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Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Upgrade Mach3 to Mach4 using smoothstepper and Machmotion I06?
« on: July 27, 2019, 03:54:57 AM »
Hi,
The Ethernet SmoothStepper has a very complete Mach4 plugin and works well with Mach4. The breakout board will work
exactly the same it always has.
Amongst the realtime supports the ESS enjoys is backlash compensation. Note that backlash compensation is a realtime
function and support must be offered by the controller. The ESS has it however the UC300 and PMDX-424 do not
for example.
In Mach4 you can have one only motion controller, in your case an ESS. You could have a second board, say a PoKeys as
a secondary data input board. You may be able to exploit that and get your Machmotion pendant to work.
To my knowledge VistaCNC is the only commercial manufacturer of pendants that has invested the effort to write a
Mach4 plugin.
If Machmotion has written a plugin then they've kept quiet about it....unlikely. I would guess that they have not written
a Mach4 plugin. Thus unless you are able to exploit the trick about using a PoKeys as a secondary data source then
I'd say your pendant won't work.
You will have to re-write any macros in Lua, the Mach4 scripting language. Anthing you can get Mach3 to do....then Mach4 can
do it too, any way way more as well.
Mach4 has a Touch Off (probing) module. It puts all and any Mach3 probing stuff into the shade.
Download mach4 and run it in demo. If you do not install a motion plugin....ie stick with Sim(ulator) as it ships
with there is no restriction at all. If you load a motion plugin into Mach4 then it will run without restriction for six minutes
before stopping, requiring a re-start until it is licenced.
Craig
Quote
[I am wondering if Mach 4 will work with my Machmotion I06 breakout board and Warp9 ethernet smoothstepper?
The Ethernet SmoothStepper has a very complete Mach4 plugin and works well with Mach4. The breakout board will work
exactly the same it always has.
Amongst the realtime supports the ESS enjoys is backlash compensation. Note that backlash compensation is a realtime
function and support must be offered by the controller. The ESS has it however the UC300 and PMDX-424 do not
for example.
Quote
Will my Machmotion pendant work? I believe it basically goes through a USB pokeys.
In Mach4 you can have one only motion controller, in your case an ESS. You could have a second board, say a PoKeys as
a secondary data input board. You may be able to exploit that and get your Machmotion pendant to work.
To my knowledge VistaCNC is the only commercial manufacturer of pendants that has invested the effort to write a
Mach4 plugin.
If Machmotion has written a plugin then they've kept quiet about it....unlikely. I would guess that they have not written
a Mach4 plugin. Thus unless you are able to exploit the trick about using a PoKeys as a secondary data source then
I'd say your pendant won't work.
You will have to re-write any macros in Lua, the Mach4 scripting language. Anthing you can get Mach3 to do....then Mach4 can
do it too, any way way more as well.
Mach4 has a Touch Off (probing) module. It puts all and any Mach3 probing stuff into the shade.
Download mach4 and run it in demo. If you do not install a motion plugin....ie stick with Sim(ulator) as it ships
with there is no restriction at all. If you load a motion plugin into Mach4 then it will run without restriction for six minutes
before stopping, requiring a re-start until it is licenced.
Craig