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Topics - Zax

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1
Mini CNC / Where's all the talk on these Chinese CNC machines...
« on: November 27, 2018, 10:02:48 AM »
I just got a 3018 from Banggood during their Black Friday deals, $115 shipped. It had ZERO instructions, but using the pictures on their site as a guide I had it assembled and adjusted in 2 hours. Very nice kit for the money.

It came with Grbl 0.9j which I quickly replaced with my 1.1f XY Home Sw. firmware, and it runs great. I had to lower the acceleration due to lead screws vs GT2 belts but everything seems good. Next is install some home/limit switches and figure out Z-axis probing. I will be adding that feature to T2Laser soon.

Is there another forum where everyone hangs out and chats about them, specifically upgrades and such?

2
T2 Engraving / vacation
« on: December 30, 2017, 09:33:57 AM »
I will be out of the office from January 7th to 14th, and do not expect much if any access to e-mail or the internet. That means license codes will be delayed during this time but I will catch up as soon as I return.

I'm just giving you a heads-up now in case you have a new machine and are considering a T2Laser license in the next few weeks, however, I do want you to fully evaluate the software before purchasing so if you aren't sure just wait until the 15th.

Happy New Year, and best wishes for 2018.

3
T2 Engraving / What causes the waves?
« on: November 29, 2017, 05:08:53 AM »
I've seen a lot of different machine problems, this certainly looks like a hardware issue to me but the user swears the machine is perfect from a mechanical perspective.

I have tested his G-code on my laser and it works correctly so I am also confident it's not software related.

I still think it's the wheels, as it's got a repeating pattern - has anyone seen this and knows what to check?

4
General Discussion / Varying fill
« on: November 26, 2017, 05:17:36 AM »
Does anyone know of a slicer that allows you to have some areas filled at a different percentage to others, or perhaps use a different fill pattern? Or is there some way in the design to force the slicer to do this? Do I need to write my own  ???

I've only used the Monoprice version of Cura that was supplied with my machine, and it's pretty basic. I did load the latest Cura to see what I was missing and it has a lot more settings but I haven't found a way to do this.

I need part of the model to be more flexible (20%) and other parts rigid (solid / 100%).

5
T2 Software Updates / Need help to check the latest update
« on: October 09, 2017, 03:22:38 PM »
I had some problems uploading files to Azure and had to recover my blob from an earlier snapshot, so want to make sure the update works OK. I updated my non-development PC without trouble so I'm fairly sure it's good but would appreciate someone else checking it. TIA.

You'll need a beta code to install:

If you have v1.4v use "veloc", if you have v1.4w it's "wego"

(obviously don't include the quotes)

6
General Discussion / Filament brands
« on: August 29, 2017, 05:15:14 AM »
When I purchased my Monoprice Maker Select I got 6 spools of their branded PLA.

It works great, never had a single issue with it.

I've also used Hatchbox filament from Amazon and it works perfect too.

This past week I got a spool of unknown origin from eBay and it's garbage. It's just really stringy, no matter what temperature and has problems sticking. I can only get it to work if I use a raft and go really slow on the first layer and then just accept some stringing. Oh, and it sounds like rice krispies going through the extruder so full of air bubbles or damp. So yeah, buy cheap get poor results - not surprised and won't do it again.

I am interested if anyone has used the other low cost options on Amazon, like Sunlu, 3DMars or TIANSE?

I just ordered a spool of Sunlu and 3DMars so will know soon (Prime delivery today for one and tomorrow on the other) but of course I can return them if they suck and stick with what I know works.

The 3DMars is their 12% wood-infused product that can supposedly be sanded and stained like wood so that will be fun.

7
T2 Engraving / T2Laser Announcement --- Pricing changes 9/1/2017
« on: August 12, 2017, 02:19:41 PM »
  • PC Hardware License: $39.95 (no change)
  • Additional Licenses: $39.95 $31.96 (20% off)
  • Replacement License: $19.97 (transfer to a new computer, previous computer is deactivated)
  • USB-Key "Dongle" License: $79.95 (excludes hardware)
  • Upgrades: FREE
  • Key Regeneration: FREE (allows changes to minor hardware components or Windows re-activation)​​​

The standard pricing hasn't changed, so considering the additional features and enhancements that have been added in the past year, T2Laser now offers even more value.

