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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking Machines > Tormach Personal CNC Mill > Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.
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  1. #1

    Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    I have had this passive probe seems like forever but never used it. I was trying to use it today and it was off so I was trying to run the torch calibration routine and I was getting weird thunking sounds. Somethimes it would run fine, most of the time in sporadic places I would get the thunking. The DRO would still be moving though, even stranger, sometimes the Z would be moving as well and it should not be.

    I hope someone knows how to make this work right....

    Video Of Issue
    Donald

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    630

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Why can't you guys hold the phone the correct way when you are taking video? Everything is a landscape display these days stop taking portrait framed video with your phones.

    Couple things. Setup a dial indicator and verify the probe tip is running perfectly concentric.

    Make sure you have the tip diameter defined in Mach 3 correctly before running the calibration. Also make sure the piece you are measuring is perfectly round and measure it very accurately offline and then put that number into Mach, I use a ground bearing race to calibrate mine. The calibration routine is used to offset the diameter and the mechanical movement of the probe.

    All of those numbers are very important as any errors will add up.

  3. #3

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Well I did portrait as is displayed what I wanted to show better. Yes I could have done landscape, but everything would be smaller and a bunch of useless space....

    I know how to setup the probe and all, I am worried about the noise.....Something is just not right about that, especially when it starts moving Z in a XY probing cycle.
    Donald

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    630

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    That sounds like you have a crazy low speed set for the second probe touch. When it's clunking is it moving in the same direction as the previous edge it touched?

    This may sound counter intuitive but you can go too slow when probing.

  5. #5

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    No it is not that, as the first time I ran it it was fine. Then sporadically when I run it again it starts that noise somewhere. Sometimes it does not do it, but sometimes it does. I have noticed as I mentioned before sometimes the Z axis will be moving as well and it should not be when you do a XY bore probe. Best I can tell, as I do not leave it running that way, is that if left alone it would finish the cycle fine.

    You notice in the video it does most of the cycle fine before it starts it.
    Donald

  6. #6

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Looks like I am not the only one that has seen the issue.

    Donald

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    630

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Certainly should never be moving in the Z unless you are specifically probing something in the Z.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    630

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    He'd spend a lot less time centering that thing with a dial indicator I wouldn't be taking it out of the spindle to adjust it either.

    The sound almost like it sometimes sets the wrong jog speed when running the probing script. I also noticed that message on the screen that said "Probe Ignore. Activated at call for probe."

    Seems like some erroneous signal from the probe hitting the control.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1082

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    I also thought it sounded like extremely slow travel, but, as you mentioned, it doesn't do it every time. And the Z moving is a big, possibly separate issue. Mach3 does not seem to do well with G31.

    Are you running in metric? I'm pretty sure the Tormach version of Mach3 doesn't play well with probing in metric, compounding any regular Mach3 issues. I mostly ask because it says the feed-rate is "6.00" and it looked like the rate of travel might actually be right around 6mm/min.

  10. #10

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    No I am all SAE/Inches. Metric makes me think to hard. I will double check though when I go back out to the shop.

    When it makes the noise, it is allot slower than when it is running normal.
    Donald

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    630

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Does your display the message I mentioned above when doing it? That would infer to me that the probe signal is active when it starts the cycle and the control then decides to ignore any probing events but has already been set in motion. Could be noise on the probe wire

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1082

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    One other thing, if/when you go to calibrate it for concentricity, you might think about doing what I did: remove the botttom plate of the probe and put some kind of rubber o-rings on the screws between the plate and the body. They will make it easier to *unscrew* the adjustment screws.

  13. #13

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Yes it does.
    That has crossed my mind as well, since the cable is all out side the control and nothing near, I can only assume it could/would be something inside the control?

    Hirudin,
    I will keep that in mind.
    Donald

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    97

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Dirty/sticky/gummy/corroded contacts in the probe. I've had it do that before as well. It was just like in dneisler's video. Probe touched and when it backed off it didn't reset. The mill keeps moving in the retreat direction making a funny noise. It's trying to move to get the probe to reset, and when it doesn't after moving a certain distance, it gets confused. You can see it with the green square labelled "Test before use". It should be gray without the probe touching(probe has continuity). Clean the contacts in the probe. I wiggle the probe numerous times to make sure it resets every time before using it for the day. If it has been sitting without use for an extended period of time you can sometimes get it to work properly by wiggling it around several times, and not have to open it and clean it. It

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    1

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    +1 to what philbobb said. Had this happen to me after several months of downtime on the mill. It'll also displays this behavior if you forget to plug it in to the aux port.

    I've seen it recommended to put some dielectric grease on the contacts after you clean them. I didn't have any around so left it out and have not seen any issues in the past few months since the cleaning. Your milage may vary.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    610

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Not sounding right at all. I'm going to put out 2 rather simple questions that aren't meant to be offensive.
    1.Have you changed the configuration for the mill to run the passive probe by running the configuration utility?
    2. Do you have your passive probe loaded in your tooling table with the correct probe tip effective diameter plugged in? I put mine in as tool number 99 and I don't have any length offsets programmed. Before I probe I manually change the tool to T99. If you choose let's just say T2 with an odd length offset and try to run your probe it will sometimes default to motions like you are seeing.
    3. Check on what philbobb had alluded too.

    Good luck!

  17. #17

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Thanks everyone.
    I will check all the above items and report back hopefully tonight.
    Donald

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    36

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Mine did the same thing right out of the box when I first got it. Like Philbobb said the probe is sticking. You can tell by the monitor that the green light is still on under the "test indicator first" light.

    Mike

  19. #19

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Well I had a little time to test last night, so I took the probe apart and cleaned each part, and hit the contacts with some scotchbrite and it is working perfect. I got it on a quick calibration session to 1=0, 2=.01,3=-.01 and stopped there. The anal side of me wants to go back tonight and get it to all 0's but I am trying to resist.

    This amazes me as the movement in Z but it worked so I am happy again.

    Thanks to everyone for the help and guidance.
    Donald

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    630

    Re: Tormach 1100 Passive Probe Calibration Issue.

    Quote Originally Posted by dneisler View Post
    Well I had a little time to test last night, so I took the probe apart and cleaned each part, and hit the contacts with some scotchbrite and it is working perfect. I got it on a quick calibration session to 1=0, 2=.01,3=-.01 and stopped there. The anal side of me wants to go back tonight and get it to all 0's but I am trying to resist.

    This amazes me as the movement in Z but it worked so I am happy again.

    Thanks to everyone for the help and guidance.
    The anal side of you is right to want to go back as continue adjusting. Those numbers represent an alignment error that will affect positional accuracy. The time spent setting up shows in the machining results later.

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