Messages

251

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS + Mach4 + Clearpath = Motor error input goes where?

« on: June 05, 2018, 06:10:49 AM »

My electronics skills, I would say, are pretty good, but circuit design isn't among them, so when Steve told me about this signal reversing I figured it was beyond me. He said a transistor or relay. I can certainly solder and build stuff someone else designed, but I've never been able to really "understand" how it all works!!

I don't know if I need to use ClearPath's "In Position Range" or what, but what I want is if a servo faults for any reason, estop Mach4. Kind of like the Gecko ERR/RST works, so perhaps the way to go is the signal reversal route and simply use the PMDX-126 ERR/RST. See here, AN004, for how the Gecko ERR/RST works, but perhaps you know that.   http://www.pmdx.com/AppNotes

I have a PMDX-108 Input in my system now with only two, I think, inputs being used. I think I have 6 more to use. So how would I do that, IF the signal reversal thing is beyond me? I don't think it IS beyond me as long as someone can explain how to do it!!

Thanks,
Tom

252

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS + Mach4 + Clearpath = Motor error input goes where?

« on: June 04, 2018, 07:48:15 AM »

Riley,

Do you have a BOB with your ESS?

If you figure out how to do this on a "normal" input and program it in Mach4, I'd appreciate seeing how you do it. I have a PMDX-126/ESS and Steve Stallings (PMDX) said the Gecko ERR/RST inputs on the PMDX-126 are backwards for what the Clearpath wants so those won't work with Clearpath's HLFB unless you "reverse" the signal. So..........I have four Clearpath SDSK's wired and working but with no error monitoring, HLFB singals not attached to anything.

Tom

253

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Vista CNC P1A-S with Mach4 - Problem

« on: May 27, 2018, 07:52:26 AM »

"in a week or two"...…..how are you being sent the firmware, Pony Express Just guessing here, Lee needs to WRITE new firmware for you!

Lee/VistaCNC really needs to get hold of this. No mention on their web site about "versions!"

Tom

254

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Vista CNC P1A-S with Mach4 - Problem

« on: May 25, 2018, 07:54:45 AM »

I have tried the P1A-S Pendant on 3 setups.
1) Mill HiCON Controller with Mach4 V3481 - No Luck
2) Router ESS V220/V219V/216 with Mach4 V3481 and V3804 - No Luck
3) ESS V216 with Mach4 V3481/v3804 on  our old controller with just a motor attached - No Luck.
Same E-STOP display at the start of Mach4 on both the Mill and Router 1), 2) and 3).
All these function with Mach4 but not with the VistaCNC Pendant.

I believe right at this inflection point I'd start to suspect the pendant itself. Email Lee Neuman, support@vistacnc.com, and see what he says. Three completely different systems and the pendant doesn't work, I'd guess it ain't a configuration issue!!

255

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Vista CNC P1A-S with Mach4 - Problem

« on: May 23, 2018, 07:45:16 AM »

Oops, cross posted, see one post above!

256

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Vista CNC P1A-S with Mach4 - Problem

« on: May 23, 2018, 07:43:07 AM »

I've got a P2S and it works, LCD and all, so that's ONE!!!

However, there SEEMS to be a conflict with VistaCNC Mach4 pendant and the Mach4 keyboard plugin. I cannot edit keyboard shortcuts unless I start Mach4 without the VistaCNC pendant plugin. Once I got the keyboard shortcut keys the way I liked, I added the pendant plugin back and everything works fine. If the pendant plugin is active, trying to edit the keyboard shortcut keys works for THAT SESSION, but the settings don't get saved on exit and the next time you start Mach4 your keyboard shortcut keys are gone. This has been discussed here. Lee Neuman at VistaCNC has been informed but seems reluctant to fix it!! I see the FW for Mach4 are all still v1.00. So, PERHAPS, if you have any other keyboard related plugins or anything, you might glance in that direction.

That said, no clue about the EStop. The Vista pendants don't have settings in Mach4 like they did in Mach3. These are very nicely made pendants, but we've lost control of them in Mach4. Someone needs to badger Lee and get him off center. I've tried, and I'm done asking!!

