1. Removed (uninstalled) One Drive. 2. Changed MACH3 short cut start up to run in ABoveNormal priority and used a new profile call Robie_Robot. DETAILS: cmd.exe /c start "Program Name" /priority "Full path of application file" RECOMMENDED BY WARP9 (ESS Designer) C:\Mach3\Mach3.exe /p Robie_Robot AS MACH3 ORIGINALLY INSTALLED, profile = Robie_Robot C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c start "Mach3" /AboveNormal "C:\Mach3\Mach3.exe" GENERAL GUIDELINE cmd.exe /c start "MACH3" /AboveNormal "C:\Mach3\Mach3.exe" /p Robie_Robot AS ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTED 3. Disabled unused network protocols on the ethernet port, leaving only TCP/IPv4. 4. I ran the SCU Installer by WARP 9 to make some changes on the PC to enable ESS. Many of these changes are made automatically by this application. This utility will install .NET framework (the SCU application will not install .NET Framework. If already have this, then the SCU application is a possibility). The SCU Installer must be used as "Run as Administrator." These changes can also be done manually. See YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PahTqFQ05M I need to re-check these changes before implementing the ESS. In the meantime, while waiting on arrival of ESS, the following actions were completed: 5. PC and Screen set to NEVER go into sleep mode. 6. Renamed PC to ROBIE-CONTROL 7. Turned off "Shared Experiences" "Share across devices". 8. Disabled Cortana using the Local Group Policy editor. 9. Turned off Windows Update service. This will require PERIODIC PC MAINTENANCE for updates. This can apparently cause some difficulty in installing .NET Framework 3.5, which is required for the Matty Zee HuangVFD plugin. See item 18. below for a method of installing .NET framework that can be done with Windows Update turned off. To turn Windows Update back on for an update, or turn off again: A. Open "Administrative Tools" in Control Panel B. Double Click "Services." Admin permission required here. C. Click Name column to reverse the entries. D. Find Windows Update Service and right click, and select Properties. E. On the General tab, next to start up, insure Automatic is select to start it (Disable, otherwise). F. Click "Apply" then "OK". F. If starting Windows Update, click "Start" if it's not already running. 10. Installed Microsoft 2008 C++ Redistributable (in order to get Le Royaume VFD plug ins to work). This C++ runtime is 32 bit, like the older VFD plugins. This is apparently needed for the Le Royaume plugin for VFD. I am not using that one in the final embodiment, but left this on the computer. 11. Installed the device driver for the USB to RS-485 device, from this website: http://www.cesareriva.com/usb-to-serial-converter-hl-340-drivers/ The 32 bit x86 driver says it requires a license and will shut down after 40 days. I uninstalled this one on the Dell System, and installed another. If it fails to work on this computer in the future, it may require another uninstall. The x64 driver did not have such a limitation apparently. If these drivers come with a setup executable and a license, don't use them. All you need are 4 files, one of which is a .dll. 12. I downloaded the 32 bit driver for this USB to RS-485 converter, so I can install on Dell computer. This will allow me to just insert the USB converter plug into which ever computer I want to test -- making the migration from old to new easier with just USB plugging and changing the DB25 connector to test new system or revert to old system. 13. Installed 32 bit driver for USB to RS-485 converter on Dell System. Opened Device Manager and set to COM Port 4. Opened MACH3 and configured the Matty Zee (HuanyangVFD.dll) plug in to also use COM4. Made no other changes. Note that PD001 and PD002 are set to 99 by default. 14. Went through PD000 through PD022 on the VFD and checked against original system setup documentation. Made changes where I had experimented with the settings for the Le Royaume VFD plugin (vfdplugin.dll), and were set back to values as documented by George just before I purchased the system in 2013. 