Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => Mach4 General Discussion => Topic started by: HoY on January 30, 2017, 03:56:53 PM

Title: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on January 30, 2017, 03:56:53 PM
Cutting out a few aztec calendars with Mach4>ESS. As you'd expect the gcode is huge. the first time I ran it it cut 100% without any issues. the second time, at around 350,000 (60-65% of the way through) it stopped cutting at its set speed of 80ipm and started stuttering and moving the machine extremely jerkily, and mach4 was reading out that it was cutting out at 15-20 ipm, but still jogging at the normal jog speed of 120 when it lifted the spindle.
After pausing and restarting the program it continued on normally, but as the cut got closer to being complete I saw that the XY had been shifted by almost a quarter inch. thats fine, just started a fresh one without letting it finish (4 hour cut time)
Next run it started lagging and jittering again and reading the same low cut speed and normal jog speed at line 115,000 (approximately). I caught it almost right away this time, and when I paused it and resumed it, it ran through the rest of the code without fault. Everything stayed lined up this time as well.
I've been using this machine with Mach3 for over a year now without any issues like this. Just recently got the ESS and Mach4 to switch to a laptop from the old PC it came with.

My question is this:

Where should I start looking to find what is causing this? What information would I need to provide if anyone here has some insight?
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on January 30, 2017, 04:38:43 PM
It just did it again around the 115,000 line mark. I wasn't watching so missed the exact line. Pause and start fixed it again.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on January 30, 2017, 05:36:23 PM
Looks like I didn't get it soon enough this time. It offset the X axis by almost 3/16'thof an inch.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: Pedio on January 30, 2017, 09:48:12 PM
I have been having the same problem. Mine is with a laser. The files get very big when you are trying to fill in an area with the laser. Each line is .005" separation and there are LOTS of lines. What interface board are you using?

The machine runs fine with smaller files.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on January 30, 2017, 09:54:28 PM
I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know. It's not printed on it, and the machine came as an assembled unit from china. I'll see if I can post a picture of it
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: skunkworks on January 30, 2017, 10:45:14 PM
That just looks like a normal breakout board.  Are you using Darwin (printer port driver) with mach4?
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on January 30, 2017, 10:57:25 PM
No, ESS (ethernet smooth stepper) with just the ESS driver. Although, the old PC that came with the machine (which I assume came with a pirated copy of mach3, hence the upgrade to mach4) was using the printer port. Moved it to storage and dont want to dig it out to find out what driver it had unless its relevant
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: skunkworks on January 31, 2017, 07:10:56 AM
sorry..  i failed at reading comprehension..  ;) 
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: Chaoticone on January 31, 2017, 08:05:04 AM
Hoy and Pedio, do your PCs specs meet the minimum requirements (particularly the graphics card)? If not, expect such issues with large Gcode files. Note: There is no limit for GPU RAM but the larger the Gcdoe files, the more you need.

Also, why use a laptop? Not that you can't, but since the PC controlling Mach should be a dedicated PC (with no apps loaded non-essential to Mach particularly antivirus) I have never been able to come up with a reason to use a laptop.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on January 31, 2017, 11:09:34 AM
They do meet the requirements. I'm using a dedicated laptop because the footprint of a full PC/mouse/keyboard would make my podium too large for the space I have available. I did check my system usage while cutting one of the failed attempts and memory usage never went past 25%, and CPU was at 10-20%. I will be upping it to 8gb from 4, but 4 was listed as more than enough. Although, now that youve got me thinking about it, I think the onboard graphics might not have enough memory allocated to it.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: DazTheGas on January 31, 2017, 01:00:27 PM
Have you thought of running the gcode without the toolpath as a test.

DazTheGas
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on January 31, 2017, 01:49:44 PM
I'll try that if I get another order for a calendar.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on February 01, 2017, 12:08:31 PM
here I am, ready to try it, but dont remember where I saw the option to run the tap without the toolpath showing. anyone able to remind me?
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: DazTheGas on February 01, 2017, 01:13:33 PM
Here you go

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,30928.0.html

DazTheGas
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on February 01, 2017, 01:27:55 PM
thank you!
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: Pedio on February 01, 2017, 09:02:15 PM
Hoy and Pedio, do your PCs specs meet the minimum requirements (particularly the graphics card)? If not, expect such issues with large Gcode files. Note: There is no limit for GPU RAM but the larger the Gcdoe files, the more you need.

Also, why use a laptop? Not that you can't, but since the PC controlling Mach should be a dedicated PC (with no apps loaded non-essential to Mach particularly antivirus) I have never been able to come up with a reason to use a laptop.

I have a HP desktop that is dedicated to running the machine. What are the minimum specs and I will check. Let me know hot to check the graphics card.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: HoY on February 01, 2017, 11:36:37 PM
Just ran it through flawlessly with your script, thank you very much!
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: Chaoticone on February 02, 2017, 09:52:18 AM
This link should help Pedio,

http://www.machsupport.com/software/mach4/#tabs-3

Google "how to find graphics card specs" and add your operating system to the end. Like this......... how to find graphics card specs windows 8
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: Pedio on February 02, 2017, 01:39:43 PM
My graphics card is 4095mb however, I am running two displays off of the card. Should that make a difference? I have one beside the computer where I can do a lot of work needing the keyboard and the other is a touch screen beside the machine for doing motion control. I can throw the screens between the two monitors.
Title: Re: Mach4 cutting feed rate on a 450,000 line gcode?
Post by: Chaoticone on February 02, 2017, 03:12:42 PM
Well, it will definitely make a difference. How big of a difference depends on what it is displaying. But more troubling than a second monitor is what all apps and processes are running? The PC used for Mach should be dedicated to Mach and Mach alone and not have any apps installed (anti-virus, CAD/CAM, etc.) not needed by Mach.