Topics

1

Mach4 General Discussion / 4th (A) axis DRO not showing correct value

« on: April 07, 2022, 02:52:34 PM »

Hi all,

I've got my 4th axis setup for testing. After getting my servo drive and mach4 motor 3 setup, I am able to move the axis very accurately. However, the DRO is way off (e.g. moving from 0 to 65 degrees moves the axis to 65 degrees, but the DRO reads approximately 2.0791). I can't find any other settings in Mach that would account for this weird scaling. The DRO is using the 'A Multiple Pos' setting. Any ideas?


-Mark

2

Mach4 General Discussion / Multiple Mach4 Installations

« on: March 16, 2022, 08:28:48 AM »

Hi all,

I have Mach4 Industrial, along with a Hicon Integra controller. I want to upgrade the Hicon firmware/plugin, but I also need to upgrade my Mach4 installation. Is there an issue with installing Mach4 to a different directory and leaving the current one alone? In case I have to roll back the firmware for whatever reason, it would be nice to have my old Mach4 installation ready.

Thanks,

Mark

3

Mach4 General Discussion / Where to put cycle/start script?

« on: December 09, 2020, 10:54:34 AM »

Hi all,

I added some code to my spindle start button to check a couple of things before being able to manually start the spindle. Basically checking for a door switch to be closed. Code below:

Code: [Select]

local inst = mc.mcGetInstance() --new
if(mc.ISIG_INPUT5) and (state == 1) then -- need to map door switches to input 5...NPN input, so use ground and map input to active LOW
-- if the state is high then throw and error and exit
mc.mcCntlSetLastError(inst, "Error: Make sure doors are closed before attempting to start spindle") -- mew
do return end
else
SpinCW() -- original...this line only
end
I've got it in the the 'Left Up Script' where the factory 'SpinCW()' command is. Unfortunately, the code I added doesn't seem to do anything. I can start the spindle regardless of the state of this switch. Is this the correct location for this script or should it be somewhere else?

4

Mach4 General Discussion / Disable cycle Start button using external input

« on: December 08, 2020, 09:38:03 AM »

Hi guys,

This is probably simple, but how do I disable the Cycle Start button using an external input? I see there are multiple 'Enabled States' states for the button in the screen editor, but I want to also disable this button based on an external input to my Hicon controller. Can this be done?

5

Mach4 General Discussion / Cutter compensation issue

« on: December 01, 2020, 09:23:28 AM »

Hi all,

I am having issues with cutter compensation. We are using an end mill to rough around a waterjet cut blank. The blank is a complex shape with multiple radii. When using cutter compensation, the smaller radius have a circle path drawn, cutting into the material. When turning off compensation, the part appears normal. Any ideas what could be going on?. Any help would be appreciated.

-Mark

6

Mach4 General Discussion / When homed, machine coordinates are not 0,0,0

« on: November 28, 2020, 07:42:06 AM »

Hi all,

We are getting our milling machine up and running, and all is going pretty well. I have proximity switches for x,y,z home/limit. When we home the machine, it seems to work fine, however, coordinates are always -0.0147, -0.0147, -0.0147. Is there someway to make these 0,0,0? Is it a function of the machine slightly backing away from the prox's after triggering them? Any help would be appreciated.

-Mark