Messages

91

General Mach Discussion / What machines run Mach?

« on: February 09, 2010, 08:55:49 PM »

Hey guys:

I was looking around at some job postings in my area that are CNC related, and none of the jobs I look at require a working knowledge of Mach3.  I'm curious to know how prevalent this software is out there among other types of machines.  I own 3 ez-routers myself.

Bill

92

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Swap x and y axes

« on: November 09, 2009, 08:34:35 PM »

got it figured out and ran it all day with no problems.  thanks for the idea.

93

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Swap x and y axes

« on: November 07, 2009, 10:03:39 PM »

Where are the settings for that?

Thanks so much
Bill

94

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Swap x and y axes

« on: November 07, 2009, 07:47:46 PM »

Ok, need a little help here.  I recently set up one of my machines with a double router head, and now I am running 1x4 signs "vertically" instead of "horizontally" on that machine now.  Instead of reprogramming everything, is there a g code command I can use to swap the x and y axes?

For example, if I run a 4' 1x4 sign that says "Welcome to our Home", I usually run that sign along the x axis, just as if you're reading it.  I want to put a command at the front of that toolpath that would cause it to run along the y-axis, so it would basically just swap the x and y axis coordinates throughout the whole program. 

Can anyone help?  I need to know by Monday!

Bill

95

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Modified Load G Code Button

« on: July 03, 2009, 10:36:12 PM »

I didn't try it because I don't know how to add an LED....the way it looked to me that it would run in normal mode or dual mode depending on whether this LED was on or off.  I've only spent a few hours on it, then I came here.

Here's the link:

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,8198.0.html

Look at the last reply...that's where the guy gave me a link to a different place where he posted.

Thanks for the reply.

Bill

96

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Modified Load G Code Button

« on: July 03, 2009, 05:42:51 PM »

I posted this question about 6-12 months ago and got this response.  I was trying to avoid the LED button thing that this guy's code has:

~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is my code for opening then running 2 g-code files. The Run Button code will run either 2 or 1 depending on led#1110. I hope someone can find it useful.
Bill

Load Button

If GetUserLED (1110) = 1 Then
DoOEMButton (216)
While IsLoading()
Wend
cutfile = (FileName())
SetUserLabel (2,cutfile)
DoOEMButton (216)
While IsLoading()
Wend
camerafile = (FileName())
SetUserLabel (1,camerafile)
Else
DoOEMButton (216)
While IsLoading()
Wend
cutfile = (FileName())
SetUserLabel (2,cutfile)
camerafile = "None"
SetUserLabel (1,camerafile)
End If 



Run Button

If GetUserLED (1110) = 1 Then
If GetUserLED (1112) = 0 Then
SetUserLED (1111,1)
camerafile = GetUserLabel(1)
LoadFile (camerafile)
While IsLoading()
Wend
Sleep (1000)
DoButton (0)
While IsMoving()
Sleep (2000)
Wend
Sleep (5000)
SetUserLED (1111,0)
SetUserLED (1112,1)
Sleep (100)
End If
If GetUserLED (1112) = 1 Then
cutfile = GetUserLabel(2)
LoadFile (cutfile)
While IsLoading()
Wend
Sleep (1000)
DoButton (0)
While IsMoving()
Sleep (2000)
Wend
Sleep (5000)
SetUserLED (1112,0)
Sleep (100)
End If
Else
SetUserLED (1112,1)
Sleep (1000)
DoButton (0)
While IsMoving()
Sleep (2000)
Wend
Sleep (5000)
SetUserLED (1112,0)
End If

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thought this was simple enough I could just modify it a little bit, but I don't quite understand some of the coding.

97

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Modified Load G Code Button

« on: July 02, 2009, 10:06:09 PM »

I downloaded the Mach screen designer...one thing I want to  do is have a modified "Load G Code" button.  I want to retain the normal button, but just have a new button on the screen set as well.  Here's what I want it to do:

open up file window (i select the file)
sets it at g54 location
opens up file window again (select the file)
sets it at g55 location
opens up file window one last time (I select third file to cut)
sets it at g56 location


then in the toolpath window i should have three different toolpaths. if i hit cycle start, it should run the file at g54, then g55 then g56.

how do i write the VB code for this?  or is there a tutorial i can  watch to do it myself?

