Messages

81

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 11, 2010, 11:13:21 PM »

Do you think I was having trouble with my RAM?? This is a new hard drive in this PC. I just picked up a used Flexicam Router and I was thinking of using this PC with it. Smoothstepper is working fine with the new PC. I did order a parallel port card and a seperate video card, my display is not what it should be.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 11, 2010, 11:10:56 PM »

Hi Guys, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I installed a new PC and everything seems to be working fine.



To continue Yes to what Hood asked. When you say the dros changed did the machine MOVE at the same time.
NO

DO you used tool offsets?  Tool length offsets??  From the tool table?
NO

How about work offsets G54,G55,G56,etc  ?
NO

What macros do you use at tool change?? M6start,M6end??
I JUST USE M06, WHICH IS GENERATED BY VCARVE

What macro do you use for ATZ
SEE ATTACHMENT

Does this ever accur on jobs that do not have a tool change?? Maybe you need to test that??
I HAVEN'T RUN ANY JOBS THAT DON'T HAVE TOOL CHANGES.

Do you have a simple job that this occurs a lot of times?? So we can run a test??
OF COURSE NOT, THAT WOULD BE TO EASY.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 07:30:58 PM »

Hi Terry, It did, but never at first, all of this started last week. I was having problems with the SS losing data, but sometimes when I used the ATZ feature I would have a problem where the X,Y origin changed. The DROs never changed, but when you pushed GO TO ZERO it was not the original 0,0. I assume this was related to the SS so I got a parallel port board. I ran a few parts and experienced the same problem, but never at the same part of the program and never while the toolpath was running. It got to the point where it was impossible to finish a part. Hood suggested to remove Mach and install a fresh copy, I did this and the machine ran great, for two parts. Then on a new part (different programming) I noticed that the 1/2 end mill was noisy and not cutting a nice clean profile. I went over to the machine and saw the tool stop in the x axis, I looked up at the screen and saw the DROs change and then the tool went in the opposite direction. I stopped the program and pushed GO TO ZERO, not the original zero. This happened on the 4th pass of a pocketing operation. The picture is posted in another post. So I ran a new part and everything was going fine and I changed out the tool, used the ATZ and when I pushed CYCLE START I saw the DROs change and the tool's position did not match the DROs readout (pic is also in another post). None of this happens at the same time, the only thing is that about 80-90% of the time it occurs after a toolchange and ATZ. BUT this is the same ATZ macro that I have been using for 4 months. Weird that all of a sudden these things are popping up, that's why I decided to try a new PC to see if that could be the problem. Ron

84

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 07:09:45 PM »

As they say, if it weren't for bad luck I would have no luck at all. I bought a spare computer about a year ago, it was a floor model at one of the office superstores, but it ran XP. I pulled it out oday to use and it doesn't have a parallel port, so I called the local computer store and they will have one on Friday. I figured I can probably deal with the SS until then, I start to set up the new computer and I find out it has password protection (at this moment I won't type what I said, but you can only imagine what it was). I am now thinking about going back to the store and strangling the manager who sold this computer to me, but cooler heads prevail. I thought I would be a smart ass and type in 1234 as the password, no idiot would use this, but I really have nothing to loose at this time beside my temper. IT WORKED! So I am deleting all of the nonsense that comes on a new computer and I have the SS hooked up, I am starting to install the software, when.... there is no MY COMPUTER to click on to access the cd drive. I also can not access the CONTROL PANEL. What a royal PITA this is getting to be. Hopefully this story will make someone laugh or realize that they are not alone, but I do feel like I have a dark cloud that follows me around.

85

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 06:16:19 PM »

Here's the screenshot, the DROs do not match the code.

86

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 05:23:28 PM »

Here's a screenshot of the last occurance. What a PITA this is getting to be. This happened right after a tool change and using the ATZ function.

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General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 05:21:23 PM »

Here is the picture of the part that is wrong. I used black marker to highlight the intended path (which is cut really rough, you can see a different finished part beside it and it used the same tool and parameters). The orange is where the problem occured. And the machine just did it again on the new part.

88

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 04:49:22 PM »

I'll do that, I'm setting up another part. I'll take a picture of the bad one and you can see the problem.

89

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 04:42:49 PM »

The machine didn't appear to show the toolpath moving the wrong way, it appears that it traveled as far as it "thought" it should in relation to X,Y origin. I didn't get a chance to pm Terry yet, I was going to try to get some work done. I think I'll try shutting down and restarting the computer and see what happens. I'll also pm Terry in the meantime since it looks like I now have a slightly different problem.

90

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 doing wierd things

« on: September 08, 2010, 04:34:27 PM »

I didn't keep track of where the DRO went, but I did watch it change. This happened during a pocketing toolpath, 18 passes, it happened on the 4th pass. I stopped the program, pushed Go To Zero and it wasn't the original starting point. There are no brains running, but I do have one for the ModIOMPG and one for the auxillary ATZ push button.