Messages

71

Feature Requests / Re: Second LPT pin status Leds

« on: July 05, 2011, 10:36:38 PM »

Hi,
just FYI - that's one of the features already built into the MachStdMill package...
more info available at www.CalypsoVentures.Com

Dave

72

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Compiling Macro Script

« on: July 02, 2011, 01:41:51 AM »

 
Dave

I want the user to be able to add buttons and code of their own, just not mess with mine.  Dave's suggestion of using RunScript() worked great.  Button code is now compiled and lives in it's own directory.

73

Feature Requests / Re: Edge probing

« on: June 30, 2011, 09:10:04 PM »

Perhaps I didn't understand what you are looking for....

AS I'm now not sure what you want to be able to do, here is an overview what the MachStdMill package can do:
MachStdMill can use a probe to find vertical, horizontal and angled surfaces.  it will also find centers of rectangular and circular pockets and extrusions; measure width of valleys & ridges, find cylinder diameters from the side etc.  
While the probe operations are intended for job setup etc., the operations report the coordinates and sizes of things found by the probing operations. For simple reverse engineering, there is a button in the software called "probe only" - this allows you to use the operations to find part features - but not move WC zeros etc. The combination makes it relatively easy to probe to locations & dimensions of part features etc.

While the facility was not targeted to do CMM type of operations, it will let you use mach to do simple CMM like things.

Dave
 

74

Feature Requests / Re: Edge probing

« on: June 30, 2011, 07:48:30 PM »

Hi,
For edge probing (as opposed to surface contour probing) & feature measurements you might be interested in the abilities of the MachStdMill package.  See www.CalypsoVentures.com for more info.

Dave

75

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Compiling Macro Script

« on: June 29, 2011, 03:32:57 PM »

The motivations for doing this are:
1) this removes the script from the set file - it now lives in a disk file instead of in the set file.
That may or may not be important to you depending on what you are doing.
For example, in my  MachStdMill software, this technique is used to let there be only one copy of a routine in one disk file. That's a huge deal when the only alternative is 106 copies of the routine that all live inside the set file. So this approach can be a huge maintenance productivity gain for complicated software. On the flip side, for a single simple button, it's probably more trouble than it's worth.

2) The external disk file  called by RunScript can be either source (m1s) or compiled (mcc). So if you want to use an mcc file (for whatever reason), you pretty much have to make the compiled script live outside the set file.

Dave

1) look up RunScript. The call allows a script to call a named disk file which contains other scritpts.
the disk file invoked can be either a .m1s or a .mcc file.
2) compile the code you want into an mcc file.
3) make the button code in the set file be a RunScript line that invokes your compiled code.

Other than hiding your macro code from the end-user, could you elaborate on the possible benefits of doing this?

Thanks.

76

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Compiling Macro Script

« on: June 29, 2011, 11:42:34 AM »

Hi,
Look up some more tools in the docs and the pieces will come together....

1) look up RunScript. The call allows a script to call a named disk file which contains other scritpts.
the disk file invoked can be either a .m1s or a .mcc file.
2) compile the code you want into an mcc file.
3) make the button code in the set file be a RunScript line that invokes your compiled code.

This will require use of mach 3.43.xx as the necesary calls are not in the mach 3.42.xx series.

Dave

77

General Mach Discussion / Re: edge finding/2.5D probing

« on: June 15, 2011, 11:22:58 AM »

Any new stuff going on with edge probing?

If you are a probe user, you may be interested in the abilities built into the MachStdMill software:
http://www.calypsoventures.com/machstdmill/videos.html

Dave

78

VB and the development of wizards / Re: VB in Mach3 version 3.043.036?

« on: June 13, 2011, 10:32:37 AM »

Tony,
thanks for the kind words, but I can't take all the credit for the manual. Ray Livingston did the first version of the new manual, I just added the newer calls as they came along.
Dave

79

VB and the development of wizards / Re: VB in Mach3 version 3.043.036?

« on: June 13, 2011, 03:02:05 AM »

Tony,
Alas, the mach release notes tend to be a bit "minimal" 
the entry for 3.43.36 on may/2 just says "lots of VB tools added"... this single entry attempts to cover close to a years development and dev release time. I happen to know this as I tracked the releases and the development of the "lots of VB tools" while developing MachStdMill during that period. The programmers ref manual is the best source of info re the "new" calls (almost all of which were added to the mach 3.43.xx series). As they were added, I included them in the programmers ref manual - the newer features will say "first added in mach version xx.yy.zz".

The latest programmer ref manual is pretty good wrt to being up to date on the available calls - it covers thru 3.43.37. A couple of things for turn were just added in 3.43.38 that I have not put into the doc yet.  Why am I updating the doc? 
Well, I ship the ref doc with MachStdMill (with ArtSoft's permission) and I strongly believe in proving good docs... also I do it because I can, and no one else seems to want to. I try to keep it up to date and send revisions to Brian as they are made - the idea is that he can post the updated pdf on the machsupport site.

I just looked and noticed that the doc on machsupport site doc is out of date - so attached is the latest rev I have.

Re your specific questions:
1) the PoppBear list was crossed checked against the ref manual about a month ago and I think that all the things on that list (which really work) are in the ref manual. If anyone knows of a discrepancy we can fix it.

2) CodeSingle never got implemented.
Assume that when you hand gcode to mach that it gets inserted into the gcode queue - and then mach returns to you before the code is done executing (IMHO a PITA, but mach is what it is).

To handle this I use the utility routines below -

Code: [Select]


Sub CodeQ(ByVal CodeString As String)
' QUEUE Up Code for Execution
  ' this function takes the passed g-code string and give it to Mach to be put
' into the Gcode queue for execution
'
'This routine does NOT wait for the code to be executed before returning to the caller

Code(CodeString)
Exit Sub
End Sub

Sub CodeQW(ByVal CodeString As String)
' QUEUE Up Code AND Wait for Execution to Complete
  ' this function takes the passed g-code string and give it to Mach to be put
' into the Gcode queue for execution
'
'This routine WAITS for all motion to stop before returning to the caller
Code(CodeString)
MotionWait(100)
Exit Sub
End Sub

Sub MotionWait(ByVal SVal)
' Wait for movement to complete
While IsMoving()
Sleep SVal
Wend
Exit Function
End Sub

Dave

80

General Mach Discussion / Re: OEM Code for alternating .set and .sset screen

« on: June 08, 2011, 06:32:04 PM »

Terry,
I added the OEM codes to the programmer's manual about the first of the year - see
http://machsupport.com/docs/Mach3_V3.x_Macro_Prog_Ref.pdf

See section titled "OEM Series Button, DRO and LED numbers" - its the last section of the manual.
It has all the things in the prior spread sheets (to the best of my knowledge).

FYI - it's really Mach's doc, but I have the source and add things when I find out about them, then I send an updated doc to Brian.

Dave

I forgot all about togglescreens()

Has anyone put together a new manual on dros leds buttons commands yet ?? I know we have the XLS version on some of these.

Maybe combine the VB manual with the OEM stuff into one. ?

Any Manual writers out there needing something to do? (;-)

(;-) TP