Messages

861

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 feature vs Mach3

« on: July 16, 2020, 04:43:53 AM »

There is no doubt that Mach4 is indeed an excellent product but it is only as good as it’s Motion Controller will allow it to be and choosing the right Motion Controller can be difficult with pitfalls for us all.
The manufacturers of some Controllers are extremely active at keeping up with new developments in Mach4 whereas other manufacturers are extremely slow and there is no definitive list of the good and the bad to help us choose.

I use a CO2 laser and there are a number of things which I can do using Mach3 that I still cannot do using Mach4 (despite waiting some 6 years). This is certainly not the fault of Mach4 (which is more than capable) the issue lies with the Motion Controller. One day, I am sure the problems will be solved but how long do I wait ?

There is a lot to be said for having the software development of the Motion Planner and the software development of the Motion Controller under the same roof. Perhaps something Artsoft / NFS may consider in the future.

Tweakie.

862

General Mach Discussion / Re: G82 Drilling Cycle

« on: July 15, 2020, 07:09:25 AM »

Seldom taking anything on face value  -   I've just clicked on the [ Run Script ] icon and I'm not surprised to see an error message  "Error on line:1 - Sub or function not defined: GetMainFolder"   but since I am yet to study VB it doesn't really tell me much.

I think you have something else wrong in your Mach3 installation (could be anything and short of a re-install I have no idea where to look).

Tweakie.

863

General Mach Discussion / Re: G82 Drilling Cycle

« on: July 15, 2020, 06:39:51 AM »

If it's any help,   Operator / Edit Button Script allows the G-Codes button code to be changed as shown in this pic.

Tweakie.

864

Feature Requests / Re: steps per unit calulator NEEDS FIXING.

« on: July 14, 2020, 01:42:52 AM »

I notice that in the picture you posted you have not completed the Wizard by making the 'Incremental Move' and entering the ‘Actual Move Distance’ then used ‘Recalculate’ to show the ‘Calculated Steps/Unit’. I wonder why ?

As proof of concept I changed my X axis Steps / Counts per Unit to 336
I ran the Steps per Unit Calculator Wizard making an incremental move of 100mm
I measured the actual distance moved at 105mm
Using Recalculate it tells me that the correct Steps / Counts per Unit should be 320.0
Perfect.

Trust me Slanteng, if you are truly struggling to understand the simple operation of this Wizard then Mach4 is not for you.

Tweakie.



Caveat;
Because Mach4 is an actively developing product it is possible that certain functions may work correctly in one development build but not in another development build therefore it is recommended and assumed that the user is always using the current, stable, version (currently 2.0.4300).

865

General Mach Discussion / Re: Screen Editor ?

« on: July 13, 2020, 09:59:57 AM »

As you have discovered, there is some learning to be done with CNC but it's a great ride. 

Tweakie.

866

General Mach Discussion / Re: Screen Editor ?

« on: July 13, 2020, 08:07:51 AM »

Its not hard to make a mess of a Screen.set, I think we have all done it at some time or another but just take it steady, one step at a time, and you will get there.

Then you will need to be learning the Cypress Enable subset of Visual Basic for the button codes (or perhaps initially copy from my website  )

Tweakie.

867

General Mach Discussion / Re: Screen Editor ?

« on: July 13, 2020, 07:42:06 AM »

You can download a Screen Editor / Designer from here;  https://www.machsupport.com/downloads-updates/screensets/

Tweakie.

868

Feature Requests / Re: steps per unit calulator NEEDS FIXING.

« on: July 13, 2020, 07:20:42 AM »

I am sure it is not necessary but just in case you do need it here is a very basic guide…

Existing X axis steps per unit (Counts per unit) = 10000
Move distance = 1
Actual move distance (measured) = 25.4
Recalculate
Calculated steps per unit = 393.70078740157

In Configure / Control / Motors…
Change the X axis steps per unit (Counts per unit) from 10000 to 393.70078740157
Apply the change.

Run the calculator again
Existing X axis steps per unit (Counts per unit) = 393.70078740157
Move distance = 100
Actual move distance (measured) = 100
Recalculate
Calculated steps per unit = 393.70078740157

Now repeat for each axis.

Tweakie.

869

General Mach Discussion / Re: Offset dont add up

« on: July 13, 2020, 07:00:29 AM »

Hi,

Perhaps take a look at the method I use for Tool Position Setting;  http://www.tweakie.byethost10.com/17.htm

(Use the Screen Editor to add a VB button to your screen that contains the offset between your crosshair and cutter. Clicking the on-screen button moves the cutter by that amount).

Tweakie.

870

Feature Requests / Re: steps per unit calulator NEEDS FIXING.

« on: July 13, 2020, 03:19:11 AM »

I will do my best from now on to keep my frustration away from those with good intention but no idea.

 

So you entered a move distance of 1

How much did it actually move (in millimetres) ?
Did you enter that distance in Actual Move Distance ?
Did you Recalculate ?
Did you run it again using the Calculated Steps per Unit saved for the axis being tested ?

Tweakie.


EDIT;   Additional information…

I do appreciate that there is no comprehensive instruction document for using the Steps per Unit Calculator and a lot still needs to be added to the Mach4 manual but using the calculator correctly is surely not that difficult. If we can use it then I am sure that you can.

Perhaps watch Art’s video to see how it is used – OK, he is using imperial (Inch) measurements but please remember that the calculator operates in UNITS so all your inputs and measurements should be entered in MILLIMETRES (if they are the units you have set for your machine). Do not mix units - if you are working in mm then use mm not cm.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-xCWDR0Uvg