15. Conducted a test on the old Dell system, back to "original" state, except for use of the USB to RS-485 on COM4 port. I used a small airplane rib part (test part produced by latest version of V-Carve Pro, on 2x8x0.125 plywood). I mistakenly aligned the part with the Y axis (long axis) of the machine. When it started making the part, it hit the X-axis limit (of course). This proved instrumental, as while the E-stop worked, the spindle kept spining. This was with the Matty Zee plug in. Thus, the relay for ESTOP control seems not to function in shutting down the spindle during ESTOP. 16. I started the system with Matty Zee plugin, and checked PD001 and PD002 in the .dll config for VFD. They showed as values of 2 and 2, not the 1 and 2 per the documentation So I changed them manually again to 1 and 2. The plugin immediately changed them back to 2 and 2. The VFD read out also shows 2 and 2. It seems the plugin changes these to 2 and 2 each time. SO, it would seem that the spindle is only taking software control (not hardware on/off) with this Matty Zee plugin. It would explain why the spindle was still spinning in ESTOP mode. This does not seem ideal from a safety standpoint. Matty Zee plugin continues to work flawlessly, other than the spindle run during ESTOP. The Le Royaume alternative got random ESTOPS, like many others have reported. This I abandoned it's use and further testing. 17. Matty Zee plugin would not load on Windows 10 Computer without adding the .NET Framework 3.5. It seems that shutting down the Windows Update to keep the MACH3 from being interrupted interferred with installing .NET Framework. Here's what worked for me, to install .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 10, even with Windows Update turned off. 1) Plug in USB Windows 10 media. Go to x64 folder and copy folder "sources" to C: drive. 2) Open a command prompt window with administrator priveleges (right click on Windows icon in lower left hand corner) - Command Promp (Admin) 3) Type the following command: dism /online /add-package /packagepath:C:\sources\sxs\microsoft-windows-netfx3-ondemand-package.cab 18.Tested the iMACH Pendant on Windows 10 (without ESS installed). It seems to advance the x,y components and zero. However, one "click" on the wheel does not result in 0.01 or 0.001 movement for either Windows 10 or the older Dell x86 system. 19. Went to CONFIG tab, and reviewed all settings in each option, in comparison to the older DELL system MACH3. All settings remained the same. 20. Watched the You Tube video by GURU Brew on how to do Z axis zeroing. Downloaded his VB script from his web site. Made only minor changes for plate thickness, and some pause time and movement distances. Went to Operator, and clicked on Edit Button Script and pasted the VB Script in there, and clicked Save. Restarted MACH and did a "dry run," which indicated lowering the spindle. However, in dry run mode the Gecko was not attached, so the grounding plate does not work yet. I hit ESC. The rate of lowering seen on the DRO and response times seemed reasonable. 21. Reviewed ESS changes using the YouTube video (after running SCU about a week ago). See item 4 above. I found on setting up the ethernet, that under Advanced Settings, under IP Settings, at the bottom of the screen that the Automatic Metric check box should have been UNCHECKED (was checked) and the value set to 9000. I made these changes following the YouTube video. 22. Took cover off ESS E4-E box in order to observed ESS LED functions and lights on the internal RJ-45 23. Started MACH3 and selected ESS. Said "no" on option box and entered 10.9.9.9 for intenet address. Program hung. 24. Went to Windows Firewall and allowed ESS to have access to all networks private and public. 25. Power cycled the ESS, and re-started MACH3. 26. Had to say "no" again and enter internet address 10.9.9.9 again. Now it is communicating. 27. Configure ESS following the documentation. 28. Set noise filtering of all inputs at 5 usec level. 29. Got to lower right, and select "Airplane Mode," which turns off the WiFi while doing actual real time cutting work with MACH3. 30. Switch the CHARGE PUMP to off on the Gecko 540. Go into Ports and Pins and make sure the Charge Pump is not activated. 31. Start MACH3. Go to Diagnostics screen and check limit switches and probe for correct response (safety issue). 32. Check the Auto Tool Zero function. Check iMach3 Pendant. 33. Do a "Cut" out part with zero above the table (cut in air). 34. Cut a real part. 35. Tune settings for optimization.