Messages

211

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mac4 seems to scrub the surface when moving from Work coord zero to the 1st. cut

« on: February 04, 2019, 10:27:29 AM »

Chad,

Got it! I now have Scott's list of # variables, too.

Where are these saved? I know the ones that are saved across startups, but let's say I install Mach4 anew. What I normally do is rename the Mach4Hobby folder, install new ver, copy across my profile, screen, etc. Will that get the variables I hand set like this or do I need to remember to reset them when I do a new install?

I have my M43 stuff edited into the new copy of the Fusion Post, so time to test.

Thanks for the help,
Tom

212

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mac4 seems to scrub the surface when moving from Work coord zero to the 1st. cut

« on: February 03, 2019, 06:19:30 PM »

Cool, Chad,

I'll redownload the post and start anew after figuring out how G30 works. I can just compare my current edited post for the M43 stuff.

How do I enter my positions into the # variables? I've never done that. Those variables stay put once entered, I'm guessing, right? I know where I want the positions because I use G53 now, which simply takes a "machine coordinate" position right in the Gcode line directly. I just hard coded the G53 lines in the post.

What I do with my CNC'd knee is have it set to the A axis. One thing "unusual" that I do is A+ is UP or into the work! But remember, I don't machine with the A axis, the only time the A moves is inside the M43 Macro. I do it that way so I can use positive tool lengths. I either use a dummy tool longer than any other tool or use the longest tool in a particular setup to set the A Zero position. Or set that to a tool gage block or tool setter probe. Then measure all the tools with the A axis while Z set set at zero. I have some button code setup on a screen to measure the tool, it takes the position of A and puts it in the currently loaded tool offset in the tool table. Once done gaging the tools, I set the A zero to the top of the part or wherever I want it. The tools are relative to that, so all set now. One could do this differently if you were comfortable looking at negative tool length offsets. I'm an old timer, so I'm NOT comfortable with it!!

One other bit of weirdness I do is I have my Z home at the top of the travel, like normal, but then my Ref All Home code sets that position as A 1.00, so in effect, A zero is one inch down from the highest position. Actually that Z1.000 is .020 below my home switch position, just because back in Mach3 it didn't like to go right up to the switch position, but Mach4 will. Mach4 soft limits work a lot different from Mach3 soft limits, in Mach4 you can rapid right up to them where in Mach3 in gradually slowed near the end! I just did it that way in Mach4 because that's the way I did it!! Doing this gives me some latitude above Z0 to move around between holes and stuff. It just makes sense to me so that's what I do. This is where trying to explain what I do here gets the deer-in-the-headlights stare. If we were standing at the machine I could explain it perfectly, but trying to do it in a forum post elicits eye rolls!!!

And one other thing I do is at the end of every tool in the posted gcode, I move the A down to zero, get it out of the way!! That's why A zero is set to the longest tool or a dummy long tool.

Anyway, thanks for the tip on the G30 and let me know how I get the numbers in the # variables.

Tom

213

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mac4 seems to scrub the surface when moving from Work coord zero to the 1st. cut

« on: February 03, 2019, 08:17:03 AM »

Chad,

That G30 sounds just like what I'd like only I went about it kind of the clunky way. Would you mind sharing that post? I'd then edit my M43 stuff into it and I'd be set and more confident the post hasn't been screwed up. Oh, and check the variables used and tell me how to set those!!!

Yes, that tool offsetting with the knee is a great thing. The quill only moves 4.8 inches so if you have more than that variability in tool lengths your doomed. The knee moves 16". The knee is too heavy to zoom around peck drilling and stuff. Originally I had the knee CNC'd for Z and didn't like all the action with the heavy knee. I even have two gas springs on the knee to relieve some of the weight and it still didn't sit well with me. Moving 8 or 10 times per program, nice and slowly/smoothly doesn't seem so bad!!! The knee has the original acme screw, so I even have the macro, when moving lower, moving -.1 and UP to final position to position better. This idea came from an old regular here way back in the 90's, Ray Livingston. I've done it since, Mach3 and now Mach4. When I mention it to others they give me the deer in the headlights look, so I've stopped even mentioning it and just machine happily on!! Works for me.