257

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Keryboard Jog won't save between sessions

« on: April 11, 2018, 07:14:26 AM »

I think I figured this out by mistake. Last night I tried a clean install of of Mach4 3481. While copying plugins I missed the Vista CNC P2-S plugin. I edited the keyboard plugin for all my jog keys and it worked, and saved. Put the Vista CNC plugin back and that worked. Did not try editing the keyboard plugin after all that, but will.

So it's either it was the clean install which I'd tried before with out success, or the Vista CNC plugin somehow interferes with the keyboard saving it's info into the machine.ini. Today I'll try another keyboard plugin edit and if it doesn't save, I'll pretty much know it's the Vista CNC plugin. I sort of suspect that because of the "bricking" issue with these that others have seen and "sort of" determined it was the pendant plugin and keyboard plugin interacting somehow.

Tom

258

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Keryboard Jog won't save between sessions

« on: April 09, 2018, 09:48:13 AM »

So I start Mach4, go to Keyboard setup, setup X jogging, enable keyboard jogging, it works, machine jogs with keyboard. Quit Mach4, restart, Function in Keyboard plugin setup is empty now, and, of course, keyboard jogging doesn't work.

Where do  you see the correct data in the profile? The key, 37 in my screen shot, is there, but the Function (green arrow) should have something other than zero, shouldn't it?

There's something about this I don't understand. Do I need to setup keys somewhere else, somewhere other than the keyboard plugin? Do I need to FORCE save the profile somehow? What IS it?

The reason I suspect file attributes or something is I have 4 axes setup to jog and those keys show in the plugin setup, but with NO function. If I add keys, for example, rapid jog with shifted keys, it works 'til I quit Mach and THOSE don't show up AT ALL on next Mach restart in the plugin setup, nor in the machine.in.

Again........keyboard jogging works fine in a given Mach4 session, but quitting Mach4 and restarting, settings are gone and jogging doesn't work, set keys up again, they work until quitting Mach4. All thru this, button jogging and pendant jogging works fine always.

259

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Keryboard Jog won't save between sessions

« on: April 09, 2018, 08:54:36 AM »

Wow, we sailed right over my head on that one

I'm simply going to Config, Plugins, Keyboard Plugin and setting up jogging. When I set it up and exit, for that session of Mach, keyboard jogging works. When I shut down Mach and restart it, everything I did in the Keyboard Plugin setup is GONE. No scripting taking place, just what I would call "normal" setup. If I need to do scripting to accomplish this, something is wrong.

Now, I'm not too smart about this, but I DO know that machine.ini is my "profile." So I looked in there, can see the provisions for the keyboard jog settings, but they don't change when I do the above exercise. I THINK they SHOULD. I have never touched machine.ini manually or with scripting, other than opening it in Notepad for a look.

I am running Mach as administrator. Windows 10 Pro. Everything ELSE I've ever done in Mach4 for the past year has been fine,  so I'm guessing my "profile" is being saved. If I'm recalling correctly, keyboard jogging was working a while back, but like I said, I don't use it a lot, so no idea when, or how, it stopped working.

I'll attach a screenie showing file attributes, save time yesterday just before I posted, and a piece of machine.ini showing jog settings, note no FUNCTION where there WERE functions when saved.

260

Mach4 General Discussion / Keryboard Jog won't save between sessions

« on: April 08, 2018, 07:03:42 PM »

Mach4 3481. Everything works great EXCEPT..........I setup keyboard jog buttons, all work, X/Y/Z/A jog and rapid jog with shift, all work. Can enable and disable on the Jog tab, everything just works great. Shut down Mach, restart, all the settings are GONE except X/Y/Z/A are still setup, keys selected, but functions all empty so no keyboard jogging. Set it all up again, works, shut down Mach, gone. I did a clean install of Mach4 and copied my profile/screenset in, same. Keyboard plugin is enabled, obviously, because it works until shut down. The machine.ini file seems to not have the jog info saving, or...........something. What am I missing here? I don't use keyboard jog a lot, so I don't know how long this has been like this, just discovered it today when I tried to keyboard jog and couldn't. I thought, OK, maybe I didn't set it up, so I DID set it up and it worked great. Shut down Mach, come back a few hours later, no keyboard jog.

Tom