This document provides instructions for setup and basic use of the Digitizing Probe. This probe uses the ShopBot to physically map the 3D shape of an object or to record the object’s outline and write the information to a ShopBot part file. The probe can be mounted into a ¼” collet on any router or spindle, or attached to the z-axis plate using the adhesive-backed plastic clip included with your kit.
Version 3.xx of the ShopBot Control Software includes the “Copy Machine” Virtual Tool [TC] to set up the probing routine.
Installation
Note: This probe has an internal optical switch which differs from earlier mechanical probes. Do not use older installation and wiring instructions. If you are adding this probe to an older tool or upgrading from the older mechanical probe, follow these instructions to prevent damage due to improper connections.
Installing the probe into a collet (for Buddy and Gantry Tools)
SAFETY FIRST: unplug or isolate the power to your router before you install the probe.
The shank of the probe fits into the ¼” collet of your spindle/router just like a cutter bit of the same size. Secure the probe snugly in the collet so that it does not rotate. If your spindle/router rotates easily, a piece of tape usually works well to keep it from turning.
Installing the probe into the mounting clip (for Desktop Tools)
If you have a Desktop model, we recommend installing the probe using the plastic mounting clip instead. You’ll gain several inches of clearance and prevent problems caused by the Z-axis hitting its upper limit during probing. To install, simply press the probe firmly into the mounting clip as shown in the photo, leaving a gap between the clip and the probe body as shown in the photo below. Peel off the adhesive backing and center the clip on the Z-axis plate, directly behind the router/spindle. Be sure that the body of the probe is square to the bottom of the Z plate.
Connecting the probe
Once the probe is in place, connect the gray wago plug on the end of the probe wire into the corresponding plug on your machine. On Buddy and Gantry Tools, you’ll see this plug coming from the wire guide/e-chain. On the Desktop model, the plug sits on the lower left side of the frame.
Wiring the Probe (not applicable for everyone)
If you have already connected the gray wago connector from the probe into the matching connector coming from your machine, you are now connected and can skip the following step.
If you do not have a Z-Zero plate, you will need to run a 3-wire (24-26 gauge) cable from the probe connector shown below:
• Connect the RED wire to the 5v+ terminal on your input strip.
• Connect the GREEN/White wire to one of the Ground terminals.
• Connect the BLACK wire to Input#1.
Disconnect your probe from the connector to the Z-Zero plate when the probe is not in use. Other color wires may be used as long as they correspond to the wires on the probe side correctly. Remember that DAMAGE to the probe can result from improper wiring.
For your information the table below shows the color codes for the Probe wires. (Note that there are three possible color schemes.)
Possible Wire Colors in cable from Probe
+5v RED RED BROWN
Signal BLACK BLACK BLACK
Ground GREEN WHITE BLUE
The sensitivity of your probe has been set at the factory and is not adjustable. A red LED in the probe indicates when it is connected and functioning normally. When the tip of the probe touches a surface, the LED will be turned off indicating contact.
General Warnings before you begin
DO NOT turn on the router/spindle during probing. Power to the router/spindle is not needed during probing. Routers should be left in the off position. Spindles may have power going to VFD and the fan may stay on. Turning the router/spindle on during probing may destroy the probe and/or cause physical injury.
DO NOT use the C2 Command (the Z-Zero routine) with the ShopBot Probe. Why? The Z-Zero plate operates in the “normally open” mode, and turns on input #1 when it makes contact. The probe works in the “normally closed” mode and turns off input #1 when it makes contact. If you try to use the Z-Zero routine with the probe, you will end up with a bent stylus and a broken probe.
DO NOT attach the alligator clip from the Z-zero plate to the Z-zero plate itself during probing. This will result in a broken probe and/or a bent, unusable stylus.
DO NOT leave the probe plugged in when not in use. When you have finished, unplug the connector and remove the probe from the collet or mounting clip.
Setting up for a 3D Probing File
Select your stylus
Your probe comes fitted with a 1/8” stylus. This is a good general purpose size, and allows you to probe an object and then immediately cut it with a 1/8” bit if you are scaling 1:1. Also included is a ¼” stylus for larger work and point plotting, and (two) 2mm styli, which are best for higher resolution work. To replace the stylus, gently unscrew it from the adapter (the tapered metal piece that goes into the probe housing) and replace it with the desired size.
