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CNC PCB milling

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  • NeverDieN NeverDie

    @scalz said in CNC PCB milling:

    @NeverDie
    too bad! perhaps it's just power supply regulator or a fet which died?? or maybe one of the drivers, just ideas.. I don't know this board.
    Saying this because that was the first things I checked on my 3d printer Ramps board

    • changed ldo (on arduino mega) because I didn't trust clones..
    • a few fets for better rdson (on the Ramps board). then there was no more heat..
    • and of course I calibrated the steppers drivers

    Edit: argh, i misread it's non responsive..then mcu maybe.

    It's receiving power, because the red LED lights up when I connect to it. The atmega328p also appears to be receiving the characters I send to it, because there's an LED that lights very briefly when I do that. However, I'm not seeing that it is sending any characters back, and I'm guessing there would be yet another LED which would indicate that if there were. So, I'm guessing most likely the mcu is dead. I wouldn't be surprised if it got some kind of electrostatic shock when probing, since the probing circuit appears to be wired directly to one of its pins. Also, I was attaching the probe immediately prior to its dying. That makes it a prime suspect in my mind. I don't want to over-react, but for the future I may try isolating that circuit with an opto-isolator or similar to hopefully prevent a recurrence. On the face of it, the present design seems like a heartache just waiting to happen.

    andrewA Offline
    andrewA Offline
    andrew
    wrote on last edited by
    #424

    @neverdie interesting.
    the LEDs are driven by the communication line itself, so if you send a character on serial to the board, then basically your data will flash the MCU's RX LED, not the MCU.

    there should be no problem at all with the touch probe solution/circuit. it equals to a simple button sensing on a common arduino's pin, it cannot cause the MCU's death, if you are connecting everything properly.

    1 Reply Last reply
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    • NeverDieN Offline
      NeverDieN Offline
      NeverDie
      Hero Member
      wrote on last edited by NeverDie
      #425

      Once I find my dragon, I'll burn a new atmega328p with the grbl 1.1 and replace the suspect atmega328p. Hopefully it will work then. If not, then I'm guessing it's the the usb-to-serial chip gone bad. Anyhow, one way or another I'll get to the bottom of it. And if I don't, a replacement board is on its way.

      andrewA 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • NeverDieN NeverDie

        Once I find my dragon, I'll burn a new atmega328p with the grbl 1.1 and replace the suspect atmega328p. Hopefully it will work then. If not, then I'm guessing it's the the usb-to-serial chip gone bad. Anyhow, one way or another I'll get to the bottom of it. And if I don't, a replacement board is on its way.

        andrewA Offline
        andrewA Offline
        andrew
        wrote on last edited by andrew
        #426

        @neverdie don't stick to you missing dragon programmer. use an arduino as an isp programmer instead. also, if you burn the bootloader, next time you can use the usb connector for update.

        NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
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        • andrewA andrew

          @neverdie don't stick to you missing dragon programmer. use an arduino as an isp programmer instead. also, if you burn the bootloader, next time you can use the usb connector for update.

          NeverDieN Offline
          NeverDieN Offline
          NeverDie
          Hero Member
          wrote on last edited by NeverDie
          #427

          @andrew I found my dragon. What fuse settings should I use? I'm tenatively planning to use Arduino pro mini settings.

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • NeverDieN Offline
            NeverDieN Offline
            NeverDie
            Hero Member
            wrote on last edited by
            #428

            I extracted the atmega328p chip that was on the woodpecker and attempted to read it. Fail. Normal voltage is 5v on a fresh chip, but it was reading only 4.8v. Also, it got quite hot. So, I think it is defective.

