Messages

31

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: July 19, 2014, 04:36:39 AM »

I read opinions from smarter people than myself. like Tweakie.  And I quote

"Art’s ‘Darwin’, parallel port driver, performed beautifully during the tests with no faults or bugs to report. It is very easy to set-up and the motion produced is just so smooth it is difficult to describe the difference from Mach3."

My experience is VERY different which makes me think I am doing some rather stupid things.      I am using Darwin 1.08 with Mach4 1888

Firstly I abandoned any idea of using Metric.   The results just confused the hell out of me.

For the life of me I could not get B axis (motor 4) selected as slave to Y axis.  Had to settle for A axis (motor 3)  Just could not figure how to get it to allow me to select B as slave.

Maybe that is a built in limitation of hobby version.  That would be a shame as I have one slaved axis and also a 4th axis (rotary).  That would blow Mach4 out of the water for me as a future option.

Dual axis homing I have not worked out yet.  Master and slave work well together up until I reference that axis.  Then they try to move in different directions.

However all that is small potatoes compared with the smoothness of operation (or lack of it) compared with Mach3.

25000 kernal speed.  Good driver test graphic.  Time in interrupt approx 7 micro seconds (is this my problem?)

No hardware changes. Start up Mach3 and all is sweet again, as it has been for years.

With Mach4 it sounds awful but does move and I don't think positional integrity is affected. (I need to check that)

Any ideas what silly mistake I have made?

Greolt

32

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: July 10, 2014, 06:36:46 AM »

Thanks Art

I will wait patiently but probably won't hold my breath. 

33

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: July 06, 2014, 03:55:28 AM »

That's great Art.

I will look forward to giving it a run.

Greolt

34

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Printer Port Discussions

« on: July 05, 2014, 07:56:08 PM »

Yeah I have been watching out for the first opportunity to test on a machine.

Tweakie do you have 1877 or is there another way to use Darwin ?

Greolt

35

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Screens now display at wrong height

« on: June 16, 2014, 03:13:03 AM »

Go to "General Config" and toggle "Auto Screen Enlarge"

36

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ScreenSet Question

« on: May 16, 2014, 04:46:42 AM »

Please don't say "it is not done" tell us what you think it needs to feel more complete!

Make my machine move.  Then I can do more than cursorily look at a screen that does nothing useful.   

37

Finished Plugins for Download / Re: looking for PluginCamera testers

« on: April 29, 2014, 05:10:47 AM »

Klaus

PM sent

Greolt

38

General Mach Discussion / Re: Spring loaded touch plates for Z auto-zero

« on: April 23, 2014, 07:29:06 PM »

I know there were several changes made to that macro along the way. I'd start at the last page and work forward to find the latest version.

Yeah that is a long thread.  I started it 7 years ago. 

There are more ways of writing a script than you can poke a stick at. Imagine asking 50 people to write down how to tie your shoelaces.

You would get 50 different texts that would most all achieve the same outcome.

Here is what I use.

CurrentFeed = GetOemDRO(818) 'Get the current feedrate to return to later
CurrentAbsInc = GetOemLED(48) 'Get the current G90/G91 state
CurrentGmode = GetOemDRO(819) 'Get the current G0/G1 state

If GetOemLed (825)=0 Then 'Check to see if the probe is already grounded or faulty
DoOEMButton (1010) 'zero the Z axis so the probe move will start from here
Code "G4 P2" ' this delay gives me time to get from computer to hold probe in place
Code "G90 G31Z-20 F100" 'probing move, can set the feed rate here as well as how far to move
While IsMoving() 'wait while it happens
Wend
ZProbePos = GetVar(2002) 'get the exact point the probe was hit
Code "G0 Z" &ZProbePos 'go back to that point, always a very small amount of overrun
While IsMoving ()
Wend
Call SetDro (2, 1.5) ' change 1.5 to your plate thickness and then adjust for final accuracy
Sleep 200 'Pause for Dro to update.
Code "G1 Z20 F800" 'put the Z retract height you want here, must be greater than the touch plate thickness
While IsMoving ()
Wend
Code "(Z axis is now zeroed)" 'puts this message in the status bar
Code "F" &CurrentFeed 'Returns to prior feed rate
Else
Code "(Z-Plate is grounded, check connection and try again)" 'this goes in the status bar if applicable
End If
If CurrentAbsInc = 0 Then 'if G91 was in effect before then return to it
Code "G91"
End If
If CurrentGMode = 0 Then 'if G0 was in effect before then return to it
Code "G0"
End If


Of course this is in modern metric units, if you use medieval units then change as appropriate.

39

Video P*r*o*b*i*n*g / Re: Camera problems

« on: April 01, 2014, 07:15:04 AM »

So from what you're saying, you can use your pendant and it jogs as it should. What about when you apply the tool offset, do the motors exibit any stalling as mine do?

Keyboard is like a simple switch.  Press and it jogs.  Release and it stops.  (or it should)

My pendant has a different jogging action. Same jogging control as a "Shuttle Pro"

I never use tool offsets.  That is what my CAM program is for.

Greolt

40

Video P*r*o*b*i*n*g / Re: Camera problems

« on: April 01, 2014, 03:32:58 AM »

I have used Klaus' video plugin since it first arrived.  Love it.

However I have always had that problem.  Consequently I don't jog with the keyboard whilst using the video plugin. At least not when unpredictable movement will be undesirable. (Most of the time)

Have a USB pendant which does not seem to exhibit the problem the keyboard does.

So I will be following this thread to see if you find a solution.

Greolt