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Messages - matus1976

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1
Ah, that makes sense about the 'enabled' part and is apparently unrelated to why my config menu is gone.

Full screen cap:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eZ5u8tWp7Ox2CoTl570Pv3Kp0KYOMzjU/view?usp=sharing
I don't have that field you mentioned indicating which screen it is.

BUT
I saw numerous differences in the machine.ini under the "ESS" section, so being pretty sure it was just setting up the pins / signals / motor controls I opened the physical control box up and watched a few videos on configuring mach 4 with ESS.

With the help of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftIE_M-NNLE I managed to get it to move on one axis with the onscreen jog control. So looks like it's all just configurationing from this point.

Still my life would be much easier if I could just open up that config menu on the old one. ???

3
Hi, thanks for your reply.

I did go through and setup the ESS plugin (ran the SCU, copied the plugin and signature, restarted multiple times, etc) and selected it as the motion device on the new PC.

I think it has something to do with this, at this point:
(from the Operational Manual.pdf)

"2.1.3 Configure Menu
The configure menu, figure 2-5, provides access to Mach and Plugins configurations. Configuration settings are disabled when Mach4 is enabled. To allow access to these settings, first disable the controller. More detailed information on these settings can be found in the Mach4 CNC Controller Configuration Manual."

So, on the working PC, the configuration menu is not there, so I assume that means 'Mach4 is enabled' (whatever that means!?) while on the non-working PC, the configuration menu *IS* there. It would make sense if that's the case, on the working PC 'Mach4 is enabled' the menu isn't there, and the CNC works. On the NON working PC, the config menu is there, but it's not working so.... 'March4 is *not* enabled'

In addition to that, it seems like I would want to match all the settings under
Configure \ Control
Configure \ Plugins \ ESS
between the old and new PC, but I can't open those dialogs on the old\working PC

Regarding the Lock, I was an idiot, the working PC is unlocked, I misread the icons. I thought a greyed out icon meant that was the current state, so you couldn't click on it, and the fact that the config menu isn't there on the working one, as well as "Note: If the software is locked the configuration settings may not be available. If the software is locked
non of the configuration dialogs will be available." from the Mach4 CNC Controller doc, mislead me. Instead it means that is the option that is available to click on.

Michael

4
Mach4 General Discussion / Help moving Mach 4 / CNC control to a new PC
« on: January 05, 2019, 07:26:36 PM »
Hi All,

I bought a 3 axis CNC router off someone that built it himself. I recently moved to a new shop, and have been trying to get this thing running from a new/different PC.

After hooking the CNC back up, I can plug it into the original PC and it works fine.

I installed Mach 4 on the new one, exported my profile from the old one, and wasn't getting anywhere. I found the Ethernet Smooth Stepper setup and went through that, loaded that driver and plugin and went through running the SCU, which looks good. So my diagnostics look good seems good, I can ping the Ethernet Smooth Stepper 10.9.9.9 and when I go to MDI, it *thinks* it is moving the CNC router around (the x,y,z positions change in mach4) but it doesn't move.

A lot of google searches lead to broken forum links here, and it seems the forum search isn't working (at least for me)

After spending about four hours on this, I think I'll just move the old PC which still works to the router, but I need to know how to set this thing up when this PC inevitably dies.

MAIN QUESTION:
The "Configure" menu is still available on the new PC, and it seems like that is because the controller is not 'enabled' (according to the Mach 4  docs) On the old PC, which works, this menu is not available, so I can't compare it. The docs say this is because the software is 'locked' (preventing config changes) but how do you unlock it? I found the unlock icon, but clicking, shift clicking, ctrl clicking, nothing unlocks that and prompts for any password. It seems like at this point what I need to do is open up the config menu on the old PC, get all the settings, and match those in the new PC.

And of course move my license to the new PC, apparently, I need to contact the license reseller to do that.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

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