The probe automatically creates your offset, so you will get the best results if you choose the same sized stylus as the cutting bit that you will ultimately use. See "Troubleshooting" for more information on additional styli.
Test your probe
Test your probe before you begin setting up your file. Once the probe is attached correctly, you should see that the indicator for Input Switch #1 is activated on your ShopBot Control software display. When you touch and deflect the probe, the indicator should go out. Note: Once you have started entering the variables for your probing file, you can no longer test the probe.
Attach your original (the object to be probed)
The original object needs to be firmly attached so that it will not move or vibrate when the probe physically touches it. Double-sided tape works well, but make sure that it doesn't protrude from under the original.
Zero the Z axis
Do not use the Z-Zero program (C2) with the probe. To establish Zero for Probing, for a 3D file, use the Keyboard Control (SK or K to bring up Keyboard Control, Page Up and Page Down to move the Z axis) to locate the tip of the probe to slightly above the highest point in your original. Escape out of Keyboard Control, then use ZZ to Zero the Z axis at that location. If you are doing an edge detection file, read the instructions on where to locate or Zero the Z for that file.
Locate the Lower Left corner of the original
Using the Keyboard Control (K), use the arrow keys to move the tip of the stylus to slightly beyond the lower left corner of the original. Zero the X and Y axes (Esc, then Z2) at that point. When prompted for starting location coordinates during setup, enter 0,0 for the X and Y.
If you do not want to re-zero, simply note the location of the X and Y on your ShopBot Control Software display when you are located at the lower left corner. You will enter those values as your starting location when you set up for the probing file.
Measure the size of your original
Using a tape measure, measure the length of the original along the X axis and along the Y axis. To ensure that the entire object gets probed, measure out slightly past the edge of the object in each axis. It’s a good idea to write these measurements down. You will enter them during setup.
Check the depth of your original
The default deepest depth for the probing files is –2” from your Z-Zero location. If your original is deeper than that, first check to make sure that your probe stylus is long enough. Be sure that no other parts of the Z-axis (including the shoulder of the spindle/router, the probe body, etc) will hit the original during probing.
If you have an appropriate stylus, you can edit the max depth value during setup. Otherwise, you may need to slice your original horizontally so that each probe is 2” deep or less.
Using the Probe: setting up the probe routine
The probe works by moving towards and just contacting the part with its stylus. At contact, an internal switch is triggered. The switch signals the software to record the 3D location of the contact point and move on to the next point. The internal switch in this digitizing probe is optical and highly reliable.
The ShopBot Control Software comes with special tools to put the probe to use. When you are ready to probe an object, go to: Tools > Copy Machine. Remember - DO NOT use the C2 Command (the ZZero routine) with the ShopBot Probe.
Inside ShopBot's Copy Machine Setup
When you open the Copy Machine tool, you’ll see the following window come up with three tabs to take you through the setup process: Pattern, Probe, and Format.
Pattern: What kind of copying do you want to do?
• Create a file to cut a 3D replica of the original: These programs sample the X, Y and Z coordinates for each point on the original object. The probe determines the plunge depth (Z) at each step along one run of the X axis of the original, then moves one step over along the Y axis before reading back along the X.
• Trace the outline without probing the center: The probe travels until it touches the edge of the object. It then executes a series of small circles away from and back into the object to follow the edge of the original. As the probe detects points along the edge, it writes that X and Y location to a file.
Probe: What kind do you have?
• The ShopBot 3D Digitizing Probe works like a switch that is “Normally Closed”. When the probe is wired into the control box properly and not making contact with anything, the circuit is complete (closed) and input light #1 is on. When the probe contacts the surface of the original, the switch opens to break contact and input light #1 turns off. The advantage of this scheme is that the software can test to make sure that the probe is present and hooked up before starting a probing procedure.
• A metal probe that makes contact with a metal part is sufficient for use with one of the “Normally Open” files. At rest, the circuit is incomplete and the indicator light is off. When the metal stylus makes contact with the metal edge of the original, the circuit closes and the indicator light turns on. That point when the circuit is complete is written to the probing file. See the .txt information files of the edge-detector programs (especially the ones for “normally open”) for suggestions on how to create your own probe.
