Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Mach3 loosing settings randomly, no settings in XML

« on: May 03, 2023, 02:45:32 PM »

I have been seeing this ALOT lately, Had to restore 3 machines just today.
Mach3 runs perfect.  Client shuts down and goes home.  The next day they open mach3 and get the (See attached image).  Its asking for the motion controller, custom screenset not loading and all the settings in the XML are zero.  Have been seeing this for months on windows 10 and windows 11 computers.
I have been trying to research this, at first I though it had to do with windows updates as some of my clients I just cannot convince them to take the box off of the internet.   Not so sure now.

Any ideas?
Thanks
Rob

2

General Mach Discussion / Mach3 outputs and inputs for loader robot

« on: September 13, 2021, 11:03:03 AM »

I have a guy asking me how a parts loading robot could be used with Mach3.
The idea is that an output is triggered when the part it done to trigger the robots routine.  When it is done unloading a loading a new part, they need an input trigger to have mach3 rerun the Gcode.

Does anybody have an idea how to make this happen?  This is outside of my wheelhouse.  So I am looking for suggestions.

3

General Mach Discussion / Homing double touch the home switch

« on: May 26, 2020, 11:38:13 PM »

So, I have been using mach3 for a LONNNGGGGG time.
Now I am trying to get the homing routine a little more accurate.
What I have now is I click home all or home+probe on my screenset
The button editor says DoButton (24)  DoButton (23) DoButton (22) 
when I click home all it goes and touches the home switch, then reverses and stops.

What I would like to happen is it bounces off the switch, then move the axis 1mm away and repeats the process at 20mm per minute.

I cannot find the DoButton script.  Or How do I edit the button?

I appriciate the help, I do not know much about VB editing, but I am learning more and more.

Thanks

4

Mach4 General Discussion / Need the answer to this question "Is Mach4 a "MACHINE CONTROLLER"

« on: June 14, 2018, 01:36:29 PM »

I have been going around and around with a guy in a facebook group who is insistent that mach4 is not a Machine controller because it does not control the motion of the machine like Mach3 did with a parallel port.   He is basing his argument on the fact that mach4 needs an external motion controller.

I dont know how else to explain to him that Mach is the "Machine controller"  just as UCCNC, LinuxCNC, TurboCNC (yes I even used it back in the day before mach1 came around) are all "MACHINE CONTROLLERS"

I even provided him with the first line on the Mach4 page

Mach4 Information: Mach4 is our newest version of CNC motion control software.

5

General Mach Discussion / UC300ETH and M45 board connection error message

« on: September 29, 2017, 02:06:35 PM »

I just got done working on a controller that has the UC300ETH on a M45 hooked to a C62R5 (but that is irrelevant)
After setting up the network, firewall ect I could ping the UC300, the UC Utility found the UC300 and everything checked out perfectly. 

Using both the manual plug in installer and the automatic installer upon starting mach3 and choosing the UC300 plug in I got an error message.  UC300 not found check connection
I tried reinstalling mach3 using the .062 (my favorite) and the .066.
Tried different network cables.  Direct connection to the PC

I have found that the current plug in at the time of this writing will not work with the M45 board.
UC300ETH V1_013

Talked with Arturo for a few and he remembered that the plug in would not work and sent me the UC300ETH V1_015 plug in and has also emailed them about updating the plug in on the download page.
Just FYI in case anyone else runs into this.

6

General Mach Discussion / G command to toggle soft limits....... Is it possable

« on: May 08, 2017, 12:37:34 PM »

Is there a G or M code that will toggle softlimits on/off?

I want softlimits to be defaulted to on, but any home/probe macro seems to turn it off and not back on again.

7

General Mach Discussion / step block and G81 not retracting out of hole before X and Y move, breaks drill

« on: May 02, 2017, 01:44:33 PM »

From a client of mine running UC100 and version .062

This may be just a G81 system glitch (Drilling canned cycle), but I found
you can't use single step block when drilling holes.

It sort of turns the G81 to a G1. So the drill comes down and then it tries to move to the next hole
without it retracting.
It's s small drill bit so it just breaks


Anyone have any ideas?

8

General Mach Discussion / Is it possable to have an input trigger a feedhold, dwell, shut off spindle?

« on: May 11, 2016, 01:41:39 PM »

I have a client that wants to wire a switch to his enclosure.  I need to see if I can wire the switch on a input pin (15)  When the door is opened, it will trigger the pin.  I want the machine to stop.  it is running off of a UC100, so an Estop may loose position due to the buffer.  If a feed hold can be commanded, the machine can run out the buffer and stop the machine.  A dwell for a few seconds can allow the buffer to finish out then turn off the spindle./


Any ideas on how to do this?

9

General Mach Discussion / Video window wont open on windows 10

« on: February 01, 2016, 08:46:22 AM »

So, Had an XP machine in place, running my mill.  Ran flawless for YEARS.  Still does.
Only had 2 gig of ram, Also tried running camtasia to record the screen while making a video for someone to help them out.
Mach did not like that.

Put a much beefier machine in place
windows 10.
Copied the mach3 folder from the XP machine to the windows 10.
Downloaded .060 and installed.
Installed the USB SS drivers.
Boom mach3 talks, works, homes jogs ect.
Plug in my usb camera, Try to open the video window.  Nothing.
Come into my office.  Windows 10 machine with mach installed.
Tried to open the video window......... There is a quick flash and nothing.

Downloaded Klaus's video plugin and can get a video window to come up.
Legit mach3 license. USB SS.
Also tried with a logitech webcam.  Windows 10 automatically installed the drivers.  Video port wont open, works with the Klaus plug in.

Any ideas?

10

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / How I build my simple spring loaded drag engraves. Fits collet

« on: January 28, 2016, 10:23:44 AM »

I have had alot of people ask about the drag engravings that I do, so I made one that will fit a collet, Took some crappy pictures along the way.  Tossed them into a crappy video and here you go.  Simple yet very effective.

https://youtu.be/4qLc_jAR5ks

Here it is doing a bit of work.

https://youtu.be/tcOKVlcnoiM