Messages

21

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Execute Code With Buttons

« on: June 11, 2015, 11:43:24 AM »

I have to say neither was really wonderful for zeroing to a work piece.

 

FWIW,
I use 2 MPG's in continuous mode  and they work great as the settings are such that the faster you turn the
wheel the faster the axis moves. That way you can rapid jog close and then just touch off using the MPG.

Another option to consider is to rapid jog close to touch off point and then have a button  which will probe
to touch off at a slow feed rate and reset DRO's to zero on touch off and then do  whatever. It's quick and very accurate.

Just something you may want consider,
RICH

It is sort of in my plan to write touch off macro buttons also.  I still want to get close first. 

I actually found of all things the Xbox controller to be very useful, because I could use the trigger buttons to quickly change from step mode to jog mode.  I found my direct input joystick and arcade buttons to be the least useful of my external control devices.  I've got a nice VistaCNC MPG with LCD display and its ok, but atleast one of my machines acted a little flakey while using it.  I do eventually plan to change that machine from USB SS to ESS so it might perform better with less demand on the USB.  I started using the jog screen / touchscreen (also USB) on that machine and found I could position quite quickly by changing the step size, and thought, gee wouldn't it be nice if I could just touch buttons further out or closer in to the center for different step values.  Sure if I guess wrong I could break a wiggler, but it wouldn't be the first time I broke a tool. 

22

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Execute Code With Buttons

« on: June 10, 2015, 08:35:03 PM »

That makes sense, and I've already written macros with embedded code for my tool changes so I kinda already know how to write code macros.  (absolute moves, position save etc,)

23

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Execute Code With Buttons

« on: June 10, 2015, 07:16:49 PM »

On one machine I used an MPG for a while, and on another I used an external joystick and some game console buttons.  I have to say neither was really wonderful for zeroing to a work piece.  

Recently I got my big mill that I put a touch screen on going again, and I used the [TAB] flyout jog screen.  I liked it as well as anything.  Especially with the touch screen.  I'ld like to use the jog screen, but get rid of most of the things on it.  Instead have multiple large buttons for each axis and have each button do a specific jog amount using g-code and relative positioning (G91 / G00 X.1 / G90).  The buttons would jog, .1, .01, .001 relative to their location from center.  I've been doing basically that with the current jog screen and a wiggler.  Its a lot faster than it sounds. 

Never mind if you hate the idea or love it.  Trust me if I can get it to work I will like it.  I just would like some guidance in setting up some buttons (LARGE BUTTONS) to execute snippets of code.  If that works I'ld also apply it to write a custom button for z-height setting with a touch pad.  I know the blue screen already has a z-height set function, but I want to do all new screens optimize for my use with large buttons and large icons for touchscreen. 

I imagine I can figure it out by reverse engineering some of the screensets already available, but I am hoping somebody is willing to give me a jump start on this.  

Eventually I think I'll run touchscreens on all machines.

24

General Mach Discussion / Re: XBox 360 Plugin - Bug? - Z Goes Down

« on: July 30, 2014, 05:36:43 PM »

If I remove the Xbox plugin the problem goes away. 

25

General Mach Discussion / Re: XBox 360 Plugin - Bug? - Z Goes Down

« on: July 30, 2014, 03:21:00 PM »

Well, I had relays and contactors that were also cut, but there seemed to be some flutter in one of the relays causing a spindle problem on that machine so they are temporarily bypassed.  The BOB is a smart BOB that turns off all outputs when its e-stopped.  If things really go sideways I can always kill the master power.  Gotta love a big blade disconnect for that. 

It doesn't address the problem though, and mechanically estopping the BOB does seem to prevent the problem.  You can lecture me on that tangent some other time.  LOL. 

26

General Mach Discussion / Re: XBox 360 Plugin - Bug? - Z Goes Down

« on: July 30, 2014, 11:55:52 AM »

I thought it was odd too.  Only thing running are the stock brains.  I found mechanically e-stopping the machine before shutting down seemed to stop it from occurring.  A mechanical e-stop cuts the inputs ad outputs on the BOB.  Its probably good practice anyway. 

27

General Mach Discussion / Re: XBox 360 Plugin - Bug? - Z Goes Down

« on: July 30, 2014, 09:47:20 AM »

Yep, but not always. 

28

General Mach Discussion / Re: XBox 360 Plugin - Bug? - Z Goes Down

« on: July 29, 2014, 10:16:17 AM »

This is not happening when I am jogging.  It is happening as described.  

I am aware of the shift jog bug. 

29

General Mach Discussion / XBox 360 Plugin - Bug? - Z Goes Down

« on: July 28, 2014, 12:58:49 PM »

I really like the Xbox controller and the Xbox plugin.  The configurability is awesome.  I can set all the functions I normally use when setting the machine, or touching off to a part. 

However, I have seen one bug that causes a problem.  Even with the triggers set as a safety sometimes the machine takes Z all the way down until it hits something when I shut down the software, and I even saw it do it when I hit the programmed E-stop button once too.  Is there a fix or a work around to prevent this? 

I actually like the functionality of the Xbox 360 better than my MPG pendant except for this issue.

Its on a Windows 7 Pro 64 bit machine using an Ethernet Smoothstepper if that makes any difference. 

30

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Optimizing windows 7 for dedicated Mach 3

« on: June 30, 2014, 11:20:38 AM »

I am looking for the same thing.