Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Need to Modify Keygrabber

« on: June 06, 2011, 12:58:19 PM »

I'm finally getting back to attempting to modify Keygrabber but need some help. 

Just a little history:  I use Keygrabber to interface  a Saitek AV8R-01 joystick to Mach3.  The Joystick provides 5 linear controls, the 5th being the twisting of the joystick handle that I use to control the Z-axis on my mill.  It works great but for some reason the configuration for the 5th axis is not saved - the other 4 axes are saved fine.  This glitch requires that I configure Keygrabber every time I start it up.

I suspect it is a minor glitch in the code itself.  As the original author(s) no longer support the program, I decided to try and fix it myself.  I downloaded the source code and it appears to be written in C++.  I'm attempting to locate a C++ compiler, however, I'm told that I will need the specific C++ compiler , along with the corresponding libraries, that was used in the original development.

The easiest way to get this info would be to ask the author(s).  Can anyone put me in contact with them or knows which C++ compiler and version were used?

2

General Mach Discussion / Exactly how are home switches supposed to work?

« on: September 16, 2010, 07:09:29 PM »

I'm in the process of adding home switches to my x and y axes.  I'm trying to decide exactly where my "home" position is going to be.  From a convenience standpoint, I'd like Y home to be close to the Y++ limit and X home to be about in the middle of the X motion.  I have no problem with the Y as it is a safe bet that the homing motion need to be in the Y+ direction.  When I "Ref All Home", and the Y axis motion begins, eventually the Y home switch is set active, Mach backs off a bit and sets the "Home off" value in the Y DR - all as expected.

The X works the same way if I begin the homing operation with the table positioned to the right of home.  If I begin the homing operation with the table to the left of home, I get the message to the effect that the homing switch is active, correct the problem and try again.

According to the manual, Section 5.6.1.1, (I actually read the manual  ) I would expect that when a home switch is active, the initial homing motion would be reversed from that specified in the "Home Neg" check box.

What am I missing here?

3

General Mach Discussion / Possible Bug w/Ver 3.043.010

« on: July 21, 2010, 04:00:28 PM »

Being anxious to try out the new MachStdMill screens, I downloaded the required Ver 3.043.010 of Mach3.  Before installing the new MCM screen set, I decided to try the version with the 1024 screen set first.  I loaded a simple test file that cuts a 2" x 4" profile.  This file loads and runs as expected in Ver R3.042.040 but fails to load in 3.043.010.  On Line 16, I get the following error "Radius to end of arc differs from radius to startLine 16".  I've attached the G-code file.

Is this the best place to report possible bugs?

4

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Screen Designer under WIN2K?

« on: July 12, 2010, 04:05:34 PM »

I tried to install Screen Designer under Windows 2000, SP4.  The install failed.  I went back to the original description on Klauss' site and it says that Screen Designer is supported on XP, Vista and Windows 7.  Has anyone succeed in running it under WIN2K or am I wasting my time?

5

LazyCam (Beta) / Help - Pocketing problems

« on: December 03, 2008, 10:18:19 AM »

Hi,

I've been trying cut a plaque that was created in Autocad.  Most of the milling involves pocketing the letters and symbols.  I've exported the file as an R12 dxf file.  Once loaded into Lazycam, cleaned and optimized, some objects pocket ok, others do not.  I went back and recreated the file with only a few objects that demonstrate my problems.  I've attached both the original dxf and, in the next post, the Lcam results. 
The file contains five objects that I want to pocket.  From left to right, the first object consists of four straight lines and an arc, all connected.  This will not pocket at all.  The second object is a mirror image of the first.  When I first tried to pocket it, it would not pocket like the first object.  When I replaced the arc with a spline in Autocad, Lcam pocketed it OK.  The third object is the form of the letter "S" that was created in Autocad from a series of lines, arcs, and splines.  When I try to pocket it, I get an inside offset but no pocketing.  The forth object (a "Z") is a mirror image of the previous "S", formed by using the Autocad "mirror" function.  This one seems to pocket OK.  The last object, the "S" was created by mirroring the "Z".  I would expect it to have the same troubles as the first "S", but it pockets OK.

What am I doing wrong?