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • NeverDieN Offline
              NeverDieN Offline
              NeverDie
              Hero Member
              wrote on last edited by NeverDie
              #429

              I've established that the GRBL1.1f firmware assumes it's running at 16Mhz. So, I guess I'll try the following fuse settings, typically used on a 16Mhz Pro Mini:

              pro5v328.bootloader.low_fuses=0xFF  <<< same as 8 MHz
              pro5v328.bootloader.high_fuses=0xDA <<< same as 8 MHz
              pro5v328.bootloader.extended_fuses=0x05 <<< same as 8 MHz
              
              BODLEVEL = 2V7
              RSTDISBL = [ ]
              DWEN = [ ]
              SPIEN = [X]
              WDTON = [ ]
              EESAVE = [ ]
              BOOTSZ = 1024W_3C00
              BOOTRST = [X]
              CKDIV8 = [ ]
              CKOUT = [ ]
              SUT_CKSEL = EXTXOSC_8MHZ_XX_16KCK_14CK_65MS
              
              EXTENDED = 0x05 (valid)
              HIGH = 0xDA (valid)
              LOW = 0xFF (valid)
              
              
              1 Reply Last reply
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              • NeverDieN Offline
                NeverDieN Offline
                NeverDie
                Hero Member
                wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                #430

                I soldered in the replacement atmega328p, after burning its firmware with GRBL 1.1f, and Bingo! That fixed it:

                Grbl 1.1f ['$' for help]
                

                Because of the upgraded firmware, I'm actually better off now than I was before. :)

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • andrewA andrew

                  @neverdie I still use my default settings (see below). I re-applied these settings after I flashed the board to grbl 1.1f.
                  to be honest, after I found the right parameters for the PCB milling jobs I did not went further to fine tune the CNC settings, due to the lack of time. maybe later of the year, but currently I'm more than happy with the results.

                  $0=10 (step pulse, usec)
                  $1=25 (step idle delay, msec)
                  $2=0 (step port invert mask:00000000)
                  $3=5 (dir port invert mask:00000101)
                  $4=0 (step enable invert, bool)
                  $5=0 (limit pins invert, bool)
                  $6=0 (probe pin invert, bool)
                  $10=3 (status report mask:00000011)
                  $11=0.010 (junction deviation, mm)
                  $12=0.002 (arc tolerance, mm)
                  $13=0 (report inches, bool)
                  $20=0 (soft limits, bool)
                  $21=0 (hard limits, bool)
                  $22=0 (homing cycle, bool)
                  $23=0 (homing dir invert mask:00000000)
                  $24=25.000 (homing feed, mm/min)
                  $25=500.000 (homing seek, mm/min)
                  $26=250 (homing debounce, msec)
                  $27=1.000 (homing pull-off, mm)
                  $100=800.000 (x, step/mm)
                  $101=800.000 (y, step/mm)
                  $102=800.000 (z, step/mm)
                  $110=800.000 (x max rate, mm/min)
                  $111=800.000 (y max rate, mm/min)
                  $112=500.000 (z max rate, mm/min)
                  $120=10.000 (x accel, mm/sec^2)
                  $121=10.000 (y accel, mm/sec^2)
                  $122=10.000 (z accel, mm/sec^2)
                  $130=200.000 (x max travel, mm)
                  $131=200.000 (y max travel, mm)
                  $132=200.000 (z max travel, mm)```
                  NeverDieN Offline
                  NeverDieN Offline
                  NeverDie
                  Hero Member
                  wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                  #431

                  @andrew said in CNC PCB milling:

                  @neverdie I still use my default settings (see below). I re-applied these settings after I flashed the board to grbl 1.1f.
                  to be honest, after I found the right parameters for the PCB milling jobs I did not went further to fine tune the CNC settings, due to the lack of time. maybe later of the year, but currently I'm more than happy with the results.

                  $0=10 (step pulse, usec)
                  $1=25 (step idle delay, msec)
                  $2=0 (step port invert mask:00000000)
                  $3=5 (dir port invert mask:00000101)
                  $4=0 (step enable invert, bool)
                  $5=0 (limit pins invert, bool)
                  $6=0 (probe pin invert, bool)
                  $10=3 (status report mask:00000011)
                  $11=0.010 (junction deviation, mm)
                  $12=0.002 (arc tolerance, mm)
                  $13=0 (report inches, bool)
                  $20=0 (soft limits, bool)
                  $21=0 (hard limits, bool)
                  $22=0 (homing cycle, bool)
                  $23=0 (homing dir invert mask:00000000)
                  $24=25.000 (homing feed, mm/min)
                  $25=500.000 (homing seek, mm/min)
                  $26=250 (homing debounce, msec)
                  $27=1.000 (homing pull-off, mm)
                  $100=800.000 (x, step/mm)
                  $101=800.000 (y, step/mm)
                  $102=800.000 (z, step/mm)
                  $110=800.000 (x max rate, mm/min)
                  $111=800.000 (y max rate, mm/min)
                  $112=500.000 (z max rate, mm/min)
                  $120=10.000 (x accel, mm/sec^2)
                  $121=10.000 (y accel, mm/sec^2)
                  $122=10.000 (z accel, mm/sec^2)
                  $130=200.000 (x max travel, mm)
                  $131=200.000 (y max travel, mm)
                  $132=200.000 (z max travel, mm)```
                  

