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21
General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach-Pro??
« Last post by SwiftyJ on January 12, 2026, 10:15:47 AM »The website is www.mach-labs.com
Recent Posts
22
General Mach Discussion / Mach-Pro??
« Last post by rubes on January 12, 2026, 08:40:47 AM »Last month I got an email mentioning the launch of Mach-Pro, with discount pricing for current Mach users. They have a link to a support forum that leads to here? yet no mention of Mach-Pro anywhere to be seen.
Today was supposed to be launch day and still nothing. Starting to look like a scam?
anyone else have any info?
Today was supposed to be launch day and still nothing. Starting to look like a scam?
anyone else have any info?
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Mach4 General Discussion / Re: YAD XHCWB04 request
« Last post by AXYZ_WI on January 11, 2026, 09:43:47 PM »write a macro to do whatever you want and just call the macro from the user G-code. Mine is m111 below is the content of that macro open the script editor and past it in there, give it whatever number you want save it in the profile macros folder and just call that from the user gcode. mine is to use a touch plate so make sure you have that wired up before you try to use it.
function m111()
local touchplatethickness = .13 --Enter the thickness of your touchplate here.
local ProbeSpeed = 5 -- Enter how Fast the machine probes
local ProbeDistance = 4 -- How far it will go looking for the touch plate.
-------------------------End of User paramaters------------------------------
local inst = mc.mcGetInstance()
local probeHand, rc = mc.mcSignalGetHandle(inst,mc.ISIG_PROBE)
local probeState=mc.mcSignalGetState(probeHand)
if probeState==1 then
wx.wxMessageBox('Probe already active...cannot proceed')
return
end
mc.mcCntlGcodeExecuteWait(inst, "G01 G90 G31 Z-"..ProbeDistance.."F"..ProbeSpeed);
local zProbeStrikePos = mc.mcCntlGetPoundVar(inst, 5063);
mc.mcAxisSetPos(inst, 2, touchplatethickness);
mc.mcCntlGcodeExecuteWait(inst, 'G0 G91 Z1'); --Rapid move to 1 inch above current pos
probeState=mc.mcSignalGetState(probeHand)
if probeState == 1 then
wx.wxMessageBox("Probe is still activated! Check to make sure probe is not damaged or still contacting strike plate.");
else
mc.mcCntlSetLastError(inst, "Z Axis now referenced.");
end
end
function m111()
local touchplatethickness = .13 --Enter the thickness of your touchplate here.
local ProbeSpeed = 5 -- Enter how Fast the machine probes
local ProbeDistance = 4 -- How far it will go looking for the touch plate.
-------------------------End of User paramaters------------------------------
local inst = mc.mcGetInstance()
local probeHand, rc = mc.mcSignalGetHandle(inst,mc.ISIG_PROBE)
local probeState=mc.mcSignalGetState(probeHand)
if probeState==1 then
wx.wxMessageBox('Probe already active...cannot proceed')
return
end
mc.mcCntlGcodeExecuteWait(inst, "G01 G90 G31 Z-"..ProbeDistance.."F"..ProbeSpeed);
local zProbeStrikePos = mc.mcCntlGetPoundVar(inst, 5063);
mc.mcAxisSetPos(inst, 2, touchplatethickness);
mc.mcCntlGcodeExecuteWait(inst, 'G0 G91 Z1'); --Rapid move to 1 inch above current pos
probeState=mc.mcSignalGetState(probeHand)
if probeState == 1 then
wx.wxMessageBox("Probe is still activated! Check to make sure probe is not damaged or still contacting strike plate.");
else
mc.mcCntlSetLastError(inst, "Z Axis now referenced.");
end
end
24
Promote and discuss your product / Re: SmartSwapATC: a modular, space-saving ATC for Mach4 users
« Last post by AXYZ_WI on January 11, 2026, 02:30:16 PM »ok lets try this one more time, here is the video link to a demo of SmartSwapATC, I can write code but I guess my YouTube skills are lacking!
https://youtu.be/NERcEAS2KeE
https://youtu.be/NERcEAS2KeE
25
Brains Development / Re: Basic pendant brains
« Last post by Trebleplink on January 11, 2026, 12:22:43 PM »Thanks. I'll look at it. I'm still using Mach 3 and parallel ports - because it works fine. I use a 16 year old Win XP machine with solid state hard drive, not connected to a network. Vectric Vcarve is on it too. If it ain't broke ...
I gather that Mach 4 wants a newer machine.
I gather that Mach 4 wants a newer machine.
