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Need help with "tool change" (M6) when drilling PCBs

jlawton
Thu, 24 Mar 2022 03:10:27 GMT

I have a VERY basic 3018 PRO MAX running GRBL 1.1h, don't know what controller it is but something like a RATTM (drooling over DLC32 though!), no laser, just trying to mill some pretty small (but dense) double-sided printed circuit boards made with KiCAD 6.02 (LOVE that thing), and of course LaserGRBL 4.8.0 to send to the machine. So I went through FlatCAM and generated some "job" (G-code) files. They looked kind of OK but the "excellon" (drill files) had holes of multiple diameters, so of course I clicked on the "tool change" button when I created those files. I took that file and ran it through the machine and on the flow the program had generated an "M6" command, which I understand to basically be an "automated" tool change, so of course GRBL won't accept that command and halted. So I went back and unclicked "tool change" and then went and looked at the generated G-code, and it generated a file that drilled ALL the holes at the diameter of the first drill in the table! This is kind of shocking, of course I'm not expecting to get auto tool change in a $160 CNC, but I CERTAINLY expected the software I'm using to "automate the manual" tool change if you will, and halt execution and prompt ME to do the tool change and then press something to continue at the next tool diameter! And one thing I'm definitely NOT expecting to have to do is to go into the G-code editor and manually edit this "feature" into EVERY file I generate, I mean the lack of something like this is simply exasperating! Now if I HAVE to I suppose I can enable tool change and edit out the "M6" commands, but if I HAVE to do that is there another command that GRBL accepts that will halt the machine so I can change the drill myself? Or am I obligated to accept the "solution" of having to break this into a separate "job file" for each and every tool diameter, thus making job file version control next to impossible?

jlawton
Thu, 24 Mar 2022 09:03:15 GMT

OK...just found preprocessor "grbl_11_no_M6"...guess that's it...