                  Looks as though GRBL1.1f has exposed some additional registers than GRBL0.9 did:

                  $0=10
                  $1=25
                  $2=0
                  $3=5
                  $4=0
                  $5=0
                  $6=0
                  $10=3
                  $11=0.010
                  $12=0.002
                  $13=0
                  $20=0
                  $21=0
                  $22=0
                  $23=0
                  $24=25.000
                  $25=500.000
                  $26=250
                  $27=1.000
                  $30=1000
                  $31=0
                  $32=0
                  $100=800.000
                  $101=800.000
                  $102=800.000
                  $110=800.000
                  $111=800.000
                  $112=500.000
                  $120=10.000
                  $121=10.000
                  $122=10.000
                  $130=200.000
                  $131=200.000
                  $132=200.000
                  

                  namely, registers 30, 31, and 32. Not sure what their values should be, or if it even matters.

                  Interestingly, the stepper motors have a distinctly different sound to them when running Chilipeppr with GRBL1.1f (as contrasted with GRBL0.9).

                  NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • NeverDieN Offline
                    NeverDieN Offline
                    NeverDie
                    Hero Member
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #432

                    I am having a serious problem, though, which is that no matter whether I use Chilipeppr to jog the x-axis to the left or to the right, it always veers to the left. It never goes to the right. Y and Z seem to be working OK however.

                    rmtuckerR 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • NeverDieN NeverDie

                      I am having a serious problem, though, which is that no matter whether I use Chilipeppr to jog the x-axis to the left or to the right, it always veers to the left. It never goes to the right. Y and Z seem to be working OK however.

                      rmtuckerR Offline
                      rmtuckerR Offline
                      rmtucker
                      wrote on last edited by rmtucker
                      #433

                      @neverdie
                      Is it working correctly if you just issue a G0 x10 then x-10?
                      did you switch to the jpadie workspace for v1.1?
                      sounds like you have a short on pin 5

                      NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • NeverDieN NeverDie

                        @andrew said in CNC PCB milling:

                        @neverdie I still use my default settings (see below). I re-applied these settings after I flashed the board to grbl 1.1f.
                        to be honest, after I found the right parameters for the PCB milling jobs I did not went further to fine tune the CNC settings, due to the lack of time. maybe later of the year, but currently I'm more than happy with the results.

                        $0=10 (step pulse, usec)
                        $1=25 (step idle delay, msec)
                        $2=0 (step port invert mask:00000000)
                        $3=5 (dir port invert mask:00000101)
                        $4=0 (step enable invert, bool)
                        $5=0 (limit pins invert, bool)
                        $6=0 (probe pin invert, bool)
                        $10=3 (status report mask:00000011)
                        $11=0.010 (junction deviation, mm)
                        $12=0.002 (arc tolerance, mm)
                        $13=0 (report inches, bool)
                        $20=0 (soft limits, bool)
                        $21=0 (hard limits, bool)
                        $22=0 (homing cycle, bool)
                        $23=0 (homing dir invert mask:00000000)
                        $24=25.000 (homing feed, mm/min)
                        $25=500.000 (homing seek, mm/min)
                        $26=250 (homing debounce, msec)
                        $27=1.000 (homing pull-off, mm)
                        $100=800.000 (x, step/mm)
                        $101=800.000 (y, step/mm)
                        $102=800.000 (z, step/mm)
                        $110=800.000 (x max rate, mm/min)
                        $111=800.000 (y max rate, mm/min)
                        $112=500.000 (z max rate, mm/min)
                        $120=10.000 (x accel, mm/sec^2)
                        $121=10.000 (y accel, mm/sec^2)
                        $122=10.000 (z accel, mm/sec^2)
                        $130=200.000 (x max travel, mm)
                        $131=200.000 (y max travel, mm)
                        $132=200.000 (z max travel, mm)```
                        