Thanks,
Tom

214

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mac4 seems to scrub the surface when moving from Work coord zero to the 1st. cut

« on: February 02, 2019, 04:50:21 PM »

Hmmm....I'll have to look exactly when I get near the machine computer. I found in the code where it was doing those G28 moves. I tried to set the USE G28 to false, but then there were no moves up or away. So I turned it back ON and found where it was in the code and changed the G28 stuff to G90 G53 *********.xx and Yxx.xx, etc. It still calls it G28, or at least the USE G28 toggle is left at true. It does what I want it to do. I don't want to move to X and Y home, too far to run at the end of a part, then run all the way back, even at 120 IPM, too far!!! So I use some G53 moves and I can tell it where to go FROM the home positions

If you use Visual Studio Code and a plugin Autodesk wrote, you can post generic output, there are several choices, and then in the code you can select a line of Gcode and it'll jump to the line in the post that generated said code. Makes it at least a little easier to work thru the complicated, at least to me, post code. I have edited PostHaste posts for GibbsCAM and that's so dead simple a caveman could do it, but this is pretty complicated. I THINK it's so complicated because the post has to handle multi-axis moves and such, not just the everyday stuff I mostly use!

My real reason for wanting/needing to edit Fusion posts is my machine, a knee mill converted, uses the knee for offsetting tool lengths, so I don't want G43 Z1. H4 type lines, I want M43 H4 to move the A (knee) the difference in tool lengths, M43 being a macro I wrote with Artsoft's help. I got that fixed in the Fusion post, too!! I keep doing this fumbling and pretty soon I'll be a programmer......well, maybe sort of, I'll never be a real programmer that lives this all day every day. Gcode/CAM programming, yes, but javascript  or lua or any of those, not so much.

I guess we're hijacking the OP's post here, sorry.

Tom

215

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mac4 seems to scrub the surface when moving from Work coord zero to the 1st. cut

« on: February 02, 2019, 08:52:54 AM »

Yeah, G28 is TOO weird for ME. it's a two move function and if THAT is not understood you can crash something! You read a single line of Gcode thinking, OK, it moves to Zx, and it doesn't unless it's Z0. If it's Z10, it moves 10 then to zero!! Most all Gcode reads straight thru, one line does THAT, but G28 doesn't conform:)

Fusion posts CAN be edited, with Visual Studio Code or even Notepad++, but it can be daunting. 'Tho it's javascript it's a lot of code. I found the gumption to fix/edit out those G28s, but I likely didn't do it the "proper" way, so I won't be posting my edited post!!! There's a toggle in the code, USE G28, that can simply be turned off, but then the machine doesn't get up out of the way and you need to add code to get it up out of the way!! I edited the AXIS HOME or what ever it's called to use G53 moves, which read like "normal" Gcode and work for ME.

All that said, is there a skilled Fusion post editor guy hanging out here that would be willing to help a guy (ME!)? My local, Autodesk authorized, place wants $250 for what I perceive (ha!) to be some pretty simple edits. A fixed income retired guy doesn't want to pay that!

Tom

216

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Anyone use mach4 recently; version 2?

« on: January 29, 2019, 09:11:21 AM »

What they said!! I was reluctant to move from Mach3 to Mach4 and when stuff didn't work like I expected I thought it was screwed up, but I finally just made the switch and am very happy I did. It runs the machine WAY better, hit Feed Hold and it stops right now, for example, and it's very customizable but you have to figure out how because it ain't Mach3!! If you come from Mach3, that's the biggest hurdle, Mach4 isn't Mach3.

217

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: How to copy all the profile settings, ini, plugin cfg, screens to new computer?

« on: January 17, 2019, 05:39:43 PM »

I think you could just leave two licenses ACTIVE, no problem.

218

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New Forum!

« on: January 07, 2019, 10:02:53 AM »

Yeah, we need someone from NFS to at least show up here and say SOMETHING. I thought, too, that it is a little troubling. Has anyone tried the support system, are they at least THERE?

It's a new year and the first full, back-to-work day, so hopefully something will transpire.

Tom

219

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Coolant Toogle Problems

« on: January 03, 2019, 04:48:57 PM »

Also, on Mach4's diagnostic tab, is the input of your switch lit up on startup? If so, then the switch is closed or maybe you could change Active HIGH/LOW on your input to reverse it?? Grasping at straws here!!!

Tom

220

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Coolant Toogle Problems

« on: January 03, 2019, 04:34:41 PM »

Do you have a momentary switch or an on/off switch? It's not some sort of normally closed momentary switch by any chance, is it? Most are normally open. If it is, you might have to change the code state to "if (state == 0) then", but I'm not sure if that would work.

Mine starts in the OFF state. Pressing the button turns in on, pressing it again turns it off. My switch is a normally OPEN momentary switch.

Disconnect your switch, does it still startup in the ON position? Did it startup in the ON position before you put the code in the screen start script? IF NO, then it's the switch somehow, isn't it?

Tom