Elektor Profiler: Help!!! - resizing outlines

[maz77]

Hi all

So I seem to have it working. I'm drawing front panels to cut into pcb material. I draw them in hicad and export as .dwg, import into bocnc to turn it into a .plt and plt2cbr to make it a .cbr.

The problem is when I get into colidrive my panel appears at the bottom of the screen in a big red border which is as narrow as the panel but as tall as the screen. My profiler's drill hangs over the edge of the machine in it's y=0 position so I need to move the image up a bit but because of this huge border I can't do it. I've tried rotating the image but the motor tends to stick at the top of it's range so that isn't satisfactory.

Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong, or would anyone be willing to look at my files to see what I'm missing. I tried to add a margin in Colidrive but it put the border out of range (not that there was anything there but...) And now I'm out of ideas

Thanks for any ideas

Ian M.

[boeingbrown]

Hi Ian,

Don't know, have seen it myself before, but don't remember what was the cause.

But probably we can help if you put the files here as an attachment ?

Hessel

[maz77]

That's a very good idea. Thanks.

I've enclosed 3 files. the .cbr colinbus file, the .plt file and the dxf file. I can't see the border in hycad or bocnc so I'm thinking it's something I'm doing in plt2cbr or colidrive itself.

To test it I got around the problem by going back into Hycad and drawing a line below the panel to offset it, but I'd like to be able to solve it properly.

Now I've got to get that worksurface nice and flat.

Thanks for having a look

Ian

[boeingbrown]

Ian,

Sorry, sorry, forgot your post.

Your file shows up here as (sse below): Ian 1

The dxf had (I presume) a wrong line: Ian 2, which I removed.

There after it shows as: Ian 3.

Is this what you mean ?

Hessel

[maz77]

Hi Hessel

No problem, I appreciate you looking at it when you can.

I put the small line at the bottom to move the image up into the useable range of the profiler. Here is what I get in colidrive (without the line this time)

You can see the red border extending vertically from the panel. Unlike in your pictures! Did you use the .cbr file I posted for that? There must be something in my colidrive software that I need to change.

I keep thinking I should find a way of changing the border size but can't find it. If I right click and select 'geometry' it gives Y=400, but I don't know where it gets this figure, or how to alter it. Back to the manual I go.

Thanks for looking

Ian M

[boeingbrown]

Hi Ian,

The first picture I posted, is exactly your cbr file.
Although it not really make (much) sense, but did you play (only for this moment; you want to mill NOW... ) with the automargin and show outline with imgae in the setup ?
I presume here is NOT the solution, but try.
As you wrote, because here its going well, it might something with the coldrive install.
Installing it again is only 30 seconds, so ....

And .... If I resize the window of the image in Colidrive by moving the lower edge upwards (so the inverse of streching; don't know the right word) I can simulate the problem more or less. Is this your problem probably ?

Hessel'

[boeingbrown]

Ian,

To make the problem as transparant as possible it might probably usefull to make a VERY simple drawing (only a square) with 1 thickness layer for milling and generate/import that.

Set the left base on drawing program on 0,0 and see what happens.

Start with a small square and make it bigger etc.

H.

[maz77]

Hessel

Many thanks. I tried to import a square, still get a border where Y=400.

But then I installed the newer version of Colidrive (for Profiler purchases since March 2009) and it works!

I need to try it at the workshop on my connected PC, so as long as the new software works with my old profiler, it will work.

Many thanks, I'll let you know the outcome.

Ian

[boeingbrown]

Great !

Probably interesting for you to have a look too, from time to time, at the German and Dutch Profiler forum.
More to see, then the rather quiet English forum.

H.

[maz77]

So I installed the newer version of Colidrive and it doesn't recognise my machine. I assume they changed something in the hardware which makes the older machine not compatible with the newer software. Does anyone know if this is the case?

So I can now view my designs in Colidrive 3.0.0.34 and move them to a suitable position but not mill.

Or I can mill my designs in Colidrive 2.2.0.81 which won't allow me to move them into the useable milling area due to the massive red outline.

So back to square one then. Off to email Colinbus support...