Dahlgren Wizzard Technotes-Setting Home on the Wizzard XL


Setting Home On The Wizzard XL

	HOME POSITION A reference point from which the Wizzard moves. Each machine has a unique position. MECHANICAL HOME The starting position for the cutter/spindle. Pressing the HOME key sends the cutter/spindle to it's mechanical HOME position. CAUSES FOR HOME POSITION TO BE OFF Selecting a different jig from the Job Option screen other than the jig you are using. Cutter box is not square, or it has changed since HOME was last set. Bent diamond graver tip, or tip is loose. Failure to press the HOME key before starting the job. The HOME key does not need to be pressed prior to each job. However, if one of the axes was accidentally moved when the machine was off, the HOME key needs to pressed prior to engraving the current job. Lack of lubrication can cause a variation of the HOME position when returning to mechanical HOME after completing a job. The HOME position could have been set when the carriage was flush against the limit switch. Then after engraving a job, it would only slightly depress the limit switch and stop prematurely due to lack of lubricating or buildup of debris on the leadscrew and rails. Forgetting to use SHIFT +CUTTER DOWN when squaring the cutter/graver to the engraving surface; your baselines could be off as much as 1/8''. Using clamping bars/jigs from another machine; all are not created equal. Plate measurements entered incorrectly, or plate is not the actual size as entered in the layout. If the baselines or margins are off by varying amounts, then mechanical or electrical problems are most likely the cause. REASONS TO RESET HOME Cutter carriage moves over to the far right and makes a grinding noise. An electrical surge from a bad engraving motor or brushes, or other electrical disturbances may have caused the loss of your HOME position. You are changing to a different manufacture of spindles. Different diameters of the spindle housing will alter the HOME position. All jigs, plate holders or clamping holders are not the same; if you buy new ones you will probably need to reset your Wizzard's HOME position. Jigs can be machined or manufactured wrong; lettering/numbers off centered. A QUICK WAY TO CHECK HOME One of the quickest ways to check your HOME position is as follows: Press the HOME key. Mount either your diamond graver or rotary spindle where the diamond tip or the nosecone is about 1/2'' above the clamping bar. If you are using a rotary spindle, remove the cutter. Install your standard `A' clamping bar (with the `a' at the top left) in the top set of pegs on the work holding vice (see Illustration 1). Now select the `A' jig from the JOB OPTION screen. Set up a one line job; center justified, GOTHIC font, .001 letter height, .001 baseline and .000 right and left margins. Enter a `0' (zero) for your text. The plate size can be the default size, 5'' x 8''. Press the COMPUTE, PAUSE, and START keys in sequence. The cutter box will start moving over the engraving area. After the spindle pauses, press SHIFT + CUTTER DOWN. Make sure the gap on the right side of your cutter box is equal as shown in Illustration 2. You may want to lower your spindle/diamond to get it closer to the plate holder for a more precise view. Look down the empty spindle and you should see dead center, where the `0' black mark meets the edge of the plate holders (see Illustration 1, below). Or if you are using a diamond graver, the diamond tip should be in the same position. With a plate in your clamping bars, you should be centered left to right, and at a point where the top edge of the plate meets the clamping bar. If it appears to be off, you will have to reset you HOME position. After verifying, press the CUTTER DOWN key to raise the cutter. Loosen the large black knob holding your spindle/diamond graver and raise it until the nosecone or diamond tip is at least a 1/2'' above the clamping bar. Press the PAUSE key; the `0' will engrave and your spindle/cutter will return to mechanical HOME. Differences Between Newer and Older Versions of XL & XL-Xtra Software Before you can set HOME, you need to know what version of CPU-A software you have. When you first turn on your XL, the screen BEFORE your standard Job Setup screen comes up with, should appear similar to the example below: WIZZARD XL - VERSION 2.43 System Initializing Often the XL screen has not warmed up when you first turn on your XL, and you will not see this screen. To view your CPU-A version (2.43 in the above example), press SHIFT + RESET when at your JOB SETUP screen. While there are differences in some versions of XL software, setting the HOME position is basically the same on all of the Wizzard's (Wizzard, Wizzard II, Genie, XL, and XL-Xtra). The differences of the XL software versions are noted below. XL with 2.42 and earlier versions of software, or XL-Xtra 1.02 and earlier: Your A & B jigs are protected (cannot be changed) and are controlled by their relationship to the HOME position. XL with 2.43 and newer versions, or XL-Xtra 1.03 and newer: The A and B jigs are unprotected. This means that resetting the HOME position does not set either the A or B jigs. However, anytime you reset the HOME position, it affects the A & B jigs. The A & B jigs use the HOME position as a reference for their position. You will note this on the screen when setting the A or B jig. The SHIFT + SET JIG'S procedure sets only the HOME position. To set A or B, you must press SET JIGS. SETTING YOUR HOME POSITION WIZZARD XL & XL-XTRA Always write down your X and Y coordinates when setting HOME. I engrave a plate showing the HOME position for each of my Wizzard's, and adhere it to the front of the machine. It comes in handy when you need to make a minor adjustment, or you replace your WE2 chips. Just go back in and add the amount you are off to the appropriate axis