Messages

461

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probing Questions

« on: July 28, 2010, 04:48:28 PM »

MSM is MachStdMill, a new beta screenset available for Mach3 v3.043.010+. Check the Screenset forum if interested.

I can't answer your other question, I've never looked at the Mach probing wizard. I'll have to have a look!

462

General Mach Discussion / Re: Probing Questions

« on: July 28, 2010, 11:38:17 AM »

Well, YOU found me wandering aimlessly over here!! Here I didn't want to bother you so you'd be working on my other issue and here you are

So I guess this does answer my question, a probe in Mach3 HAS to run concentric. That was my conclusion, but after the Performance Motion guy told me I needed to calibrate, I began to wonder!

I'll be heading home now, Dave!

463

General Mach Discussion / Probing Questions

« on: July 28, 2010, 10:09:17 AM »

I have questions about probing that is SOMEWHAT related to MSM but I don't want to bother Dave over there!

I have a Wildhorse probe and find it difficult to get it centered precisely. I also have a PerformanceMotion probe that's NOT adjustable for concentricity, runs out .034",  and PerformanceMotion said I'd need to calibrate it. This probing is new to me, and MSM is my first attempt to use probing. I'm having other probing issues with MSM, but Dave and I are working thru those and I'm sure we'll fix it. I'd prefer to use MSM for my foray into probing rather than rummage around for macros and writing screensets.

Does MSM's probe calibration compensate for the probe tip not being concentric with the spindle centerline or does it simply figure out the probe tip diameter? If it does compensate for runout, I'd assume one MUST indicate the bore precisely before starting the calbration routine so the routine knows where center is, and of course, orient the probe the same way all the time. MSM manual, Rev 1.1 , page 114, 7.1.3.1.2 says, "By probing a circular hole of a known size, an effective tip
diameter can be calculated. The effective tip diameter is the physical tip diameter plus compensation for angular probe tip movement when edge finding." Not sure if "angular probe tip movement when edge finding" is what I'm talking about or not.

It seems to me calibrating a probe for the tip being off center would be immensly complex, but maybe it's simpler than I imagine. If this probe calibration is simply the way it's done, how, in Mach3 without MSM, does one calibrate it short of writing macros to do it? Or are there macros commonly available for this I need to find?

If there's somewhere this info is available, just point me to it!!

464

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Vista Reg Fix, Win 7, Smoothstepper

« on: July 26, 2010, 07:02:48 PM »

OK, cool. That's what I thought, but never found a real answer.

I installed on a new Win7 computer, did NOT install the reg fix, running SmoothStepper, all is well!! So I guess I confirmed it!

465

Mach3 under Vista / Vista Reg Fix, Win 7, Smoothstepper

« on: July 26, 2010, 08:46:39 AM »

Is there a definitive answer of whether the Vista Reg fix is needed with Windows 7 and a SmoothStepper? I've looked around and found some discussion, but no definite answer.

466

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: The Brains

« on: July 23, 2010, 10:50:01 AM »

So we have a brain that, as long as the FRO is between 2% and 6%, it will cause a cycle start event. If the FRO is set in that range, the cycle start events will be generated at whatever the run period of a brain is (probably the mach 1/10 sec background cycle - but I'm not sure, only guessing re the actual brain run loop run period).

I think the brain issues a cycle start WHEN FRO gets back to 2-6%, not AS LONG AS it's between 2 and 6, IF I understand the logic. It should only issue a cycle start ONCE, but I could be wrong, probably AM wrong!!

Steve, the OP in this thread, does not have 2% to 6% in his brain, he has 2% to 3%. I found that to miss Mach's 1/10 sec too often, so changes to 2-6.

And, at any cost, I DON"T HAVE THE MDI PROBLEM on Mach 043.010, either with 1024 screens or MSM, so Steve will have to speak to that. I don't understand the logic in his FRO brain, his feedhold brain is essentially the same as mine other than his is 2-3%, Hood's original, and mine is 2-6% after discussing it with Hood.

I'll get out of here as I'm NOT having the issue!!!

Edit: I just went on the machine, turned down the pot 'til it feed holded (held?), turned it up to 4%,  and I could type in the MDI box OK, so that's not the problem, I don't think.

467

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: The Brains

« on: July 23, 2010, 07:24:28 AM »

No, no, no. I'm not sure where you're getting 100%, 200%, 600%. It's 1%, 2%, 6%.

If feed override is LESS THAN 1%, feedhold, set LED.

If feed override is GREATER than 2% AND less than 6% AND the LED is on, do a cycle start.

In practice, you turn down the feed pot (analog pot on PoKeys for me), feed slows, but in Mach without this brain, NEVER stops but creeps slowly. With this brain, when it gets to less than 1%, it feedholds, sets LED. Turn the pot UP, it gets above 2% it cycle starts. The 2% to 6% is there because if it's 2% to 3% (like the OP's feedhold brain) and you turn the pot too quickly, sometimes it misses it for some reason.

And this does work in conjunction with the other brain of MY 2, HOOD_FRO (credit where credit is due, Hood, your name in lights!). That one reads the pot, on MOD: 126 IN, PoKeys pin 45 (I think, it's 43-47), and sets feed override 0-150% on the pot.

This, for me, is essential, having analog pots to adjust Feedrate and Speed, especially feed. I can't live without it!!! Old CNC guy from the days before membrane control panels. I can't grab the mouse and drag no steenkin' screen slider to control feed rate!!

There is one issue with this, for some reason (Mach bug?). If you're in Single Block, doing this gets you OUT of Single Block but the Single Block LED on is still lit on the screen!!! Click Single Block off, back on, it's good, but scary the first time you experience it.

The OP's feedhold brain does something different from mine and therein may lie the MDI line problem. I don't have the problem although I thought I did! Might have something to do with the timer in his. I don't understand enough to know about that.

Hood wrote these in one form or another, I modded it slightly for MY PoKeys pin and separated SRO out to a separate brain, they were combined in this brain originally.

468

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Edge Probing

« on: July 22, 2010, 12:40:53 PM »

Ok, tried some more this morning. I ran Mach 3 043.010 with my old 1024 screenset and probing routines, everything worked fine, the probe probed, the edges it picked up were right on. Z worked fine, too.

Back to MSM Beta 2, no change from last night. X edges probe pretty close, Y off .086, Z won't work at all because it tries to go down further after touching.

I probed a 1.000 bore for center. It told me the bore was .886xx diameter, it's 1". That's sort of off by the probe tip dia. so it didn't add that to the probed diameter, I guess. After it set X/Y centers to ZERO, I put an indicator in the spindle and indicated the bore and the center was off +.086 in X, -.023 in Y. Again, probe tool is 250, .125 dia. set in tool, length set in tool.

I'm mystified. I can't make heads nor tails out of what I'm seeing.

I now have to do actual work, so I'm going back to an edge finder and indicator for now. The rest of MSM seems to be working great for me, and I like it so much I REALLY don't want to go back to 1024 sets!!!

469

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Edge Probing

« on: July 22, 2010, 10:20:58 AM »

Lee Neuman at Vista CNC, maker of the iMach III, says his plugin doesn't use any DRO/LED in the range 1700/1800.

The only other thing is the pokeys plugin, but I can't imagine that using any either.

So I guess this is pretty indicitave that I don't have anything using any DRO/LED in this range.

Would MachMAD tell me this somehow? I have that installed.

470

CVI MachStdMill (MSM) / Re: Edge Probing

« on: July 22, 2010, 07:11:53 AM »

Not that I'm aware of, of course, the plugin for the pendant I have no way of knowing. Unless you can tell me how to figure out which might be used.