Format: What kind of output file do you want?
• A ShopBot .sbp part file that is ready to cut. Choose X as the dominant axis. To change the size of the finished object, you change the proportion of the axes (X, Y and/or Z) when you use FP to run the part file. To edit this file, use the Tools > Probe to Surface Translator and save as a surfaced .dxf (triangular mesh) file which can be brought into PartWorks3D, Cut3D, Aspire or ArtCam Pro.
• A .dxf file of points which can be manipulated in a CAD program such as Rhino3D that has the ability to read a point cloud. Rhino3D is a CAD only program, and so must have a CAM program associated with it to generate an .sbp file. Warning – you may have to connect the individual points.
• A .dxf polyline file which can be brought into a CAD program such as Rhino3D. The points can then be smoothed and manipulated before generating an .sbp file with a CAM program.
The File Settings Fill-In Sheet
When you have responded to all three questions and clicked on the Copy button, you will get a fill-in sheet that is related to the type of file you have chosen. Here is where you set the details such as the size of the area to be probed (3D) and the stepover between probe points (resolution). The smaller the stepover value, the greater the resolution and the longer it will take to probe the original.
3D Probe Settings
• X-axis scan pattern size – The dimension of the item to be probed along it’s x axis
• Y-axis scan pattern size – The dimension of the item to be probed along it’s y axis
• Safe Z-axis clearance - A dimensional value that allows the probe tip to clear the highest point on the item being probed.
• Maximum probing depth – The “floor” value for the probe’s downward travel in the Z-axis.
• X-axis step-over value – The distance the probe will travel in the X-axis before performing the next probing plunge. The smaller this value, the finer the resolution, but the longer the probing process will take and the larger the resulting probe file will be. There is a relationship between this value and the diameter of the probe that will create a point of diminishing returns with regard to achievable resolution.
• Y-axis step-over value – See “X-axis step-over value”.
• X and Y move speed – How fast, in inches-per-second, that the probe will move in the X-axis and Y-axis. Considering the small movements involved in probing, this value doesn’t have tremendous impact and usually does not get altered often.
• Z-axis move speed – How fast, in inches-per-second, that the probe will move in the Z-axis. This can have an effect on how long probing takes as a lot of the time is spent moving the Z-axis. If there is a narrow difference between the Safe Z-axis clearance and the Maximum probing depth, a slower speed is okay. If there is a large difference, you might want to speed this up to save time, but you have to respect the fragility of the probe itself and the object being probed when considering this. This is the speed the probe will be most likely traveling when it comes into contact with the probed object.
• Input switch number – What input switch line will change state when the probe contacts something. (what input is the probe wired into?)
• Surface tolerance – What is the largest change in Z-axis expected from X/Y raster point to X/Y raster point? (how much should the probe lift on the Z-axis after making contact before the next X/Y move?)
• Limit max plunge? – This setting allows you to optionally specify a value that will limit ANY ONE PLUNGE to that depth so that the z-axis will never move down more than that much in any plunge. There are some 3d probing situations like patterns where there are holes in the blank or probing continues beyond the edge of the blank like on a surfboard, when the body of the probe might hit the edge of the blank before it gets to the absolute maximum depth value that you set.
• Dominant axis – The 3d Copy Machine routines move along in rows in a “raster” method, and in early versions the rows were always parallel to the X axis. Though X parallel works fine for most probing, there are some situations that call for the rows being parallel to the Y-axis. The newest Copy Machine allows you to select whether the rows will be X-parallel or Y-parallel.
IMPORTANT: the probe-to-surface translator (which is needed if you want to edit your probe files in a 3D modeling program) will only work when the dominant axis is set for X. Setting it for Y is fine if you are creating an .sbp to cut a 1:1 replica without editing the file first.
• Probe tip diameter – Needed to compute the actual centerline X/Y/Z coordinates to record when the probe makes contact with the probed object. Make sure this is set correctly!
2D Probe / edge finding settings
• Scan resolution - Higher resolution yields greater detail and accuracy, but takes longer to complete a probe file.
• Safe max Y-axis location - The search for the pattern will begin by moving in the positive Y direction and will keep moving in that direction until it contacts the pattern or reaches this Y-axis position. This is an ABSOLUTE value and most of the time you'll just want to set this to the Y-axis dimension of your table.
