Scan probe very aggressive

[FWMiller]

I received my new scanning probe a few days ago, got a sled made and scanned a couple simple items just to see how it worked. I was a bit surprised at how aggressive this scanner is. It goes to town like a little jackhammer and I was really anticipating it to be a somewhat delicate operation. The first thing I scanned was a brand new quarter and when it was done it looked like I took some 80 grit sandpaper to it. I next tried one of the kids plastic hamburger buns since I figured no harm in scratching it and sure enough it scratched that pretty well too. I can't imagine putting anything under this scanner that I want unharmed. I will order a set of the protective tips but they don't look like they will maintain the promised accuracy of the probe. I've also seen posts showing folks using the model glue tips but they look pretty wide and blunt as well. Any experience on the resolution achievable with the protective tips? I guess I will need to create a mold and plaster replicas of anything I want to scan with fine detail. It really would have made sense for the firmware to give the user an option to slow this thing down for delicate surfaces at the expense of longer scanning times.

Also, the plastic bun seemed to give the probe problems. Not sure if it was the steep sides. Overall the item is about an inch high. The scanning stopped maybe 10 times during the scan and gave the message "check probe". If I wiggled the probe a little and hit enter it would go back to scanning. Most of the time it seemed to do this when going up the sides or near the middle. It also periodically paused like it was going to stop but only raised the probe up to the top in the z-direction before going back down and continuing.

Frederick

[fwharris]

What quality setting were you scanning these at? Just like carving you do have several quality setting for scanning, the lower the setting the faster the truck will move and the step over rate is larger. The default is normal and if you use the arrow button you can select different options depending on the detail of the object you are scanning. For your bun I would probably go with the normal or maybe best as it have very little detail. For the quarter I would of used the highest setting.

I thought the same thing about the protective tips distorting the detail but found that in most cases it did not.

[FWMiller]

I did normal on the bun and highest for the quarter. The quarter did not work well as the detail is too fine for the probe to detect. It just scanned like a flat disc. The quality settings did not change the speed that the truck moved in the z direction or how hard the probe hits the target. It only changed the step size in x and y. The scratches are the same, just spaced further apart.

[chief2007]

Scanning Probe tips

If you don't have these get some- here is the link http://store.carvewright.com/product.php?productid=18943&cat=284&page=1

You can also use glue tips as an alternative - http://www.amazon.com/Testor-Corp-8805-Glue-Tips/dp/B0006MZOPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395069068&sr=8-1&keywords=glue+tips

This should eliminate the scratches

[ChrisAlb]

Curious...what software version and machine are you using? I've scanned many, many things including coins and delicate jewelry and never saw the items "scratched" at all. Never used any plastic tips either. Something has to be wrong I'd think. Now I'm using the original machine (A .. I guess?) original chuck and the 1.8 software. If this is a result from all the "newer" stuff, I'll never upgrade. :confused:

[FWMiller]

I'm using 1.187 and have a version A machine. I've got a set of the probe tip covers and have done one scan since. The probe tip covers as shipped slid too far up they probe and interfered with they probe operation. I had to sand down the top until it allowed the probe to make its full range of motion. I'm still very unimpressed with the overall product performance. I can't get through with a single scan without the machine stopping multiple times with a check probe error. If I wiggle the probe and hit enter it continues on with the scan. But I have to sit and babysit the machine otherwise I can't finish a scan. Definitely disappointed. I've been too busy to get around to calling LHR and see if there's anything they can do but will before the warranty expires. At least I'm getting some use out of the pattern editing software.

[ChrisAlb]

We have the same setup then. Apologies for above, I meant the 1.187 version not 1.8.. :oops: .lol
Yeah I would definitely call them. I have to say I simply love the probe and the way it scans. No tips, great detail, never harmed the object being scanned and I set it and forget it until done. Hmmm...curious.

[cestout]

I have never had scratches from scanning, but at the moment I am scanning a couple of borrowed humming birds, so I am using some glue tips I got a while back. Haven used them before so I don't know how it will come out.
Clint

[ronboley]

I've scanned several objects of different materials and my probe is aggressive as well. I haven't tried plastic tips yet but plan to...the probe metal tip on mine leaves most materials looking like it was attacked with a tattoo gun. Wood finishes are picked off, plaster casts are left with rows of dot patterns across them and any material not hard steel or stone are degraded by the probe. I usually use the pattern editor to smooth the scans anyway so the carving is not particularly effected, but I could be loosing fine detail. I thought it was the nature of the beast but maybe some are more aggressive than others???

[jaroot]

I've only used our probe once and had no scratching and the detail of the scanned item was well preserved on the scan.

Machine is a "A" model with the 14 pin update. We have since updated to a carvetight chuck but haven't used the probe with the new chuck.

