Messages

1

One on one phone support. / Re: About one on one phone support.

« on: December 19, 2014, 11:11:50 PM »

Nobody has posted here for over a year - is phone support still available?  Please take my money!
I have Mach4, very little knowledge, and I am on an island thousands of miles from a training opportunity (literally).
My need is simply to get it configured while increasing my knowledge along the way.

Other Bruce
OB@Mosher.org
808 345-8143
(5 hours behind Eastern time)

2

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: December 19, 2014, 10:43:05 PM »

Oh I'm not there yet Daniellyall, you just pointed out that _I_ could move the log in my path (thank you). 
Now I'm now toggling back & forth between the manual & web pages that explain the concepts/ terms/ instructions in different words.
The higher I climb on this path, the better the vista of just how distant the journey will be.

I'm only trying DOING to do a 3 axis router!

3

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: December 19, 2014, 08:45:24 PM »

I hate being a nube. 
"RTFM" was on the mark.... but I was assuming it meant "Read the forum man!"
When I looked up the real meaning a bulb went off - as all I had been doing was the forum & youtube.

The Frikin Manual is at http://www.machsupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mach4%20Installation%20Manual.pdf

And on page 10 it tells you to FIRST select a motion device....

I am hoping my poor example will help some other poor bastard.

I hate being a nube.....

4

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: December 19, 2014, 11:43:35 AM »

Thanks daniellyall - that video is how I got as far as I did! <g>

5

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: December 19, 2014, 04:14:49 AM »

On another item: under the Input Signal tab, you stress the signals are NOT pin numbers, OK, but what are they?  There are 15 of them,... are they unique pulse signatures?

and another - "Negated" seems to have a new meaning in CNC parlance.... is it used to mean 'reversed?'

Sorry to be needing so much education.

6

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: December 19, 2014, 12:52:39 AM »

Thanks for the reply Art!

>Are you running [Darwin] config from inside Mach4?... only be remembered if run from the Mach...
Yes, because when I did it in the install setup they didn't hold <g>

>>Then on the Input Signal tab...Then it does not work....
>If you press on a home switch
OK, your forcing my hand.... I thought I might come off as literate in that first message, but now I have to admit I don't know where there is a home switch.  Everything I am doing is in the jog tab.  I actually just looked for a home button & could not find one.  I am setting in the living room, with one motor hooked up to one power supply, one driver, and a BOB with only a 5 loose wire attached.  My goal is to make them dance one motor at a time.... so far they're all wall flowers.

>does it show up on the ports page as raw port data toggleing?
I can't find a home button & you think I can find this? <G>  Where is the ports page?

>If, for example the home X is on pin 10, does pin 10 toggle in the raw data window
You are light days ahead of me.  Where is a raw data window?

>>if I change the inerupt settings & save, the only motor I have set up (X) turns a few degrees.
> in some dialog for the printer port card?
In one of the tabs on the port properties dialog box.

>Let me know and we'll see how it reacts.
You are a good & generous god.  Thanks Art.

7

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: December 18, 2014, 08:17:44 PM »

Well, in the last 48 hours I have become pretty familiar with rereredoing things.  (BTW Art - Darwin installs files 1 directory too deep for Mach4 to find). 

I have a StarTech PCI add on parallel port in an old Compaq machine running Win XP SP3.  I can drill via Start/ Control panel/ System/ Hardware tab/ Device Mgr/ Ports/ PCI Parallel (LPT1)/ Propertys/ Resources to get my Hex address (AC00),...

then I can open Mach4/ Configure/ Plugins where I activate Darwin, then configure it (my pulse waterfall looks fine - even at the 75K limit). 

On port 1 I tell it the address (which it immediately revises to "0Xac00"), and I enable it. 

Then on the Motor Config tab I set the port/ pin data & enable the first three (Art - why does the motor selection come up highlighted, but it does not save feeble attempts to rename them?). 

Then on the Input Siganl tab, I change Signals 3,4 & 5 to Home X, Y & Z respectively.  Then I wander thru the other tabs looking for some rock I didn't reset.

Then it does not work.  Then I test it with a multimeter to prove it's still not working.  Then I reinstall the driver, take a nap, and start again. 

The one ray of sunshine is that when futzing with the port settings tab in the properties dialog, if I change the inerupt settings & save, the only motor I have set up (X) turns a few degrees.  Were it not for this, I would be a COMPLETE failure.

Is my error obvious?  Please & one thousand Thanks Yous.

OB

8

General Mach Discussion / Re: CNC Dictionary

« on: December 18, 2014, 03:02:24 AM »

Inasmuch as it's free, and I have done it before, I have created a Google Document at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1StcQBDHY3HQNwhlL8MHfZ4NlO6P8AIv84fkIaLumcnE/edit?usp=sharing   It is open for anybody with that link to edit.  Anybody care to add a few definitions to help others along?

9

General Mach Discussion / Re: CNC Dictionary

« on: December 17, 2014, 10:11:38 PM »

You guys are killing me.  I opened every one of those files hoping to find a real dictionary.  Not. 

Since the days of this thread, Google docs if fee to all... or am I about to discover something in the next thread I search for this Holy Grail?

10

Feature Requests / SugQuestion from a newbie - variable interface

« on: December 17, 2014, 10:00:53 PM »

After three years detailing cabinets in CabinetVision, & occasionally running the machine, I am restoring an old machine & trying to learn all facets of CNC in simulcast. 

I know just enough programming to think that if the Darwin parallel driver opened with a "What level of presentation/ function do you need" with a way to select 'dummy' or 'smartypants', you could selectively invoke display of the user interface as appropriate.  Of course you could create a path to change the setting later, but this would allow the interface & related videos to be tailored appropriately.  The 'dummy' video would cover the basics in simple terms & limit all the sidebar explanations that will confuse the huge number of new users Mach 4 will be receiving, and the advanced video would allow you to assume a level of knowledge so you can explain the plethora of advanced features more directly.  Yes, you'll have to do more videos, but I suspect they'll be better understood by all.

I don't know enough about your other products to know if this could work there or not.

Thanks for thinking about it-
OB