The first question, height of motors above top of plywood can only be input in mm. I know the metric system is best, but my tape measures are all in inches. Can the button that lets you change units be returned?
I selected “Top” for how the chain goes over the motor in the calibration procedure. I am using a default Maslow temp frame. I took the chain off the motor after measuring the correct length. I connected the first link of the chain to the 12:00 tooth. On the next step I clicked “adjust the left motor” and the motor turned the wrong direction and the chain fell off the gear. Now I need to start all over again.
Is this forum the best place to make these comments @bar or should i do it somewhere else. I would love a calibration only section of the forum.
From this, it sounds like you’ve completed the step where you measure the distance between the motors and now want to move to the next step.
I wonder if this alternate approach would help. Instead of using the ‘Actions/Calibrate’ path to get to the chain calibration screens, use the ‘Set Chain Length - Automatic’ . That should correctly rotate the motors and when you’ve finished that step your sled will be attached.
After that is done, then go into Actions/Calibrate and ‘Skip’ all the steps (don’t enter anything in them, just ‘Skip’) until you get to the z-axis step “Next, we are going to define the home position for the z-axis.”
Do that step, turn it ‘on’ if you have a z-axis motor and use the ‘Adjust’ buttons, or ‘off’ if your z-axis is manual. Then use the ‘Define Zero’ button and you’ll be at the last step of the automatic calibration ready to cut and measure to refine the calibration.
Does this make sense? Let us know if you try it, and how it works.
Yes, I will work on adding support for entering values in inches throughout the calibration process.
In the top feeding configuration you should not need to take the chain off the motor and put it on the 12 o’clock tooth, it simply needs to be unhooked from the right sprocket and then it will retract.
I have not done the top feeding calibration process in a little while, I will give it a go a go again and make sure the instructions are clear
While retracting the chain saves time, it looks like we may be better off
unhooking and repositioning the chain just to have everything consistant. There
are FAR too many people reporting that they are tripping over this problem.
I think that because i was used to the old way, i was tripped up. Maybe photos or a clearer description? It was also not clear when I should have attached the chain to the right motor? Based on what I had done to date, I never hooked the right chain to the right motor.
OK, the step before this we used the chain attached to the left motor to measure the distance between the motors. So the left chain is attached and stretching across the machine. But the right chain has yet to be attached.
Based on the above, my reading of this is now, i detach the end of the left chain from the right motor, and I let it hang long. I then attach the chain from the right motor to the 12:00 tooth.
When I hit the button “adjust left chain” it should retract the chain. When i hit the button “adjust right chain” it should extend the right chain?
I had to fudge this step. That is it seems to retract the left chain to the correct position. It is not intuitive. You do not put the chain from the right to the left motor it is only measured in 1 direction. It should feed out the chin on the right. Once both chains are retracted on the left and extended on the right you attach the sled.
At least this is how 1.11 worked for me. If anyone else has better information let us know.
Yes, that’s right. I made a similar mistake. I think I got confused because it says in plural: “If the chains are not attached place the first link on the vertical sprocket tooth”. So I assumed it was the same procedure for both chains.
