Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Chaoticone on March 17, 2009, 11:38:58 PM
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Hey guys, I thought I should tell you about a new version of Mach that will be coming out in the future. I have been testing it a little this evening. There have been many advances and enhancements made to Mach in the past year or so that aren't so obvious (behind the scenes stuff) to many of the users but this one you will get to see. It covers a lot of ground but the most noticeable is the tool path display. You can pan, zoom, rotate on the fly. Also you can pick different screen pages while running code with no problems and the toolpath will be the same on every page. Not saying it will be the same tool path, same size, etc. It will be showing the same in each instance though. You can have multiple work cord. showing at the same time and they will update on the fly. It is crazy fast as well. I tested 2 versions. One updating at 100 times a sec. and one at 50 times a sec. The one at 100 is so fast that if you change pages in the screen, it happens so fast you hardly know it. No lag at all, none. The feed rate over ride is crazy fast as well. You can't click your mouse as fast as it can respond. I will do some more testing and try to make a short video in the next week or so. I know I haven't worded this to reflect the huge advance this is but I'm sure time will speak volumes.
Excited to say the least,
Brett
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I'm patiently waiting. How soon is this "future" ?
This isn't another one of your "test" , now . is it ?
Ed
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Looking forward to this one Brett. ;D
Greg
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To be honest I'd be more interested in a version with year old bugs fixed rather than a fancy display. But hey... that's just me. ;)
Cheers,
Peter.
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Hi, Brett
Sound's nice for sure.!!
Thanks for the Info, Chip
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Very cool, thanks for sharing, Brett.
One question for you, do you know if these new versions be customizable in Scream 4?
Thanks,
Dave
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Dave,
Not Brett (Thank $%^& ;D ) but I will answer anyway as Bretts at his work today I think.
Dont see why it wont be but as I dont have it here at the workshop I cant test, will do when I get home tonight and let you know.
Hood
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Brett,
Will the recommended pc requirements change?
Will it work on an older pc?
All for improvements, but.....agree with Peter's comments. An improved display isn't
worth a hoot if something basic is faulted!
RICH
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Peter, Rich, read the fine print. ;)
It covers a lot of ground but the most noticeable is the tool path display.
I don't know what you guys are talking about in particular but I'm well aware their are some bugs. This is a step in the right direction on all fronts IMO. Does this mean it will be 100% bug free on release? Not at all, but definatley a step in the right direction.
Rich, Hopefully in the end the PC requirements will stay the same and possibly even lower but the changes should make it so that any system will run at maximum potential.
Brett
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Hello Guys :)
I moved the Display code to a new threads ... Each display has its own thread and it is also sharing video memory (This seems to be helping a far bit on the number of Regens you need). Also The toolpath Regen is not needed most of the time.. I have made it so if you change a fixture offset you will see the toolpath move whatever is being done in that offset.. Cutter Comp will require a Regen Toolpath. BTW the bug Peter is talking about is one dead click on an MPG (Art has looked for this 2 times and not found it).. Hardly anything that will make you see lost steps on the machine.. what I am working on now is making it so if you have a large toolpath or if you move the toolpath it will not effect the movment. This was a much needed change with devices like the SS and so on.. Also I have take the update loop from 10 times a sec to 50 times a sec. So deveces like the SS feel much moe real time! Don't think it will help your MPG dead click Peter but to me that is something less imortant then stability and good operation.. In the end that IS what this update is all about!
I did put in a back ground and som other fun things.. but the list is very short for things that have been added..
So Peter, Other then the dead step on an MPG over ModBus what are the over a year long standing bugs that have you upset?
Thanks
Brian
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So is this version available to us users who may not be "in the club" ;D
Would it happen to be in the dev version on the site?
I 'd love to have a look. ;)
Greg
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I will post pics here when it is about ready for release.. I am still working on the OpenGL and rebuilding the toolpath on the fly ;) Also I need to add Shift registers like the Fanucs have.. this was something that I have wanted to add for a VERY long time!
Thanks
Brian
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Will the threading problems be addressed in this release in turn? Or is this release only for mill as is often the case?