• Move speed - How fast, in inches-per-second, that the probe will move in the X and Y axis.
• Probe tip diameter - The diameter of the stylus you are currently using. The software uses this number to calculate the offset and determine an accurate centerline.
• Safe Z-up for output file - If you intend to take the probe file and cut new parts right away without editing the model, this creates a safe z pull-up height for your cut file. For example, if you’re probing an object that is 0.5” high and want to cut duplicates out of 1” thick material, you’d want to set this variable for about 1.25.”
• Cut depth for output file - Similarly, set this value for the cut depth for the material you will cut duplicates from. You can always edit this in your toolpathing program.
• Input switch number - The default is 1. You shouldn’t have to change this unless you are intentionally switching to a different input.
Tips for 2D Probing
• You'll need to securely mount your pattern to your table so that it doesn't move when it's being probed. It also need to high enough off of the table surface that the probe doesn't drag on the table, giving false triggers.
• The first move that the routines make is a large Y-axis move, so you'll need to pick a starting point where this move will contact the edge of your pattern. You can pick the starting point before you start the Copy Machine, or wait until the keypad opens later on. Also make sure that you pick a large enough value for "Safe maximum Y-axis stop location" so that this first Y-axis move will make it to the starting point.
• If you use the foil tape method (to provide an electrical contact for using the “normally open” switch mode), be sure that the foil goes completely around the pattern with no breaks or gaps.
• Because it's basically just feeling its way along, your stylus probably won't land exactly on a corner. If your pattern has sharp corners, you'll need to edit the file in a CAD program or manually add the coordinates of the corner to the ShopBot file with a text editor.
Software Tools
If you use the
sbp option when creating a 3d Copy Machine file, you can import it into
PartWorks 3d or
AspireCustomizing (advanced options)
See the FAQ in Copy Machine for current info.
You may wire the probe into any input other than input #4…however, you must then go through the probing file (FE, then the name of the probing file) and change the ON INPUT lines in the file accordingly.
The stylus of the probe sets the offset for the cutter bit, so it is best if your stylus is the same size and geometry (flat end or round nose) as the bit you intend to use to cut out the object. You can have a machinist create a stylus for you (keep it as light as possible), or purchase styli from a supply company.
ShopBot’s probing programs are just illustrations of how you might make more sophisticated programs. You can write programs that change the order and direction of the probe, or create cutting files that can be put into CAD software and smoothed out.
Troubleshooting
The Probe collects data just fine for awhile, then seems to shut off after a period of data collection.
Before you started the probing file, did you turn off your screen saver and any power saving modes on your computer? On newer versions of windows (XP, Vista, 7), right-click anywhere on the desktop to access the screen save settings. On older versions, the path to get to the screen saver options is usually:
My Computer > Control Panel > Display > Screensaver (choose "none")
The path to get to the power options is usually:
My Computer > Control Panel > Power Options
Never let the computer hibernate or shut down when probing.
Where can I get other styli if I don't want to have them machined myself?
www.mscdirect.com : search for styli, SPI brand.
My probe file stopped halfway through because of a power outage. What can I do?
In the event that you have to interrupt the probing process before completion, the resulting output file will be unreadable despite the “dxf” file extension.
The problem is that that dxf files need closing information at the end and when the probing is interupted that information isn't written. It's pretty simple to add it manually if you need to. Just open the file in your favorite text editor… the built-in ShopBot editor works great. You're going to add in some information at the end of the file, so scroll down to the end. CAD programs are pretty fussy so a single letter or number out of place can make the file unreadable. For this reason, we highly recommend copying and pasting straight out of this document to avoid errors.
Note that the only use of the letter “O” is in “EOF” below. All others are the digit zero (0).
If you've used the .dxf points option in either 2D or 3D , add the following three lines after the last lines of the file:
ENDSEC
0
EOF
If you've used the .dxf polyline option in 3D, add the following nine lines to the end of your file:
SEQEND
8
DEFAULT
5
0
0
ENDSEC
0
EOF
If you've used the .dxf polyline option in 3D, add the following nine lines to the end of your file:
SEQEND
0
ENDSEC
0
EOF
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