Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => Mach4 General Discussion => Topic started by: ventuseu on November 06, 2019, 06:36:42 PM

Title: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: ventuseu on November 06, 2019, 06:36:42 PM
I've just installed Mach4 version 4.2.0.4300 (licensed) in a Windows 10 PC (ESS SmoothStepper/PMDX126/PMDX134 BOB). Everything works as advertised, although the default screen doesn't quite match the one shown in the operations manual. I'd like to customize the screen (to add the "Limit Override" button that is shown in the manual, but is not on my default Mach4 screen).

When I go to the "Operator" menu, the "Edit Screen" option does not exist. Additionally, the "View" menu is also missing from the screen.

Did I miss something in the installation? I'd appreciate any suggestions...
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: Graham Waterworth on November 06, 2019, 07:07:32 PM
Mach4 has to be in 'Disabled Mode' but the option should still be on the menu even if 'Enabled' but it will be greyed out
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: joeaverage on November 06, 2019, 08:13:46 PM
Hi,
I suspect that your 'screen set' has defaulted to wxMach. wxMach was the first ever screen set ever written for Mach4 and it was only
ever intended for testing purposes, it is not editiable for intsance.

If you look in the lower right hand side of the display Mach screen you will see displayed the screen set in use and also the profile.

Can you take and post a screen shot?

I would recommend that you look at wx4.set or wx6.set. You should be able to change the screen set in use by clicking on the
<View> menu and changing screen sets. If you find one you like, just close Mach and it will be flushed to the profile (.ini file) as your
desired screen set. Thereafter every time you fire up Mach, with that profile, your preferred screen set will be used.

Note that once you start modifying screen sets for your use you will want to make your own individualised screen set so it does
not get over written when you update to the latest Mach build. More anon....

Craig
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: ventuseu on November 07, 2019, 11:35:42 AM
Thanks for the suggestions.

Attached are two screencaps showing my current screen. For some reason, this screen doesn't have either the "View" menu, or the "Edit Screen" option under the "Operator" menu, so I can't change the screen via the "Edit Screen" option...

The wx4.set file is in the "Screens" subfolder of the "Mach4Hobby" folder. There is no .set file in the "Mach4Hobby" folder. I tried just copying the wx4.set file to the "Mach4Hobby" folder, but nothing changed.

The only screen related files in the "Mach4Hobby" folder that I can identify are "screen4IPC.dll" and "ScreenScript.lua".

??
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: Bill_O on November 07, 2019, 11:53:43 AM
Ventuseu,

Which profile are you selecting when you start the loader?

Bill
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: ventuseu on November 07, 2019, 12:30:35 PM
The "Dyna2800" profile that is shown in the screen caps is a profile I created by copying/modifying the "Mach4Mill" profile that was loaded with the Mach4 installation. I modified it with the motor settings for my Dyna milling machine (manually copied from the Mach3 profile that I had created for the Dyna mill years ago).

It appears that no matter which of the profiles supplied with Mach4 I install at startup (Mach46axis mill, Mach4router, Mach4_Tangential), I get the same screen set that is shown in the images.

It seems like there is something overriding the screen set choice with this odd screen set??
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: joeaverage on November 07, 2019, 12:38:52 PM
Hi,
the screen shot you posted missed the critical information....the lower right hand corner per the sample attached.

That screen set definitely looks like wxMach....it certainly is not wx4.set.

Maybe you are going to have to compose your  own profile.

Did you try the <View> menu as I suggested?

Craig
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: joeaverage on November 07, 2019, 12:58:56 PM
Hi,
open the <View> menu and select <Load Screen> and a selection list will show up. Note that in the sample I have posted
wx4.set is on the list but also is my individualized copy of that same set, ie wx4.set with my own edits and I called it ESSMillwx4.set.

Craig
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: ventuseu on November 07, 2019, 01:10:56 PM
Sadly, the screen cap I posted is the complete screen that I have - the section(s) highlighted in your screen cap don't exist on my screen...

I would gladly try the "View" menu if I had it on my screen (as I noted in my initial post, ...Additionally, the "View" menu is also missing from the screen...).

 My second attachment shows the menu bar on my screen, and the "View" menu isn't there...
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: joeaverage on November 07, 2019, 02:35:57 PM
Hi,
in which case you are going to have to ditch that awful profile and compose your own.

Craig
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: ventuseu on November 07, 2019, 03:47:24 PM
I certainly agree that "...Ditching that awful profile and compose your own..." would solve the problem.

Unfortunately, when I create a new profile using the "Create Profile", Mach asks for a screen set in the "Profile Information" box. Since all of the .set files in the Mach4 "Screens" folder (including "blank.set") give me the same screen as shown in the attachment I posted, I still have the same problem. (The "DYNA 2800" profile that appears in the lower right of the attachment was created this way).

I appreciate all your suggestions.

I think I should probably assume that the installation of Mach4 was somehow corrupted and I should re-install it (hoping that will get a screen set installed that has all the menu tabs it is supposed to have!). I really had hoped to avoid that, since in means going through the SmoothStepper set-up again, but if that's what it takes, so be it...
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: joeaverage on November 07, 2019, 05:53:52 PM
Hi,
I think you are right. If Machs GUI becomes corrupt or upset it will revert to wxMach and that is what it appears your installation has done.

Unless you are likely to lose a lot of work I would suggest a total re-install. May I suggest that when you go to create a new profile
establish that you can in fact select a desired screen set.....who cares about the other settings for the moment...you will never be happy
until you get to the bottom of the screen set problem.

Hopefully smurph will read this post and give us all a few clues as to why and when this happens.

Craig
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: Chaoticone on November 07, 2019, 09:33:16 PM
Sounds like your launching wxMach and not Mach4GUI. Some lesser motion devices only work with a very limited version of Mach4 and their plugin can cause you all levels of grief. The authentic ESS is not one of them though.
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: ventuseu on November 08, 2019, 01:26:13 PM
Well, I think I (well, we - thanks for all for your comments & suggestions that got me pointed in the right direction) have this resolved...

I removed wxMach.exe from the "Mach4Hobby" folder, changed the "Target" on the Mach4 desktop shortcut to Mach4GUI.exe (it was also in the "Mach4Hobby" folder). Click the shortcut, the "Profile" selection screen appears with all the profiles, including the test ones I created while working on the problem. I select the profile I'd created for the Dyna2800 (using wxMach), and Shazam! The correct Screenset appears, motors, limit/homing functions work correctly, and it downloads and runs gcode seemingly without any problems (well, one minor one- the "keyboard jog" function isn't working, but hopefully I'll figure that out pretty quickly).

I don't remember if Mach created the desktop shortcut or I did (likely me), but it looks like the whole problem was Mach was doing just what it was told to do, i.e., launch the wxMach screen set.

I hate it when computers do what I tell them to do, and not what I want them to do...
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: Stuart on November 09, 2019, 02:58:05 AM
Well let that be a very big warning for you when using your pc as a CNC controller with Mach4 it will do exactly what the Gcode tells not what you think it will do

As you have just learned a computer is not intelligent is very very dumb as of yet it’s not AI

Have fun
Stuart
Title: Re: Mach4 Hobby Screen Editor
Post by: smurph on November 09, 2019, 10:25:59 PM
It isn't the profile.  He is running wxMach.exe instead of Mach4GUI.exe.  There should be more icons to run the Mach4 loader. 

Steve