Instructions

You can also save a file directly to a CD, DVD or USB flash drive by navigating to the
appropriate drive instead of the “g-code” folder (as in step 4 above) and then naming and
saving as in step 5.
NOTE: In the Ubuntu version of Linux it is no longer necessary to unmount the drive
when you are done. Simply close the drive’s window. If using an earlier version of linux,
you must “Unmount” the CD or USB device before removing it. To unmount the drive,
right click on the appropriate icon on the desktop (it will have a green triangle at the
bottom right corner of the icon) and select “Unmount” from the menu. Once the device is
unmounted, the small green triangle will disappear, and you can safely remove the CD or
USB device.
What’s in the “g-code” folder?
When you open the folder called “g-code” there are already several programs we have
pre-loaded that you can run or modify. Here is what they are called and what they do:
0-new.ngc—A blank program ready for you to open and rename to create your
own programs
TheGreatRace.ngc—A triangular aircraft race course used as an example in the
instruction manual. Note: This is the only example given in the Sherline
instructions that you don’t have to type in yourself because it is lengthy for what
it does.
The following programs are written by the EMC group as examples of
different types of programming techniques and haven’t been fully tested by
Sherline. Ray Henry provided the explanations.
3D_Chips.ngc—This little penguin is the EMC mascot. It is written using metric
dimension but can be run on any mill. It is a bit too large to run directly on the
Sherline mill but is a great sample of contouring that will go quite a ways in foam.
3dtest.ngc—Runs X, Y, and Z axes to draw circles in several planes (on-screen
use only, not for cutting an actual part). Run this from near the center of each axis
and it draws a circle and the letters of the plane on which the circle lies. This can
be handy when you change the angle of view of the plotter, because it will show if
you are looking through an axis because the lettering will be backwards or upside
down.
bbxy.ngc— (Metric) This program moves the cutter in about a four-inch circle in
one direction and then the other. There is an m00 between the direction change so
you need to press [Resume] or <s> on the keyboard
bbxz.ngc— bbxz.ngc is the same as bbxy above except that it makes
circles in other planes.
bbyz.ngc—bbyz.ngc is the same as bbxy and bbxz above except that it makes
circles in other planes.
cds.ngc—Circle Diamond Square (cds) is the original proof that the EMC
interpreter could run a milling machine. It is also a bit large for the Sherline mill
but works great in the backplot mode. It allows you to change views and look at
the various parts of a milled cube.
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