The Intro Page
The introduction page is the default page that Probe-It opens to. It serves one simple yet important purpose… Test your probe out and verify the big LED on the Mach3 screen lights up when you activate the tip before you do any probing! This verifies your probe hardware, wiring, and Mach3 port/pin setup!
The Setup and Calibration page
The Calibration and Setup page is where you set some of the basic parameters, and have the option of creating a probe tip calibration table. When you create a calibration table, you probe the ID of an accurate and round ‘gauge ring’ that you provide the actual measured inner diameter. The probe routine builds a table of ‘compensated tip diameters’ for every 10 degree angle directions. The compensation can correct for probe trip deflections, backlash, etc and results in the ability to probe parts and perimeters very accurately.
XY Probing Routines
The XY Probing page provides several canned routines that probe sides, corners, edges, ID bores, slots, etc. All of the routines provide dimensional measurement info (CMM like usage) and the option to zero the axis to probed features (setup). Data may be saved to a CSV file (CMM like measurement recording) or to a DXF to build up CAD file of probed geometry.
There is also the option to have the Z auto raise/lower, which will allow jogging from location to location and running probing routines without having to constantly raise and lower the probe tip. You can also ‘rotate’ all the probing routines by an angle entered in the ‘part rotation’ DRO.