Messages

61

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do I repeat the cut of the same part?

« on: March 15, 2011, 03:16:49 PM »

I've only been using Mach for about 3 or 4 years.....

where is the nesting wizard?

ATB
Derek

62

General Mach Discussion / Re: Shuttle Pro

« on: March 13, 2011, 01:38:16 PM »

Thanks Hood / Dave,

I've sent a message to contour designs european outlet - heres hoping for a reply !

Cheers
Derek

63

General Mach Discussion / Shuttle Pro

« on: March 12, 2011, 04:22:31 PM »

Hi,

I've bounced my shuttle pro a few times and it's more robust than you might imagine

However, the clear keycaps tend to pop off and being clear are perfectly camouflaged and hide in the swarf and other impossible places of the workshop and hence I have lost a few.
Does anyone know where I can get spares from please?

ATB
Derek

64

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 locks up when a gcode file is missing?

« on: March 06, 2011, 11:04:59 AM »

Hi Don,

You should be able to explore your network with Mach minimised - just brouse like you were using a normal PC
Put the GCODE file into a local directory / folder on your Mach3 PC and when loading a file with mach, just go to the local folder and open it from there.

I dont have my network card enabled on my Mach3 pc because of the possible glitches this may cause.

ATB
Derek

65

General Mach Discussion / Re: Lots of noise in system.

« on: February 27, 2011, 11:48:16 AM »

Yes Tweak ! that's the one  :-)
(my install was running like a brick in a tumble dryer before I did the optimisation - now running smoother than a smooth thing on smooth pils )

This may be what you were looking for Derek.

http://www.machsupport.com/downloads/XP_Optimization.txt

Tweakie.

66

General Mach Discussion / Re: Lots of noise in system.

« on: February 27, 2011, 03:17:50 AM »

Hi,

I had problems with a clean XP install, it would crash the PC / blue screen on running the driver test.
But after i followed the XP set up procedure (it tells you how to config XP) I have not had a glitch.
The set up procedure was in the documentation section of this forum, but I can't find it - or I'd post you a link.
(I'd not go the server 2003 route - XP is good, when its set up).

It is a fresh clean install.  I previously had it running on server 2003 but then decided to try it out on XP.  It turned out that server 2003 made it run much smoother, with XP I wasn't even able to get 15 inches per min smoothly compared to server 2003 it runs great at 72 inches per min.
I am kind of puzzled because this is a fresh install.  I have messed with a few things trying to turn off some services but nothing has effected it. 

67

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 for Lathe

« on: February 18, 2011, 02:08:50 PM »

My Old boss was Scotish.

After a wee dram or two, he would tell our company visitors (particularly from the US / europe) a great story about Haggis.

Haggis have their left side legs longer than their right side legs because they only ever run round the mountains clockwise.
Years and years of evolution have caused their legs to become longer one side than the other, exacerbating the desire to run round the mountain clockwise , making the legs longer on one side than the other, and so on.

Cracks me up watching him and the visitors as he tells the story so convincingly.

ATB
Derek.

68

General Mach Discussion / Re: .300" overshoot at 40"/min when using feed hold

« on: February 14, 2011, 12:44:12 PM »

Ray,

If you stop a run before the end,(I always pause then stop as Jeff said) you'll need to scroll to the last block executed (or any number of blocks (lines) before) and select "run from here"
mach will do some preparation moves (take care here !!) and then the run will continue.

If you press pause without then pressing stop, the tool will stop on the tool path and then continue along its merry way after you press start again.

If you press pause, stop, the axis movement stops as well as the spindle, if you press start again, Mach will obay the gcode as written but as there is no M03 spindle start instruction, mach will try cutting without the spindle running.
You migt be able to manually start the spindle (F5) or by clicking the spindle on icon, then press run Start and away you go.

I always use the run from here method.

ATB
Derek

So should it be allowed to restart after pressing program stop and make a B line to the look ahead point and run from there like nothing happened.
Ray.

69

General Mach Discussion / Re: .300" overshoot at 40"/min when using feed hold

« on: February 12, 2011, 03:29:39 AM »

So if I move at 120"/min in jog and remove my finger from the jog botton it stops dead and I don't loose postion why would it loose position at 40"/min? I have a milltronics with a 386sx computer with servo's & analogue feedback that can stop dead in feed hold.
I think Mach3 is great value and has lots to offer but I need the closed loop system and don't want to loose pulses that's why I went with the DSPMC. I have high hopes for this system but you could not use it in an industrial application.
Is there any way I can use the program stop and then restart the program, i know I will not loose postion.
Imagine approaching your job at just 40"/min and pressing feed hold, at .300" overshoot the damage is done.
Ray.

hello Ray,

I use feed hold and yes, Mach does not stop that instant, but the position control is maintained -
I use mach in an industrial application, it has produced many 1000s of components and never lost position once using feed hold.
The only time I have lost position is when crashing / breaking 10mm carbide cutters - done it twice.
Pressing STOP is another matter, you can be in a rapid or feed move, pressing stop halts the pulse train so the table, motors etc are expected to stop in an instant - my steppers can't handle this - I doubt if any industrial system can - OK with a closed loop system it will go out of position (by a much lesser degree) and then recover position automatically.

So you have a 0.300" over run but you are still in position - is that correct? Your job shoud still be OK, as the tool is still on the correct tool path?
It's only scrapped if the tool goes off the desired path - or am I misiunderstanding the problem?

ATB
Derek

70

General Mach Discussion / Global feedrate variable

« on: January 22, 2011, 12:21:53 PM »

Hello,

Is it possible to have at the start of the code several feed rate variables-
So this will allow me to change the feed rate in one place rather than having to trawl throgh and change each line I need.

Would be usefull to me when using the sam prog but different materials.
i.e

Variable feed rate 1 = F200
Variable feed rate 2 = F75
Variable feed rate 2 = F120

then in the gcode

G01 X 20 y30 F(rate1)
G01 Z-10 F(rate2)
g01 X100 F(rate 3)

so wherever (rate*) appears I can chage it by altering 1 line in the headder of the code.

Thanks
Derek.