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Please read through sections 10.1 through 10.6 of the AxiDraw user guide, which discusses what the AxiDraw does (it draws the lines that you ask it to), how to preview how your artwork will plot, and discuss the various types of inputs that you might provide to it.
From what I can see, you are providing the AxiDraw with an outlined shape, and asking it to plot that outline.
What I think that you are asking about is how to convert from a scanned shape into a centerline that a pen can follow. As section 10.6 of the user guide discusses, that problem is called handwriting trajectory reconstruction; there is no “simply” about it. If you want the AxiDraw to plot the center line of text, you will need to (one way or another) actually provide that center line of the text to the machine.
For short elements of text, like signatures, the word “sincerely” and so forth the best way to capture handwriting is to capture it in real time, as discussed in section 10.5 of the user guide.
Yes, a few tips.
First, it’s helpful to stand above the machine, to the extent possible, while setting the pen and paper position. It’s easy to get some degree of error just from basic parallax, and keeping yourself higher (or the machine lower) can help.One way to check if the top edge of the paper is parallel with the machine is to turn off motors and manually slide the carriage horizontally along the rail. If there’s a tilt between the two, you’ll see it this way.For rapid repositioning of the clip easel, we have sometimes used a rectangular piece of material (e.g., wood) as a spacer between the central strut of the AxiDraw V3 and the top of the easel. The actual width of the piece of material that you’ll need depends on a few factors including the exact version of the AxiDraw (there have been a few minor iterations on the pen holder) and the size of the pen that you’re using. Similarly, you can place a fixed endstop on the left side of the easel, to assist left-to-right positioning.To check that the pen tip is actually above the corner of the paper, you can place a scrap of paper above the upper left corner of the paper and then lower and raise the pen to make a dot, so that you can check its location. A common cause of running off the page is not really having the _tip_ of the pen above the corner of the paper.If you’re working on a surface that you can mark up (e.g., a benchtop with a white paper liner, or a stainless steel table top that can be cleaned with alcohol), you can place a marker in the AxiDraw and have it draw a rectangle equal to your page size, which can be a good guide for placing your paper. If you don’t want to mark up the table, some masking tape (or blue painters tape) can serve as an excellent way to mark up your standard paper location.Finally, it’s worth thinking for a moment about pen positioning. If you’re using the vertical orientation for your pens, then the upper-left corner location tends to be very consistent (within pens of the same diameter). However if you have the pen holder in the diagonal configuration, then the left-right position of the pen can vary when you reposition it. It may be helpful to try to position the pen at the same height each time.Do you get any kind of error message? Or, does it act like everything is working, including taking the time that it normally would to make a plot? If the latter, then it sounds like the power supply is either not plugged in or not working. If you are getting some kind of an error message, then please say what it is.
Bryan,
Please start a new thread or contact technical support directly.The issue that you are describing does not sound related to the one in this thread.
I don’t think that I’ve seen this particular symptom, but it is possible to damage the ICs through a few different ways. The most common way is overvoltage on the power supply pin. Make sure that your 5 V power supply really is 5 V (not an unregulated “5 V” power supply). Also make sure that you have adequate capacitors on the 5 V supply, perhaps near the ICs, so that suddenly switching off current to the LEDs does not cause a spike in the 5 V power.
Second, we have seen a symptom that _looks_ like the one that you’re describing. If you have an LED line turned “on” in the chip but are not providing current that can flow through it, it can exhibit “ghosting” for a moment after that. If you have any high-side control, it’s important to only control the LEDs to be on when there is a path for the current to flow.No; there is no g code generated in the EggBot software, so if you wanted to get some it would need to be generated in the first place.
Yes, the AxiDraw can be used to produce readable text that is similar to handwriting. There is a significant difference between how writing looks when written with an actual pen as opposed to a inkjet printer. Anyone who looks closely will be able to tell the difference.
