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My current project is what I’m calling a manual touchplate. Eventually I’ll wire up a normal z-axis touchplate, but for now I’m testing a manual version. I’m currently using a 1-2-3 Block, a continuity tester, and some alligator clips. If I like the results I’ll likely refine it a bit later down-the-road (solder the contacts and such).
Basically, I just connect the clip to the bit and the use Easel to manually (SLOWLY) jog the Z-axis closer until the LED lights up. Once that’s done, since I’m using a 1-2-3 Block I know I’l exactly 1 inch from the board. I can then set the distance to 1 inch and lower the bit exactly to the board.
Clever. It’s good to have options when you need them.
You should still use the same setup, but hook the probe up to your G-Shield.
Once you do that, it’s real simple to issue g-code commands via Easel to zero the axis.