8
T2 Engraving / CNC basics
« on: August 11, 2017, 02:22:03 PM »
I had a few people asking about setting up T2Laser for CNC so I created this "really" quick guide:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/awt7ru3vsz8btpm/T2Laser_CNC2.pdf?dl=0

or for those (like me) that prefer Z+ to be down:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3h458sif6xkeu69/T2Laser_CNC.pdf?dl=0

9
T2 Software Updates / Centerline Tracing
« on: June 26, 2017, 10:04:06 AM »
The original Trace feature works great but is slow as you must select each line to trace.

Auto-Trace is a fast one-click solution but generates double lines.

Soon T2Laser will support Centerline Tracing which attempts to thin these lines.

You can see on the attached mandala that is can be quite effective. The bottom 3 images are zoomed in to show the detail, the first is the original raster, then the result from auto-trace and finally the new centerline trace.

10
T2 Engraving / Matrix Copy / Step & Repeats
« on: June 06, 2017, 11:03:17 AM »
This feature request has made it to the top of my list, so I am looking for some inputs.

It will be for vector only, but I don't know if it would only be necessary for Sketch or also for CAD import. The reason I wouldn't expect it to be necessary for CAD import is it would be much easier to apply the repeats before exporting.

Thoughts?

11
T2 Engraving / T2Laser now includes FREE minor upgrades for the life of your license!
« on: May 01, 2017, 04:46:24 AM »
The 1 year upgrade limitation has been removed, T2Laser now includes FREE minor updates for the life of your licence.

Now I've switched to an online server it is actually easier for support and maintenance to have all users running the latest version. So until I release a version 2.0 (major version designated as the number before the decimal point) all updates are available to everyone, trial or registered users.

Compare this to most commercial software where new features require an upgrade or a new purchase, and I think you'll agree T2Laser is excellent value. For example, I purchased TurboCAD for $199 and after just 6 months they launched a new version (hardly changed) and charged $129 $99 special to upgrade. It even came with some new bugs for free  >:( .

The current trend is to go to an annual "plan" where you have to pay each year, but don't worry, I won't be doing that.

12
T2 Engraving / EleksEgg is alive
« on: April 18, 2017, 06:04:31 PM »
https://www.dropbox.com/s/edsbyxch6o0bviy/T2Laser_EleksEgg_Setup.pdf?dl=0

It arrived in a nice carry case and was super easy to assemble (even without instructions).

The funny thing though, after it's assembled the case is about 1/4" too shallow for the machine to fit and close the lid... it's sooooo close and you can flex it and make it close but it pops open again.

So after putting it together I clicked the new EleksEgg option in the T2Laser menu and it immediately started working. The axis were correct, or at least how I expected it to be (X is around the egg and Y is bottom to top), you could easily swap it.

The picture shows the very first thing it "wrote", a quick Sketch and it looks great.

Tomorrow I will try some golf balls and whatever else I can find to fit   ::)

So now I can officially say that T2Laser supports the full range of Eleks machines; laser, cnc, draw and egg.

13
Trouble Shooting / What is going on here?
« on: April 18, 2017, 07:51:43 AM »
This is from a customer, he has been running for a few months with no issues but now it's doing this... any ideas?

He is generating the G-code each time so it's not a corrupt file and it always runs the first ones OK and starts going crazy around the same position although not exactly the same each time.


14
T2 Engraving / EleksDraw - initial test results
« on: April 15, 2017, 02:47:14 PM »
These were done using cheap felt tip pens, so I think the results are pretty good.

15
T2 Engraving / EleksDraw
« on: April 08, 2017, 05:31:25 PM »
I just assembled an EleksDraw, and the good news is it works great with T2Laser.

It's a nice kit and a very simple build. It came loaded with their mana.hex (which supports CoreXY and servo, both of which are needed for this machine).

All I did was reverse both axis (maybe swapping cables would have the same effect) and change the laser max to 75 as >80 causes the servo to rotate and hit the bracket.

I need to get some better pens to use with it or make a different adapter to hold them and I think it also needs some slight tweaking as circles look a little "egg" shapes. Speaking of that, I ordered an EleksEgg earlier this week so will check that out with T2Laser when it arrives.

If you have any questions about the machine, build or use with T2Laser let me know.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ljv0huyyocg0rm/T2Laser_EleksDraw_Setup.pdf?dl=0

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