when you first set your new HOME. There are two methods for setting HOME; the one in your Wizzard manual, and the one that is more accurate. In the manual, you set HOME in the dimple on the `B' side of the jig. But if the dimple is not machined perfectly, or the other components are off, you are not setting an exact HOME. Here is the procedure we have been using at the Network for many years. Mount either your diamond graver or rotary spindle where the diamond tip or the nosecone is about 1/2'' above the clamp bar. If you are using a rotary spindle, remove the cutter, and place the motor belt on the storage pulley. Place a small piece of material in the clamping bars. Set the top, or back plate holder to `A' (make sure the `a' is to the left) as shown in Illustration 1. Press the HOME key. Press the SHIFT + CUTTER DOWN keys. This rotates the silver eccentric bar 1/2 turn. Examine the gap on the right side of the cutter box as shown by the arrow in the Illustration 2 below. The gap should be equal from the front to the back of the cutter box. If an adjustment is needed, turn the white nylon Allen screw that is located directly behind your spindle, clockwise to raise the front of the spindle carrier or counter-clockwise to lower the front of the spindle carrier. For more detailed information, see Squaring Your Cutter. Press the CUTTER DOWN key to raise the cutter box to the normal position. Press SHIFT + SET JIGS. The spindle/cutter will move to mechanical HOME and the silver eccentric bar will rotate to the SHIFT + CUTTER DOWN position. On the top line of the screen, the display should read ``USE ARROWS TO MOVE CUTTER''. The message box will display ``MOVE FROM KEYBOARD''. The up and down arrows move the engraving table, and the left and right arrows move the spindle/cutter. The longer you press down an arrow, the faster it will move. Moving small increments can be achieved by quickly pressing and releasing the arrow keys. Press the right arrow key to move the spindle/diamond graver towards the center of the clamping bar, or at `0' (zero). Then use the UP arrows to move the cutter/spindle directly over the point used in Illustration 1, `HOME POSITION'. Drop the pointed end of the locating rod into the rotary spindle (or lower you diamond graver) until it hits the `HOME POSITION'. If it doesn't hit in the exact center and top of the plate, lift up the locating rod (or diamond graver) and continue pressing the arrow keys and lowering the locating rod until it reaches the exact spot. When you've reached the HOME position, lines 2 and 3 on the screen will display your X & Y values. The X position should be 4.000 inches and the Y position should be 0.080 inches. Distances vary slightly from machine to machine. Never use a position with a negative (-) value. Write down these settings and save in case you need to make adjustments after engraving. The settings you now see will not appear on your screen after you leave the Set Jig screen. With the cursor still on the first line, use the SPACEBAR and toggle through to the ``PRESS ENTER TO SET NEW HOME'' mode. Press the ENTER key. The message box should display ``WARNING - Setting New HOME - SHIFT + ENTER To Confirm''. Press SHIFT + ENTER to confirm. Most machines make a high pitched beeping noise; some don't. The message box will display ``COMPLETE - NEW HOME POSITION HAS BEEN SET''. If using a rotating spindle, remove the locating rod from the spindle. Raise the spindle or diamond graver where the nosecone or cutter tip is about 1/2'' above the clamping bar. Press the JOB SET-UP key. The spindle will go back to mechanical HOME position, and the Job Set-Up screen will be displayed. Now that you've set home, now use SET JIGS to set your A & B positions. The actual positions for these points will be at 0,0 (top center) of the respective jig. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES The HOME position is stored in the WE2's. If you get the message - ``WARNING Jigs A & B Protected - Cannot set jig'', when trying to set HOME (2.42 and earlier) , you probably have pressed SET JIGS instead of SHIFT + SET JIGS. Exit this screen by press the JOB OPTION key, and press the SHIFT + SET JIG keys and retry. You can cancel the HOME procedure at anytime before pressing SHIFT +ENTER. and your current settings will not be affected (i.e. changed your mind, or accidentally entered this option in error). If you have to reset HOME more than once or twice a year, you are either setting your HOME position improperly, or you have other problems. Since you actually using your A plate holder (in my method) to set your HOME position, A & HOME position are the same. As B is protected and cannot be changed, problems may occur when the numbering on the top plate holder is off, or the plate holder has been machined incorrectly. To correct the problem, set up an unused jig (C-J) for the 'B' jig, and describe it as `NEW B'. To use the `NEW B' jig, go to the JOB OPTION screen and select the jig (C-J) called `NEW B'. The only time to reset HOME with the newer software is when you have lost both of your jigs. If one jig is off, use SET JIGS and reset only that jig. If you reset Home, you will then have to reset both the A & B jigs. SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE HOME POSITION ON 2.43 AND LATER While I do not have actual documentation on the new HOME position, here are some thoughts and conclusions about the HOME position in the newer software. Unprotected A & B is a great ideal. It gives the engraver more freedom for irregular or inaccurate jigs, or other specific purposes. I cannot see a purpose for the HOME position. If A & B are unprotected, then you can set any position. I would guess that the HOME position was kept to avoid rewriting the software (i.e. calculations using HOME, screens where jigs use a reference of a distance for HOME, etc.)