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The threading fixes are going into the release rev. (3.042.0xx series)
Thanks
Brian
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Great news on the offset shift, that is going to make setting up much easier.
Graham
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BTW the bug Peter is talking about is one dead click on an MPG (Art has looked for this 2 times and not found it).. Hardly anything that will make you see lost steps on the machine..
...................
So Peter, Other then the dead step on an MPG over ModBus what are the over a year long standing bugs that have you upset?
Thanks
Brian
Brian,
I'm disappointed, more than upset. I don't have all my emails with me at the moment , but as I recall the last post by Art was that he said he had been looking for a problem that didn't exist. (to do with the timing tick counter), and not the one I was reporting. This problem has been around for a very long time, much longer than 12 months. In fact it must have been well over 12 months ago that I sent you a ModIO and LCD display so that you could look into the problem. Has the ModIO ever been off the shelf and used? :)
The problem is NOT "one dead click". As I have described on a number of occasions and produced a video to demonstrate the problem, The issue is to do with an axis not moving when the calculated MPG velocity is less than 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2TBe1DU4Hc
If the calculated velocity is 1 or greater than the axis will move, otherwise it does not. One of the purposes of an MPG is to jog the machine to a position. It is very frustrating when you are very close and you move the MPG slowly as you come close to an edge, and nothing happens. so you then need to move the MPG faster and suddenly it moves, overshoots with varying consequences. So please don't dismiss it as "one dead step". From the symptoms of the problem, it would appear to be a rounding error, maybe to to with float to int conversions.
Now both Terry, and Andy have reported issues with the MPG operation. I also have other reporting the same issue. I understand that for whatever reason, this is very low on your priority list, and as such I find it difficult to accept that it will probably never be addressed, as there will always be a new set of "bells and whistles" to add.
Peter.
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I fail to see the "bells and whistles" that I have added.. The VB was redone (Took about a year to put it all in place), and now I am making it so the Display will not interupt the motion..
Art was the one that looked at your trouble ;) I did power up the devie and tested quickly.. didn't see the trouble.. Art did the same.. When I am done with the code that I am working I would be more then happy to look at it again.. If you are good with that, I am okay with it as well..
Thanks
Brian
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So Turn is put back once again?
Hood
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Hi Brian,
That sounds good, and I'll be happy once it's sorted. :)
Peter.
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HOOD,
I don't think turn will take a back seat.
Why it was just at the recent Mach seminar that Brian said major rework on turn
would happen over the next few months. That leaves only two more months to go.
But don't believe me, Greg, Vince, Dan, RC, and Brett all took the same similar note
on the subject. >:D
Brian thought we were snozzing! ;)
RICH
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Yeah....TURN.
The red headed stepchild of Mach. ::)
:)
RC
8)
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It will all happen in time :)
Thanks
Brian
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Rich
That was all said personally to me about a year ago ;)
Brian
Nice to know it will happen in time but as you are always saying I am old so time may not be on my side, probably looking at 30-40yrs max ;)
Hood
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Hood,
You are older the dirt.. You can out last this :)
Peter,
Had a look again at the video that you made for Art and I could not see where that could happen.. I spent an hour looking over the code, sometime when I can take more time to look at it I will see what I can do for run time debuging. Could you please tell me if this happens in Multi and single step MPG modes (This will help me know better where to look)?
Thanks
Brian
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Brian,
Backlash compensation has a problem, it has to do with the Shuttle Acel input value.
Don't know if you were aware of it. Here is a link to the posting which explains the problem.
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,10855.0.html
RiCH
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Brian,
How do we get on the "Beta" testers list?? I will be GLAD to test it with Flash screens, Serial/TCP modbus and Brians, and look for bugs there as well....
scott
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No idea about the Backlash.. I have not changed any of the code for backlash and I have not had any code changed in the driver.. So you have me stumped..
I have had Art look into this as it is all done in the driver (thanks Art for taking the time to look at this) :)
Thanks
Brian
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Here is what the toolpath will look like (mostly, I need to add a fw more things)
Thanks
Brian