                        Looks as though GRBL1.1f has exposed some additional registers than GRBL0.9 did:

                        $0=10
                        $1=25
                        $2=0
                        $3=5
                        $4=0
                        $5=0
                        $6=0
                        $10=3
                        $11=0.010
                        $12=0.002
                        $13=0
                        $20=0
                        $21=0
                        $22=0
                        $23=0
                        $24=25.000
                        $25=500.000
                        $26=250
                        $27=1.000
                        $30=1000
                        $31=0
                        $32=0
                        $100=800.000
                        $101=800.000
                        $102=800.000
                        $110=800.000
                        $111=800.000
                        $112=500.000
                        $120=10.000
                        $121=10.000
                        $122=10.000
                        $130=200.000
                        $131=200.000
                        $132=200.000
                        

                        namely, registers 30, 31, and 32. Not sure what their values should be, or if it even matters.

                        Interestingly, the stepper motors have a distinctly different sound to them when running Chilipeppr with GRBL1.1f (as contrasted with GRBL0.9).

                        NeverDieN Offline
                        NeverDieN Offline
                        NeverDie
                        Hero Member
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #434

                        @neverdie said in CNC PCB milling:

                        namely, registers 30, 31, and 32. Not sure what their values should be, or if it even matters.

                        I found out what they mean:

                        $30=1000.	Max spindle speed, RPM
                        $31=0.	Min spindle speed, RPM
                        $32=0	Laser mode, boolean
                        
                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • rmtuckerR rmtucker

                          @neverdie
                          Is it working correctly if you just issue a G0 x10 then x-10?
                          did you switch to the jpadie workspace for v1.1?
                          sounds like you have a short on pin 5

                          NeverDieN Offline
                          NeverDieN Offline
                          NeverDie
                          Hero Member
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #435

                          @rmtucker said in CNC PCB milling:

                          Is it working correctly if you just issue a G0 x10 then x-10?

                          No, it goes left in both instances.

                          @rmtucker said in CNC PCB milling:

                          did you switch to the jpadie workspace for v1.1?

                          yes

                          andrewA 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • NeverDieN NeverDie

                            @rmtucker said in CNC PCB milling:

                            Is it working correctly if you just issue a G0 x10 then x-10?

                            No, it goes left in both instances.

                            @rmtucker said in CNC PCB milling:

                            did you switch to the jpadie workspace for v1.1?

                            yes

                            andrewA Offline
                            andrewA Offline
                            andrew
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #436

                            @neverdie sorry, I'm abroad, with very limited availability, so cannot answer too quickly.

                            based on the mentioned facts it seems to me, that the X axis direction pin is sticked to one position, maybe it has a solder bridge to another pin, or vcc / gnd directly.

                            alt text

                            NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
                            1
                            • andrewA andrew

                              @neverdie sorry, I'm abroad, with very limited availability, so cannot answer too quickly.

                              based on the mentioned facts it seems to me, that the X axis direction pin is sticked to one position, maybe it has a solder bridge to another pin, or vcc / gnd directly.

                              alt text

                              NeverDieN Offline
                              NeverDieN Offline
                              NeverDie
                              Hero Member
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #437

                              @andrew said in CNC PCB milling:

                              @neverdie sorry, I'm abroad, with very limited availability, so cannot answer too quickly.

                              based on the mentioned facts it seems to me, that the X axis direction pin is sticked to one position, maybe it has a solder bridge to another pin, or vcc / gnd directly.

