Z axis torch initially going up instead of down when clicking cycle start

If it worked before and you didn't update or anything, then it begs the question what changed physically with the machine?

The first move for every cut file is to move the Z axis to 5mm below the top of the Z axis' travel with the following line (for an imperial machine):

linuxcnc.org/docs/stable/html/plasma/qtp...20G%2Dcode%20program.

Also, maybe this diagram helps a bit:
linuxcnc.org/docs/stable/html/plasma/qtp...plasma:initial-setup

I am guessing that either something is up with your mechanicals, or some configuration setting got changed.

I dont know much about your setup, but I am guessing that Positive Travel Distance should be 0. It's the distance above the origin that the z axis can travel. So if you homed it in the middle of travel your setup above would allow you to jog 7.5 inches up and 7.5 inches down. I'm guessing your home switch is at the top, and therefore when it finds home it should call that 0 and there is no travel above it. Make sense?

From the docs:

POSITIVE TRAVEL DISTANCE
This is the distance the Axis travels from the Origin to the positive travel distance or the total travel minus the negative travel distance. You would set this to zero if the origin is positioned at the positive limit. The will always be zero or a positive number.

You can try something PhillC mentioned quite a while back when i was using non standard Z axis limits on my machine:
-jog Z axis down till the tip of the torch is just under the material/plate
-touch off Z axis to 0 there
do some tests, see if it works properly.
It did work for me, and most probably it is still like that.

it's not that, zeroing out an axis in G54 offset (the default) wont do anything. the config isn't right. having a positive travel distance tells it there is 7.5 inches above wherever "home" is. the limit switch is at the top of the travel looking at the pictures. The first move is to go up to z max minus 0.196". which instead of being -.196" it's trying to go to 7.304.

This is all in G53 to be clear.

Sorry Snowwy, i should have also mentioned that on all my other machines (probably 20? Plasma's) positive limit is at 0, and the example above was for very old PlasmaC, not QtPlasmaC.
On "my Red" machine (my refers to the one i use often, not the rest of them), i still use old PlasmaC and new QtPlasmaC, as my clients have both types in use so i can not afford to forget how to use them, technical support being the main reason, and testing new versions being the other reason, as you can notice if you watch my videos on youtube, different PC's and laptops but always the same red machine.
I am also sorry for not helping more, but as i mentioned several times by now on the forum, work has plummeted badly, been probably over 5 months without turning the machines on.

tommylight wrote:

Sorry Snowwy, i should have also mentioned that on all my other machines (probably 20? Plasma's) positive limit is at 0, and the example above was for very old PlasmaC, not QtPlasmaC.
On "my Red" machine (my refers to the one i use often, not the rest of them), i still use old PlasmaC and new QtPlasmaC, as my clients have both types in use so i can not afford to forget how to use them, technical support being the main reason, and testing new versions being the other reason, as you can notice if you watch my videos on youtube, different PC's and laptops but always the same red machine.
I am also sorry for not helping more, but as i mentioned several times by now on the forum, work has plummeted badly, been probably over 5 months without turning the machines on.

No apology is necessary!

Sorry the work is plummeting. I do think there are WAY fewer people making plasma tables as compared to when this part of the project was in its prime. I wonder what the cause is. Part of me thinks people have moved on to laser since it's become more affordable.

snowgoer540 wrote:

I wonder what the cause is. Part of me thinks people have moved on to laser since it's become more affordable.

Yes, exactly, here the government payed 15K Euro to china for everyone working with metal that applied for the grant to buy a laser and they added the rest, so basically killed off my business completely.
Not the only business, so i was not worried ... till the PC market went bananas with prices skyrocketing, so no more PC builds for now, and in the near future by the looks of it.
3D printing business was not that active, but occasionally it would bring nice revenue from people with bitcoin miners that needed cooling adapters...
I am ranting again ... sorry.

It is scary because laser is FAR more dangerous, and the videos I see online of the home built stuff shows that people are not taking that danger very seriously at all. Mayyyybe they have the correct safety glasses, but I feel bad for anyone who walks unknowingly into the area when the machine is operating.