Touch Probe

[Ricardoco]

how hard would it be to make a home switch like this one seen on you tube ??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku1RU...eature=related

James

Here is how mine is designed and built...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYunX1KHX3c&NR=1

That is the basic design.. Simplzzzz

[Ricardoco]

theres one here a bit cheaper.looks like a peice of .... but if it works http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2905997600...84.m1423.l2649
i aim to get one at some point(not the above) but i,ll need an A is for apple type tutorial to work it :lol: are there any tutorials for a begginer?

This is where i got my inspiration. If you do make one then do a blog on here for it wont you..

http://fadedbits.com/2011/02/touchprobe/

[Jonathan]

theres one here a bit cheaper.looks like a peice of .... but if it works http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2905997600...84.m1423.l2649

Looks expensive for what it is - not even got a proper stylus. I'll make one when I get round to it... might make a few if they go for that much :idea:

i aim to get one at some point(not the above) but i,ll need an A is for apple type tutorial to work it :lol: are there any tutorials for a begginer?

I'm sure we'd work it out soon enough. You'll want to probe the edges of the part first so that you only need to the height probing over the extent. Otherwise you waste hours probing the bed.

[stirling]

You'll want to probe the edges of the part first so that you only need to the height probing over the extent. Otherwise you waste hours probing the bed.

My freebie probing software project for Mach might be of interest. http://www.razordance.co.uk/probe25D.htm. The probe I made when I first wrote the software took me about half an hour to make - it was pretty crappy but surprisingly accurate.

Andre did some better vids than mine. You can see them via this link http://www.machsupport.com/forum/ind....html#msg97649

Cheers

Ian

[Jonathan]

My freebie probing software project for Mach might be of interest. http://www.razordance.co.uk/probe25D.htm

I read that a few weeks ago but couldn't find the link ... thanks. It looks like a good idea, the only problem I can see is if the height of the edge of the part you are probing varies significantly it's not accurate.

[stirling]

the only problem I can see is if the height of the edge of the part you are probing varies significantly it's not accurate.

Not accurate my be a poor choice of words - it's as accurate as your system in that it'll give you the edge at the height you probe. Sure, some shapes may not lend themselves to this process as well as others - welcome to the art of probing and every 3D analysis system there is, whether it be laser, contact or even MRI. None can cope with every shape and material. Like everything else, you mix and match and choose the right tool for the job.

[Jonathan]

Not accurate my be a poor choice of words

Probably, I was never very good in English lessons...

I guess all you have to do is change the probe tip to a simple cylinder that's at least as long as the height of the piece. The only issue is as the cylinder pivots about the top it will give a slightly different reading depending on the height. Easily compensated for by just drawing a contour round the path generated (or using a much longer cylinder) and accepting it may probe a little of the bed.

Alternatively you could probe the edge at different heights then generate the path from the limits of those, but that's going to take a while.

[stirling]

I think you're running a little ahead of yourself and perhaps missing the point of what this is primarily meant to do. The idea is to create a profile which is then used to constrain a bed o nails type probe. How you go about creating the profile is up to you - you can skip the edge probing and draw it in CAD if you like. You just then feed that into the 3D routine. The edge probing is there to help with that if it's appropriate. You might want to try it before you think up all the reasons it "won't work" for some given situation. This routine has been in use for several years by pros all over the world from luthiers, gun stock makers, reproduction moulding manufacturers to name a tiny few.

[Jonathan]

I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset anyone. I was merely thinking aloud about how to use what you have kindly provided in more situations. Hopefully helping by pointing out how it can be adapted, or maybe I was stating the obvious ... I don't think I was missing the point.

I have already tried the software, with a simple switch instead of probe which did work.

If it wont do what I need, which is unlikely, I'll just write my own program and post it with the rest I've done.