                              alt text

                              Thanks! You nailed it. It turns out the solder connection on the atmega328p pin corresponding to D5 just wasn't good enough. I resoldered it, and now the X-axis works in both directions. :)

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • NeverDieN Offline
                                NeverDieN Offline
                                NeverDie
                                Hero Member
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #438

                                I'm receiving this error message now:
                                0_1516478064369_crowded.png
                                However, it's not obvious how to delete the files it's referring to. Anyone know how?

                                mfalkviddM 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • NeverDieN NeverDie

                                  I'm receiving this error message now:
                                  0_1516478064369_crowded.png
                                  However, it's not obvious how to delete the files it's referring to. Anyone know how?

                                  mfalkviddM Offline
                                  mfalkviddM Offline
                                  mfalkvidd
                                  Mod
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #439

                                  @neverdie I haven't tried it, but if you are using Chrome you should be able to give ChiliPeppr unlimited storage through https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/declare_permissions

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  1
                                  • NeverDieN Offline
                                    NeverDieN Offline
                                    NeverDie
                                    Hero Member
                                    wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                                    #440

                                    Great news! Grbl1.1f makes all the difference. I tried milling at 6 mil separation using the upgraded grbl1.1f, and it works!
                                    0_1516480032752_eureka.jpg
                                    There's a huge difference between being able to evolve a single PCB design to perfect it rather than having to work on a "dumbed down" design (for a CNC or some other DIY etching process) before being able to get "the real deal" from a PCB fabricator. So, I'm very relieved that the first option now seems possible. :)

                                    andrewA 2 Replies Last reply
                                    0
                                    • NeverDieN NeverDie

                                      Great news! Grbl1.1f makes all the difference. I tried milling at 6 mil separation using the upgraded grbl1.1f, and it works!
                                      0_1516480032752_eureka.jpg
                                      There's a huge difference between being able to evolve a single PCB design to perfect it rather than having to work on a "dumbed down" design (for a CNC or some other DIY etching process) before being able to get "the real deal" from a PCB fabricator. So, I'm very relieved that the first option now seems possible. :)

                                      andrewA Offline
                                      andrewA Offline
                                      andrew
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #441

                                      @neverdie I told you since the very beginning to make the firmware upgrade! ;)

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      1
                                      • NeverDieN NeverDie

                                        Great news! Grbl1.1f makes all the difference. I tried milling at 6 mil separation using the upgraded grbl1.1f, and it works!
                                        0_1516480032752_eureka.jpg
                                        There's a huge difference between being able to evolve a single PCB design to perfect it rather than having to work on a "dumbed down" design (for a CNC or some other DIY etching process) before being able to get "the real deal" from a PCB fabricator. So, I'm very relieved that the first option now seems possible. :)

                                        andrewA Offline
                                        andrewA Offline
                                        andrew
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #442

                                        @neverdie as I see from the picture, you can decrease the cutting depth. this could help you to soften the force against the carving bits and it could also help you to use faster feed rates without risking a missing step or bit damage.

                                        btw, what are your currently used parameters?

                                        also, for the best results please be sure, that when you set up the tool width in flatcam, then it is originated from the previously mentioned formula, which uses the carving bit properties (end with + angle) and the cutting depth.

                                        NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • andrewA andrew

                                          @neverdie as I see from the picture, you can decrease the cutting depth. this could help you to soften the force against the carving bits and it could also help you to use faster feed rates without risking a missing step or bit damage.

                                          btw, what are your currently used parameters?

                                          also, for the best results please be sure, that when you set up the tool width in flatcam, then it is originated from the previously mentioned formula, which uses the carving bit properties (end with + angle) and the cutting depth.

                                          NeverDieN Offline
                                          NeverDieN Offline
                                          NeverDie
                                          Hero Member
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #443

                                          @andrew
                                          In this particular instance I had used a dull bit to do the autoleveling at 4mm and then switched to a Jack bit (nominal 0.1mm, 30 degrees) which I re-zeroed before starting the cutting.
                                          Cutting depth: 0.03
                                          Tool width: 0.12mm (just a guess as to the actual width)
                                          Feedrate:80mm

                                          It does seem that the actual cutting depth came out deeper than 0.03mm, so I'm not sure what's up with that. My guess is that the re-zeroing with the sharp bit came out wrong.

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