Trace width inconsistencies
Trace width inconsistencies
Has anyone else had this problem? My vertical traces are pretty much bang on in width, but my horizontal traces seem to have a 50% error. My belts are tight, and everything looks OK in my g-code viewer (using ChilPeppr). The photo used GRBL but after my tiny-G showed up, I got my machine calibrated again and ran it again, but have the same result.
Forum is complaining my photo is too big, so here's a link to my board: http://i.imgur.com/5oWDirz.jpg
Forum is complaining my photo is too big, so here's a link to my board: http://i.imgur.com/5oWDirz.jpg
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Re: Trace width inconsistencies
Runout?
What spindle and endmill?
How is the spindle mounted?
What did you do to ensure that it’s plumb and vertical?
What spindle and endmill?
How is the spindle mounted?
What did you do to ensure that it’s plumb and vertical?
Shapeoko 3XL #0006 w/ Carbide Compact Router w/0.125″ and ¼″ Carbide 3D precision collets
Re: Trace width inconsistencies
That looks a lot like backlash to me. You say you checked your belts; have you checked your pulleys? The set screws sometimes work themselves loose.
Proud owner of ShapeOko #709, eShapeOko #0, and of store.amberspyglass.co.uk
Re: Trace width inconsistencies
If it was runout, shouldn't I see the error throughout the board? I'm only seeing the error when Y-axis is stationary and I'm moving along in the X-axis. They are supposed to be 0.5mm wide though.Runout?
It's the quiet cut spindle using a 20deg 0.2mm v-bitWhat spindle and endmill?
I'm using the standard mounting kit for the Shapeoko 2How is the spindle mounted?
I'm using ChiliPeppr's Auto-level to keep as consistent as I can in my cuts. I cut a board a couple weeks ago and didn't see anything noticeable.What did you do to ensure that it’s plumb and vertical?
As a sanity check, I ran another test to cut an L-shape whose dimensions are 10mmx10mm and are 2mm thick, so the shorter lines inside are 8mm. I measured them out and they're spot on. http://i.imgur.com/lSFB7ha.jpg
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Re: Trace width inconsistencies
Good point. Go w/ Catalin’s thought on it being backlash.aiden1015 wrote: If it was runout, shouldn't I see the error throughout the board? I'm only seeing the error when Y-axis is stationary and I'm moving along in the X-axis. They are supposed to be 0.5mm wide though.
Shapeoko 3XL #0006 w/ Carbide Compact Router w/0.125″ and ¼″ Carbide 3D precision collets
Re: Trace width inconsistencies
I checked the pulleys and they all seemed tight except for maybe two (each on a separate motor), but since each pulley has two set screws, I couldn't see it being that big of an issue. I'm going to run another test or two and see how it turns out though.That looks a lot like backlash to me. You say you checked your belts; have you checked your pulleys? The set screws sometimes work themselves loose.
Re: Trace width inconsistencies
After tightening the pulley's these look a lot better. http://i.imgur.com/1X5VKuU.jpg
I made my eagle file a bit smaller, and I still have some z-axis calibration to do, but...
The left three traces should be 0.5mm wide and I'm measuring the vertical traces to be 0.25 and horizontal to be 0.13mm. Those 0.12mm turn out to be about 5mil, so part of me is saying "come on, 5mil tolerance isn't that bad." But there shouldn't be that much error to me between axis.
I made my eagle file a bit smaller, and I still have some z-axis calibration to do, but...
The left three traces should be 0.5mm wide and I'm measuring the vertical traces to be 0.25 and horizontal to be 0.13mm. Those 0.12mm turn out to be about 5mil, so part of me is saying "come on, 5mil tolerance isn't that bad." But there shouldn't be that much error to me between axis.
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- Posts: 8618
- Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2012 6:11 pm
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Re: Trace width inconsistencies
How tight are the belts?
I’ve found that they need to be really tight, pluckable like guitar strings.
I’ve found that they need to be really tight, pluckable like guitar strings.
Shapeoko 3XL #0006 w/ Carbide Compact Router w/0.125″ and ¼″ Carbide 3D precision collets
Re: Trace width inconsistencies
I try to keep them as tight as I possibly can.WillAdams wrote:How tight are the belts?
I’ve found that they need to be really tight, pluckable like guitar strings.
Re: Trace width inconsistencies
Hate to say it, but this is why I stopped using my Shapeoko for circuit boards and went with the 3040 chinese CNC because the ball screws are super amazing compared to timing belts for getting accurate trace widths. I think Shapeoko's are awesome for large wood projects, but for detailed work like circuit boards I got frustrated enough with backlash that I realized the Shapeoko just wasn't designed for circuit boards.