98

VB and the development of wizards / Add a button to Mach screen

« on: June 27, 2009, 05:48:23 AM »

A gentleman got me going in the right direction with the code below.  Quick background:  I use a couple hundred different toolpaths generated from vcarve.  what i want to do is load one at g54, a different one at g55, and a different one at g56.  Those positions are 0,0;  0,10; and 0,20.  Then i want to hit start and walk away.  This guy gave me code to run 2, but I want to run  3 at three different offsets each time i start the machine.  So how can I create a button that says, "Load Multiple" then use this code?  I'm not a VB programmer, but I'm trying to  learn something.

~~~~

Below is my code for opening then running 2 g-code files. The Run Button code will run either 2 or 1 depending on led#1110. I hope someone can find it useful.
Bill

Load Button

If GetUserLED (1110) = 1 Then
DoOEMButton (216)
While IsLoading()
Wend
cutfile = (FileName())
SetUserLabel (2,cutfile)
DoOEMButton (216)
While IsLoading()
Wend
camerafile = (FileName())
SetUserLabel (1,camerafile)
Else
DoOEMButton (216)
While IsLoading()
Wend
cutfile = (FileName())
SetUserLabel (2,cutfile)
camerafile = "None"
SetUserLabel (1,camerafile)
End If 



Run Button

If GetUserLED (1110) = 1 Then
If GetUserLED (1112) = 0 Then
SetUserLED (1111,1)
camerafile = GetUserLabel(1)
LoadFile (camerafile)
While IsLoading()
Wend
Sleep (1000)
DoButton (0)
While IsMoving()
Sleep (2000)
Wend
Sleep (5000)
SetUserLED (1111,0)
SetUserLED (1112,1)
Sleep (100)
End If
If GetUserLED (1112) = 1 Then
cutfile = GetUserLabel(2)
LoadFile (cutfile)
While IsLoading()
Wend
Sleep (1000)
DoButton (0)
While IsMoving()
Sleep (2000)
Wend
Sleep (5000)
SetUserLED (1112,0)
Sleep (100)
End If
Else
SetUserLED (1112,1)
Sleep (1000)
DoButton (0)
While IsMoving()
Sleep (2000)
Wend
Sleep (5000)
SetUserLED (1112,0)
End If

99

VB and the development of wizards / Button to pick three different toolpaths each time???

« on: August 31, 2008, 10:23:06 PM »

I had this posted somewhere else, but I will see if you can help me here.

I own an engraving business where we make signs for the country/gift shop industry.  We run multiple phrases on 1x4 boards.  We use Mach3 to run our EZ-Router, and I generate my toolpaths from VCarve.  So if I want to engrave the phrase, "Welcome to the Cabin" on a 3 ft 1x4, I choose that toolpath, put the board in, hit start, and it engraves it in about 3 minutes.  Then I have to go change the board and pick the next phrase.  That leaves me with having to change the board every 3-5 minutes, which gets old.  Since we run a very large volume of these signs, and we have a LOT of different phrases, I would like to have some sort of an add-on for my Mach3 controller.  What I would like to be able to do is load the machine with 3 1x4s (we only use 1x4s), pick the three toolpaths (phrases) I want on each board, hit start, and walk away and do other shop stuff for 15 minutes. 

So say a customer wants a 3 ft "Welcome to the Cabin", a 3 ft "Welcome to the Lake" and a 3 ft "Life's Better at the Beach".  So I want to be able to load the three boards on the table, pick the three different toolpaths out, hit start, and the machine will engrave each of the phrases on each of the boards.  Does anyone know of a program add on I can get for that?  Can anyone program something like that for me?

Bill

**Here was the reply**


Just copy each of your programmes in turn into a blank notepad file, take out the M30 in between these programmes and add a G52 Y* (or X* if stacking lengthways)
What that will do is move your Y axis (or X) by the amount you have entered (where I have put the *)
Its easier to do than explain, do a bit of messing around with the G52 and you will soon see how it works.
Hood



**Here's my reply***



Sounds great, and I knew this sort of thing was possible, but it may take a minute or two to do each time, and since each order for each customer will be different, I will have to do this [/i]every fifteen minutes just to save a few minutes of changing the board.  I guess what I had in mind was a button I would click and it would say, "load first toolpath" "load second toolpath" "load third toolpath" and Mach would do it for me.  Does a program add on exist like this?  I would use this sort of thing ALL THE TIME.  As far as how many toolpaths/phrases I have, I run approximately 140 different toolpaths for that tool (60 degree V Bit) alone.  So as you can see, the number of possibilities I have is astronomical.

Thanks for the reply!

**************

Can anyone help?

Bill
www.engraversoflight.com

100

General Mach Discussion / Re: Want to run multiple toolpaths in succession

« on: August 30, 2008, 09:37:36 PM »

Sounds great, and I knew this sort of thing was possible, but it may take a minute or two to do each time, and since each order for each customer will be different, I will have to do this every fifteen minutes just to save a few minutes of changing the board.  I guess what I had in mind was a button I would click and it would say, "load first toolpath" "load second toolpath" "load third toolpath" and Mach would do it for me.  Does a program add on exist like this?  I would use this sort of thing ALL THE TIME.  As far as how many toolpaths/phrases I have, I run approximately 140 different toolpaths for that tool (60 degree V Bit) alone.  So as you can see, the number of possibilities I have is astronomical.

Thanks for the reply!