Messages

111

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Serious Mach4 Mill problem with the use of cycles with G18 plane

« on: February 19, 2021, 09:53:16 AM »

https://www.cnczone.com/forums/g-code-programing/82663-g17-g18-g19-explanation-please.html

112

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Serious Mach4 Mill problem with the use of cycles with G18 plane

« on: February 18, 2021, 06:43:58 PM »

I'm not an expert on G18/G18 but I don't believe they're intended to be used with drilling cycles. A vertical spindle mill and a horizontal spindle mill both use G17 for normal moving around/milling/drilling. I've only seen G18/G19 used to circle interp in a plane other than G17, like with a ball endmill. But like I say, who am I to guess!!

113

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Spindle RPM runaway

« on: February 18, 2021, 04:02:06 PM »

I can't help, but you might go ask at the warp9td.com forum and see if Andy can help with the ESS error. He might be able to direct you on the VFD/spindle thing, too.

114

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: 4612 Build

« on: February 18, 2021, 01:03:29 PM »

I don't want to hijack this thread TOO far, but "export the control group" sounds interesting. Exactly HOW do I "export the control group"? I have to go to the machine and think about this.

And I now DO remember there is a Notepad++ plugin for file compare. Need to fiddle with that, too, as in, what two files to actually compare:)

Thanks again,
Tom

115

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: 4612 Build

« on: February 18, 2021, 08:32:53 AM »

OK, let me be the first, even though I haven't installed it. I, and likely a lot of others, have "slightly" modified screen sets. I know I likely have 40 or 50 small adds/modifications to WX4. I never actually documented all this (I know, I know!). When I install Mach4, I copy my screen in, along with profiles/plugins/macros, etc. If something interesting is in the "new screens", somehow I have to figure out all the edits I've made and do them all over, right? Any easy way to do that? I think Brett told me one time that there was a way to compare two screen sets, but I've seemingly forgotten THAT!! Maybe with NotePad++?

Thanks!
Tom

116

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 configuration manual

« on: February 03, 2021, 08:25:42 AM »

John, if all you really want to do is manually change Pulleys like Mach 3 called them, just go to the diagnostics page and type in the number. Thing is they're not called pulleys like Mach3, but Ranges. Simply type your number in, press enter, set to go. You, of course, need to set them UP, in Config/Control/Spindle.

I have a step pulley BP clone with 8 speeds, 4 of them reverse rotation. My setup in attached jpgs.

If what you want to do is get fancy, Brian is on it!!

Tom

117

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: First Mach 4 program

« on: December 22, 2020, 08:38:16 AM »

Questions like:

Why is the Z moving in this "simple square"?
In the control, is there a diameter value in the tool table for T1?
Is there enough of a move in N7 to APPLY said diameter value, really half of it?

With that said, I'm not sure if the Z move in the line that applies the comp (N7) is valid or not, but as Brian said, the history line should give some clue.

I'd suspect the issue is NOT in N4, but further down!!

118

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 soft limits reverse axes

« on: December 09, 2020, 12:45:44 PM »

Hi Steve,
This is an awesome piece of information that I will have to take out into the shop and try out.
Is this in the Mach 4 manual? If not it should be.

Mike

Yeah, good info, but thinking about it, how else would you DO it? You need to find out where those limit switches are relative to where your home switch is. How, other than jogging over 'til you hit 'em, would you do it?

Tom

119

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 back up / Modus operandi

« on: December 03, 2020, 09:16:25 AM »

Well, I'm FAR from the authority on this, but here's MY drill!

I copy the entire Mach4Hobby folder off to a network location/different HD on the system whenever it's running smoothly. Whenever I'm going to attempt to do anything I consider risky, I do it. When I'm going to install a new version of Mach4 I rename Mach4Hobby to something like Mach4Hobby_4300 and install the new version from scratch which will create a new Mach4Hobby directory and install. I open two explorer windows side by side and copy my "stuff" in to the new install, docs, licenses, plugins, profiles, screens, modules. You may not have to do that much copying if you run a relatively clean install of Mach, but profiles for sure, likely screens unless you've not changed a single thing. I don't copy the entire folders in that list, but the stuff in them that are not "stock". You learn all this the hard way eventually, but it helps to know it up front.

One thing to remember also is create custom names for your profiles and screens so you're not editing the "stock" ones. This won't be as much of an issue if you install as noted above, but if you edit the "stock" profile/screen, they will get overwritten if you install the "traditional" way of installing over the top of a previous install. Renaming Mach4Hobby before an install solves this!!

Good Luck, from a belt and suspenders guy that learned this the hard way in the early days of Mach4.

120

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Serious Mach4 Mill problem with the use of cycles with G18 plane

« on: November 21, 2020, 10:35:19 AM »

Following:)