know I have been worried a few times starting in the center and it carves a sign in the middle to the right and come back to the left. Then on the right would leave a letter half carved and when it was done on the left come back and finish the right! So I am wondering if it starts on end and carves completely from one end to the other?

Ike

No not any faster its more for indexing the front of the sled, so if I mark a 6" line in Designer I get a 6" line on my sled part with no shifting...

starts at the back and moves forward.

[AskBud]

Brandon, by placing on end does it speed up the carving? I never tried it. I know I have been worried a few times starting in the center and it carves a sign in the middle to the right and come back to the left. Then on the right would leave a letter half carved and when it was done on the left come back and finish the right! So I am wondering if it starts on end and carves completely from one end to the other?

Ike
Ike,
It sound as if you are talking about centerline text.
Centerline, which is one of the "Vector" carves can be un-nerving to watch. Do not panic as it skips around appearing to miss part of a letter, or skipping it all together. The machine is fine! It will return and complete the process. I even have projects where I have assigned an edge route and Centerline text the same V-bit, where I see the CW do part of the text and then jump to the edge route, complete it, and then return to the text and finish the work.
AskBud

[Ike]

Thanks Brandon, I was thinking if it carved from one side to the other without skipping then it would be faster. I am not using a sled and I so dumb when it comes to other functions the CW can do! I just make signs! I have follow the instruction for the Lincoln bank for example and with my C CW the outer edge/ boarder is off. On the left side it is too thin, so I will figure it out one day!

Thanks again,

Ike

[Ike]

Thanks Bud I don't panic......anymore! I mostly use centerline, I was just wondering by starting on the edge would eliminate the letter skipping. I stop watching it as it carves unless I hear a noise that is not normal!

Ike

[liquidguitars]

I am not using a sled

Hi Ike, I only use sleds as the guitar wood I use is crazy but you could try it when you do two sided projects !

I been wanting to re cal one machine particulary as it carves procedurally longer than others.

Using a 17.75" long board with the machine x cal set to it's main default of 890.461 gave me a 17.691 readout, changed the Cal X to 887.086 and the machine measured 17.740" that fine as my shop is a little cold and it's Sunday hope this helps a little. I did not test the 3/8 sensor reset but hopfuly ALEX can run a test for us.

[mtylerfl]

Just ran a project today (next month's POM). Board was 28" long. After running the project, I measured how closely the carve was centered. It was off-center in x-axis (length) by a little less than .07", or a tad over 1/16". I'm still debating with myself, but I'm probably not going to do a recalibration.

[DickB]

Just ran a project today (next month's POM). Board was 28" long. After running the project, I measured how closely the carve was centered. It was off-center in x-axis (length) by a little less than .07", or a tad over 1/16". I'm still debating with myself, but I'm probably not going to do a recalibration.
When I was experimenting with the dust cap, I had an issue like this, but much worse. The dust cap base that I made had a cutout for the board sensor, but it was over 1/8" thick, and created a sort of shroud on one side of the sensor but not the other. This had the effect of moving the point at which the edge was detected by over 1/4". Made sense when I realized what was happening.

I suspect the kind of offset that you're seeing may be normal, and a re-calibration might not change it.

[bergerud]

I agree that I do not think calibration will fix MT's 1/16". Funny about the dust cap bracket. I made many different brackets and I never noticed any offsets caused by any of them. The first was thin aluminum and the rest were cast acrylic. On the dust shoe attempt, I even had it looking down a tunnel through a second window. I will have to check into this.