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Want option for "manual touchoff" to skip touchoff routines

Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 9:46 am
by Mr Mayhem
I have been using Autoleveler with fine success on non-conductive sheet materials, and now have a routine that works. I discovered I would like to be able to remove the probe function at the beginning of the leveled output gcode file with a option in the Autoleveler gui.

Auto touchoff is how it is now, where it attempts to automatically touch off z to the tool top before cutting. (but I have no probe or wire hooked up, because I am using non-conductive material and probed earlier with a real probe device)

Manual would simply comment out the subroutines. That way, one can always un-comment them out to restore the original behavior or re-touch off later if a tool breaks etc.

If I forget to edit the file manually, that is, edit the Autoleveler output gcode file prior to running it on the cnc, the default touch off code at the beginning of the file risks breaking a tool. It pita to edit-out each time I update the program.

I probe with a real probe device, then I remove it from the spindle and install a cutting tool. Then I manually touch-off (piece of paper under the tool tip method) the z axis using the actual cutting tool, at the corner "first probe" x, y location. Then I make sure I deleted or commented out the subroutines and/or the whole blob of code added by Autoleveler, to prevent crashing my tool into the workpiece from the Autoleveler default pre-programmed attempt to touch off automatically. Then I run the program and it works. But to add value here with a simple patch, simply, add automatic touch-off or manual touch-off radio option buttons, and have Autoleveler comment out the probing subroutines from the output gcode file if the setting is set to manual by the user. Ahh, no more editing gcode for that reason, at least. The result should be, no more attempt to touch off before running the program leveled against a probe log file.

By the way, I am very pleased with Autoleveler with use with a real probe on non-conductive materials. Works very well now. I am thrilled you took up the idea to support probe files to level gcode against, so you don't have to probe each time you need to change the original file, and now we can use a real probe on other materials than conductive ones. I look forward to the updates.