Messages

281

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: MT and TCP TP questions

« on: August 10, 2010, 11:19:19 AM »

Calum,
Once the TCP TP is accurately located (and had not moved), it can be used to measure a tools PTL.
However, with MTM, it is important to remember that **each and every time*** the MT length changes, you have to remeasure all the other tools.
Since in MTM, all TLOS are **relative** to the MT length, if the MT length changes, then all the other TLO values are now wrong.

Dave

282

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: MT and TCP TP questions

« on: August 10, 2010, 02:24:30 AM »

Calum,
Ah, interesting.... MCZ0 at the table should work too - the math doesn't care (or shouldn't unless I messed up a formula somewhere).  I'm guess I'm just so used to thinking of Z0 as away from the table that I didn't consider that set up when reading what you posted.

Think through the examples in advanced tooling chapter carefully - they all use examples of a typical mill with MCZ0 at the top.
Some signs will swap with Z at the "bottom".

The deal with the tools being shorter than the master is that when you set WCZ0 with the master, and all tools are shorter, then tools tend to move away from the work. With MCZ0 at the table, all tools will be longer than the master, but with Z essentially reversed that may end up giving the equivalent results.... I'd need to work thru some examples to be sure.

Soome random thoughts:
1) When you touch the spindle nose to the TCP TP, you are telling the dialog that the MT PTL is 0 - correct?
2) Normally there is a tool tip touching the TCP TP, so slight non-perpendicularity of the tool to the TP doesn't matter to much. With the spindle touching instead there is no "point" so the spindle has to be parallel to the plate to be accurate - Some part of that surface has to touch "first". Also this seems it may exacerbate the need for the TP to be "flat". I'm not sure how you would check this, but I can see wanting check what part of the spindle nose touches the plate first.... if the spindle surface is not a flat parallel plane to the TP plane, this might introduce errors?

Dave

283

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Warning: MSM Macropump appears to have stopped running.

« on: August 09, 2010, 11:15:15 PM »

Alas, that won't matter - the mach watchdog it is not what is generating the messages.
MSM has it's own watchdog which is generating the messages.

If this is happening regularly, there is nothing to be done until Brian makes a release with the fix to the bug in Mach.
I opted to have the messages as being better than allowing a user to run a machine and not realize that part of the system had gone dead.

I would appreciate some data:
1) Are you running other any other apps while mach is running?

For beta 3, Mach is killing the background process for MSM anytime a loop thru the process takes longer than 150ms.
Whether that happens or not is fairly dependent on what else is running on the system. If you are running other apps, shut them down and see if the problem stays away.

2) What is the CPU speed of the PC running mach?

Dave

284

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Warning: MSM Macropump appears to have stopped running.

« on: August 09, 2010, 09:30:57 PM »

The root problem is a bug in Mach 3.43.10 (and .12) - I did what I could to make it less probable in MSM, but I can't fix it in MSM.
Beta 4 will not remove this particular problem as it's a Mach issue. I think Brian has fix for this - but he has not released a Mach development rev with it fixed yet.

Dave

285

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: MT and TCP TP questions

« on: August 09, 2010, 05:41:19 PM »

Calum,

It would be rather unusual to use the spindle w/o a tool as the master.
Perfectly possible from a math and MSM standpoint, but generally not preferred. The reason is that this will make ALL tools longer than the master.  Most people want the master to be the longest tool.
This is so that if you turn on TLO when you didn't mean to, the tools shorter than the master all move away from the work piece.
With the master as the shortest tool, they will all plunge into the workpiece - not as nice as the other way around.
This is covered in the MSM manual.

When you refer to Z0, you'll need to qualify - MC or WC?
Generally, MCZ0 is at the top, farthest away form the table and the TCP TP.
You measure the MT PTL offline (a positive number as it is a physical length that the dialog wants , not a TLO), and you have to use that value when finding the TCP TP MCz location. You did not mention that in your description - so I'm not sure exactly what you are trying.

The TCP TP MCz coordinate location will not be a positive number - it will be negative as it is below the MCZ0.

Please give the chapter on advanced tool handling another read before playing with MTM more.
I say that for two reasons - 1) it has lots of info that I can't repeat in a posting, and 2) if it is not communicating the concepts well, I would like to know why not, so I can improve the manual contents.

Dave

286

General Mach Discussion / MachStdMill beta 4 is released

« on: August 09, 2010, 05:20:13 PM »

MSM beta 4 has been released.
see http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,15420.0.html
for more info.

Dave

287

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / MachStdMill v0.3.1 (Beta 4) Released

« on: August 09, 2010, 05:18:31 PM »

Hi,
MachStdMill Beta 4 has been released.
Should be posted shortly after this announcement.

This release is essentially all errata fixes. All MSM bugs known as of this release are fixed.

Please see the release notes for more info re the changes.

Mach 3.43.10 is still the recommended mach rev for MSM use.
Brian is working on the Mach bugs which impact MSM usage.
I've tested fixes from him for a couple of the bugs, the others are in process.

The Release Notes have also been updated with descriptions of the Mach3 bugs that impact MSM.

Dave

288

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Possible bugs in MSM or MSM when used with Galil card

« on: August 09, 2010, 01:58:05 PM »

mach download page is at:
http://machsupport.com/downloads.php

near the top of that page, just under the "Downloads" header it says "click here" - that takes you to the FTP archives for earlier versions.
you'll find 3.43.10 in the Mach folder.

Dave

289

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Possible bugs in MSM or MSM when used with Galil card

« on: August 09, 2010, 01:14:39 PM »

Hi,

Please review the sticky topic re mach versions and MSM at
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,15471.0.html

Mach 3.43.12 has multiple problems.
Mach 3.43.10 does not have the MDI/Cycle start problem.

If the issues occur with 3.43.10, the next step in testing is to try those actions with 3.43.10 and 1024.
If they happen on 3.43.10 and 1024 then we bounce it to Brian as a mach package bug.
If it only happens on 3.43.10 AND MSM, I'll go digging a bit deeper - but please understand that I"ll be pretty limited in what I can do as I don't have any Galil the equipment to trouble shoot with.

Dave

290

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Can't return to TCP

« on: August 09, 2010, 10:00:01 AM »

Calum wrote the following:
('ve moved his post to a new thread to separate the topics)
Dave

Thanks Dave, That the 0.70 Probing lib fixed the positioning issue and I can now run the "Set TCP TP MCz “ function every time.

<content snipped / moved - Dave>
Calum