If I had to write a 200 word letter, and was able to pick appropriate fonts and so on to write it, I’d figure something like 10-15 minutes by AxiDraw.If communication between your computer and the EggBot is working — as in, you can send a plot and have the machine move in response without generating error messages — then there is no reason to suspect that a change in operating system is a factor.
The most likely cause of an issue with that description is that something is physically loose on the EggBot– perhaps the pen arm, perhaps the egg, perhaps something else. When the EggBot motors are powered on, both the egg and the pen holder should resist motion if you try and move them a little. That might help point the way towards what is causing the problem.You might also want to have a look through our EggBot Quality Troubleshooting Guide, which shows the effects of different types of mechanical issues: http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Quality_TroubleshootingYes, the computer is compatible with AxiDraw.
The AxiDraw cannot produce hand written output; it does not have hands.A one-page letter might take anywhere from say 3 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the complexity, movement speed, font size, and so forth. This is a lot like asking “how long does an oil painting take?” The answer is that it depends on the complexity.If it’s not moving, that may indicate some kind of damage in shipping. The first thing to check is to make sure that the pen holder can be lifted freely, and that it falls again under its own weight. If it does not, then the pen lift motor will not be able to move it either.
Second, double check that the connector is in the correct three pins and correctly oriented.Third, try disconnecting the motor connector, and see if movement is working OK otherwise. If it is not, then the problem may be with the power supply.There is no “stable” version of RoboPaint. The latest version (beta 3) does have an option for AxiDraw under advanced settings.
This is not related to the AxiDraw extensions for Inkscape, nor to installation.
Hi Liam,
Inkscape has very limited support for some of the common CAD file interchange formats, and in particular if you’re using DXF, you’ll find the resolution to be disappointing. I’d suggest (as a first approach) importing via EPS, illustrator, or PDF format instead, to see if that makes a difference. Please give that a try and let me know if it makes a difference.If you’re referring to the TSP art mona lisa example, that’s a very specialized example of raster image conversion — quite a different subject from moving CAD work, which is typically already in vector format. You can make artwork like this by using StippleGen: http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/StippleGenThat does make a big difference. We only provide technical support for products that we make and sell. You’ll have to talk to the manufacturer about it.
The “file” that it is looking for is the USB address of the EBB control board. So, the error message is really saying “I can’t find this USB device”, although it is failing in an unusual manner, and thus gets a rather cryptic error message.
You’re re-installing lots of things, which is one of those ways that unexpected things can go wrong. I’m not sure which version(s) you’re on now, but let’s try and take this from the top.
I presume that you have successfully installed the driver (in at least one of those attempts), so we shouldn’t need to worry about that.
1): I’d like to recommend that you run the EBB firmware updater, which should update the EBB to firmware version 2.5.1. If this works, it will also (more importantly) establish that your computer has a good and functional USB connection to the EBB. You can download the updater program from:
http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Axidraw_Software_Installation#Firmware_Update
2): Let’s make sure that your Inkscape install is in good shape. First, remove any installed versions of Inkscape that you do have. (Having multiple copies of Inkscape on your computer is a common cause of various issues.) Since your computer is 64-bit, I’d highly recommend using the 64-bit version of Inkscape, and please stick with Inkscape version 0.91. You’ll want the “Windows : 64-Bit : Msi” installer version from the Inkscape 0.91 download page at:
https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.91/platforms/
(If you have already downloaded this, please go ahead and install the same copy that you downloaded previously.)3): Verify that this is a fresh copy of Inkscape by checking to see that EggBot _does not_ occur in your Inkscape extensions menu. Then, test to make sure that your extensions are working (in general) by trying Extensions > Render > Gear.
4): Download the newest version of the EggBot software (version 2.8.0), from here:
https://github.com/evil-mad/EggBot/releases/tag/v2.8.0
This version will need to be _manually_ installed. Follow the directions at that link for “Windows users” about how to install it.
5): Restart Inkscape, and see if you can connect to the EggBot.
If you should get stuck at any point along this process, please let me know where, and we’ll take it from there. I’d like to get to the bottom of it.