26
Brains Development / Re: Basic pendant brains
« Last post by ZASto on January 11, 2026, 11:25:12 AM »I stopped using Mach3 some years ago but, nevertheless, find attached brains that I used on one machine with 2 LPT ports
27
General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 metric to inch occuring during program run.
« Last post by AlanETM on January 11, 2026, 09:28:23 AM »Thankfully problem solved. The cause was the Z tool offset had the value 24.5 entered. How that came about is a mystery but resetting it to zero soilved all the problems. Terrific help from artsoft support enabled me to solve the problem by following their detailed instructions. My many thanks to them who are still supporting Mac3.
28
Promote and discuss your product / Re: SmartSwapATC: a modular, space-saving ATC for Mach4 users
« Last post by AXYZ_WI on January 11, 2026, 12:36:45 AM »Sorry there was an issue with the video, Here is a link to see SmartSwapATC in action!
https://youtu.be/6vQ*********tj4O0
https://youtu.be/6vQ*********tj4O0
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Mach4 General Discussion / MOVED: SmartSwapATC: a modular, space-saving ATC for Mach4 users
« Last post by Tweakie.CNC on January 11, 2026, 12:17:18 AM »This topic has been moved to Promote and discuss your product.
https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=49471.0
https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=49471.0
30
Promote and discuss your product / SmartSwapATC: a modular, space-saving ATC for Mach4 users
« Last post by AXYZ_WI on January 11, 2026, 12:13:06 AM »Hi everyone — I wanted to share something I’ve been working on for a while now called SmartSwapATC.
SmartSwap is a modular, wireless automatic tool changer designed for ER spindles and built specifically around Mach4 using Lua. The core idea is simple: instead of committing a big chunk of your machine’s work area to a fixed tool magazine, you only use the number of tool holders you actually need for the job. I call them “cassettes.” If a job only needs three tools, you run three cassettes — not seven or ten bolted permanently to the table.
This project grew out of my own shop needs. I wanted an ATC (like most of us do), but I couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on one. I also didn’t want something that forced a rigid machine layout or took away flexibility. So I started building and iterating.
Most of SmartSwap’s features exist because something went wrong at some point. Crashes, broken bits, lost zeroes — each one turned into another safety check or workflow improvement in the code. I rewrote the tool-change logic more times than I care to admit, but the end result is something I trust to run unattended and repeatably.
What surprised me most wasn’t just the time savings, but how it changed how I work. I used to skip chamfers because it meant another tool change and another chance to mess up a touch-off. I avoided tightly nested parts because I didn’t want things moving when cutting with larger/faster tools, and small tools just took too long. Now I’ll rough aggressively, chamfer everything, and finish with small cutters without worrying about losing accuracy or parts getting launched. That alone has opened up designs I simply didn’t bother with before.
SmartSwapATC hasn’t just made my workflow faster — it’s made the machine more enjoyable to use.
There’s a short video below showing it in action. If you’re curious, more details are at www.SmartSwapATC.com. Hopefully it sparks some ideas for what an ATC could look like in your own shop. I also have a couple install videos on my channel, more videos and features are coming soon.
https://youtu.be/dNZGVk4NDHs
SmartSwap is a modular, wireless automatic tool changer designed for ER spindles and built specifically around Mach4 using Lua. The core idea is simple: instead of committing a big chunk of your machine’s work area to a fixed tool magazine, you only use the number of tool holders you actually need for the job. I call them “cassettes.” If a job only needs three tools, you run three cassettes — not seven or ten bolted permanently to the table.
This project grew out of my own shop needs. I wanted an ATC (like most of us do), but I couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on one. I also didn’t want something that forced a rigid machine layout or took away flexibility. So I started building and iterating.
Most of SmartSwap’s features exist because something went wrong at some point. Crashes, broken bits, lost zeroes — each one turned into another safety check or workflow improvement in the code. I rewrote the tool-change logic more times than I care to admit, but the end result is something I trust to run unattended and repeatably.
What surprised me most wasn’t just the time savings, but how it changed how I work. I used to skip chamfers because it meant another tool change and another chance to mess up a touch-off. I avoided tightly nested parts because I didn’t want things moving when cutting with larger/faster tools, and small tools just took too long. Now I’ll rough aggressively, chamfer everything, and finish with small cutters without worrying about losing accuracy or parts getting launched. That alone has opened up designs I simply didn’t bother with before.
SmartSwapATC hasn’t just made my workflow faster — it’s made the machine more enjoyable to use.
There’s a short video below showing it in action. If you’re curious, more details are at www.SmartSwapATC.com. Hopefully it sparks some ideas for what an ATC could look like in your own shop. I also have a couple install videos on my channel, more videos and features are coming soon.
https://youtu.be/dNZGVk4NDHs