Fusion360 CAM Programing Tips

[MeticulousMaynard]

@Roger

Might you know of the complete list of codes that Maslow accepts. The list I found a bit ago does not include some of the commands you didn’t describe as unsupported (like the T1 M6 or S9700 M3) The wiki page is helpful but is not Maslow specific.

You are entirely right and I updated the supported G-code list on the wiki. I want to flesh out the table a little more like the Wikipedia G-Code page when I get a chance. If I missed something, anyone, please don’t hesitate to add to the list. I can’t always keep up with all the amazing speed of progress going on here!

G Code and MaslowCNC

@Roger

On that note, what is a software and hardware method of either turning the router on/off or adjusting its speed I might try?

There is a setting in Ground Control which enables spindle control. When it is on, it will send a 5v signal via the Aux1 pins on your motor shield with M3/4/5 commands. From there, you need some sort of relay that you can plug your router into that will turn it off. As the board ships now, the Aux1-6 pins are just holes in the PCB. There isn’t anything soldered to those pins yet, so you will have to solder on connectors (disclaimer, I have not tried those connectors myself and cannot confirm if they will fit, but I think they should). I bought a spare shield myself to test before implementing this on the machine. This a bit of a complicated upgrade. Further reading in this thread.

@Roger

The bearings I used are https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQY8U5R/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. They have circulating balls in a machined groove that seems to handle radial loads well, not at all like the traditional stamped steel ones. Each ring rotates free which allows the router to twist without changing the center point. I wanted to avoid variable drag on the weighted sled skewing. I used ground control’s triangular set up with 0 for both vertical and horizontal distances and entered the ring radii from the chain attachment pin center after measuring out the chain accurately. It appears to track a 40 x 80 in rectangle within an 1/8" (when measured to the table edge). I will run a few pen tests and measure shortly.

The bearings you linked do in fact look like they would be up to the task, and they have a pretty good price point. The smaller bearings (like that one) probably would work better than the larger ones. When Bar was testing his system he noticed that the smaller ones moved much smoother. I’m very curious to see how they work out for you! I’m sure if you’ve gotten this far, you’ve already read some/most/all of this thread about the development of the triangular kinematics, but I feel it is very relevant to our conversation. Even if you’ve skimmed it you will pick up on a lot of what makes this system work.

As far as machine accuracy, I have detailed out a method for testing tolerance across the bed in this thread. Apologies again if I’m linking you to threads you’ve already read. If you have the time to run the test yourself, the data you collect from it will help immensely as we are trying to quantify the differences between the different versions of the triangular kinematics.

Sidebar to the community, should I rename this thread to something like “Fusion360 CAM Programing Tips”? Seems to be what this discussion has been focused around.