[mtylerfl]

A touch probe is probably 'always' going to leave some kind of marks or lines and yield a "textured" surface in the scan-model itself. I also have a probe for the ShopBot (actually two...one 1/16" tip and a 1/8" tip) and apparently they all work the same. I've seen some folks put little plastic balls on the tips and of course, some people use the glue tips to help minimize the "damage" to the article being scanned. (A laser scanner is the only real solution to the problem.) The sharper the probe tip, the greater the detail it picks up, but also the greater the "scratches".

For valuable items you want to probe-scan, never scan the object itself. Rather, you would make a mold, then a casting of that, then scan the casting instead of the original object. Smooth-On has everything you need for such a task: http://www.smooth-on.com/

I outlined sort of a cheap method of making a scannable item from something that normally could not be probe-scanned in a Tips & Tricks article. See page 4 of this article:

ISSUE 9 June 2008 – Scanning Probe Techniques (http://www.carvewright.com/assets/tips/CarveWrightTips_and_Tricks_Jun08.pdf)

[FWMiller]

I'll look this over. I've also read some other posts about making molds to scan. I figure if I can fix the excessive "check probe" errors problem I should be able to live with it between using the cover tips and making moulds.

[Mikewiz]

My probe is agressive too. Evertything I scan is left with scratches. I also thought it was the nature of the beast. I've used plastic glue tips with better results, but they don't hold up well. I have an A machine with a CT. I don't use it anymore due to the fact I don't want to destroy what I scan.

[SteveNelson46]

I'll look this over. I've also read some other posts about making molds to scan. I figure if I can fix the excessive "check probe" errors problem I should be able to live with it between using the cover tips and making moulds.

I don't use the scanner very much but, one of my first scans was a small ceramic (6" by 6") Japanese family crest. It scanned beautifully but, left the surface of the ceramic grainy and rough. On the plus side, except for the graininess, the original ceramic plaque looked new and clean. I ordered some plastic protectors and used them on subsequent scans but, some detail was lost. In most cases the loss of detail has been acceptable.

[cestout]

Well the humming birds scan with a plastic thinngy on the probe was quit marginal, so I redid it the way I always have, with the tip uncovered. Scanned better and no scratches. I always remove the drive cable as AskBud instructed.
Clint

[mtylerfl]

... I always remove the drive cable as AskBud instructed.
Clint

It's always a good idea to remove the flexshaft before scanning. There were two main reasons for this...

1) The chuck would sometimes rotate abruptly when the scan job was started and twist the probe cable around the chuck, and...

2) It slightly reduces the overall "load" on the truck as the object is being scanned.

Reason #1 was the primary one - i.e., to prevent possible damage to the probe wire. Removing the flexshaft eliminated that problem.

See page 4 of the following Tips & Tricks:
ISSUE 9 June 2008 – Scanning Probe Techniques (http://www.carvewright.com/assets/tips/CarveWrightTips_and_Tricks_Jun08.pdf)

[bergerud]

Besides the "rotational pulse" one gets sometimes gets when closing the lid, another reason to remove the flex is that the probe will rotate slightly as the carriage moves back and forth. I not only remove the flex but tape the chuck so the probe can not rotate from the wire pulling on it.

[bergerud]

The scanning stopped maybe 10 times during the scan and gave the message "check probe". If I wiggled the probe a little and hit enter it would go back to scanning. Most of the time it seemed to do this when going up the sides or near the middle. It also periodically paused like it was going to stop but only raised the probe up to the top in the z-direction before going back down and continuing.


I wonder if there is not something wrong with the probe. If I remember right, it has three contact switches in a triangle which tell when the probe deflects. The magnet then brings it back ready for the next deflection If there is too much deflection required to activate the switches, the return stroke could be more brutal. Bigger strokes would make it more aggressive.

You should post a video of it in action so other members can compare to how their probe works.

[FWMiller]

You should post a video of it in action so other members can compare to how their probe works.

Good idea. I will try to do that next weekend.

[mtylerfl]

Besides the "rotational pulse" one gets sometimes gets when closing the lid, another reason to remove the flex is that the probe will rotate slightly as the carriage moves back and forth. I not only remove the flex but tape the chuck so the probe can not rotate from the wire pulling on it.

I put some blue painter's tape to tame the probe wire too (one on the shelf and/or one on the probe body) - being careful not to remove so much slack that it interferes with the movement over the size of the scan area.

[NLAlston]

It's always a good idea to remove the flexshaft before scanning. There were two main reasons for this...

1) The chuck would sometimes rotate abruptly when the scan job was started and twist the probe cable around the chuck, and...

2) It slightly reduces the overall "load" on the truck as the object is being scanned.

Reason #1 was the primary one - i.e., to prevent possible damage to the probe wire. Removing the flexshaft eliminated that problem.

See page 4 of the following Tips & Tricks:
ISSUE 9 June 2008 – Scanning Probe Techniques (http://www.carvewright.com/assets/tips/CarveWrightTips_and_Tricks_Jun08.pdf)

Wow, I didn't know this bit of information. Haven't used my scanning probe, as yet, but plan to. This information will certainly come in handy.