Messages

411

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Install on XP

« on: December 14, 2015, 09:56:00 AM »

Troy, thanks for the info.

Now I have to find time to set up a virgin machine to test again.

Steve Stallings
PMDX

412

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Install on XP

« on: December 14, 2015, 08:59:39 AM »

I wonder if that .NET install included the service pack 3 update by default.

413

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Install on XP

« on: December 14, 2015, 08:35:23 AM »

Troy,

Your experience indicates that something strange is going on. Were you
trying to run an existing profile that may have been configured to use a
plugin other than the Simulator that is installed for the Mach4Mill default
profile?

I have verified that my XP machine does not have .NET and it will load
and run Mach4.

If you get any further hints as to what is going on, please let us know.

Steve Stallings
PMDX

414

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Install on XP

« on: December 13, 2015, 02:57:13 PM »

I have confirmed that neither wx widgets, nor anything else that is put on the
host computer by the Mach4 installer uses the .NET framework.

As best I can tell, plug-in dependencies are:

Ethernet SmoothStepper - the actual plug-in does not seem to need .NET but the SCU
    (system configuration utility) does use .NET but use of the SCU is optional

Darwin legacy parallel port driver - needs .NET

Vital Systems HiCON - the plug-in may run without .NET but the configuration utilities
    and libraries to support extra APIs and expanded functions such as their internal
    MACRO language and their Closed Loop system do need .NET

CS Labs MIO series - needs .NET

PoKEYs - as best I can tell, all PoKEYs devices need .NET for configuration and operation

PMDX SmartBOB series - does not need .NET
    We chose not to use .NET because we wanted to be able to support alternate
    operating systems in the future. There are no current plans to offer Mach4 on
    Linux or OSX, so don't jump to conclusions here.

All Windows systems from Win 7 and later natively included the .NET framework, so
only XP users are actually affected by the need for .NET and it can be installed as
needed on XP.

Regards,
Steve Stallings
PMDX

415

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: help with mach4 parallel port

« on: December 13, 2015, 10:07:14 AM »

The generated Packaged Profile is already a zip file but has the filename extension
set to   .M4PROF  when it is created. By default it gets saved in the main Mach4
folder, but you can select where it gets saved. If you rename it to have an extension
type of  .ZIP  then any zip file utility can open it.

416

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: help with mach4 parallel port

« on: December 13, 2015, 12:11:55 AM »

It may be more useful to post a packaged profile which includes not just the
INI file, but also all configuration information about the system.

You can generate a packaged profile by using the menu items-

HELP > SUPPORT > PACKAGE CURRENT PROFILE

This file can then be used by support personnel to run an instance of Mach4 that
uses your complete software setup. To do this, use the Import Profile function
of the Mach4 Loader.

PMDX plug-ins can also create debug logs that are automatically included in
the packaged profile. The PACKAGED PROFILE is just a special ZIP file and the
extra files get included when it is created.

417

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Install on XP

« on: December 13, 2015, 12:00:38 AM »

The Mach4 core was written as a cross platform program that will run under Linux and OSX,
neither of which natively supply .NET services. This is why the core does not depend on
.NET services.

I just confirmed that my XP machine does not have any version of .NET installed and it
runs Mach4 fine.

Plug-ins are another matter. Developers of plug-ins can and do sometimes require .NET
for their products. Vital Systems and others may require .NET to run. The SCU setup
utility used with the Ethernet SmoothStepper needs .NET, but it is possible to configure
a SmoothStepper without it. PMDX SmartBOB products do not currently depend on .NET
software.

418

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Install on XP

« on: December 12, 2015, 10:51:52 PM »

I think those requirements only apply if your are trying to use the legacy Darwin parallel port driver.

419

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: How do I get mach 4 to run with Heiz xero3 controller?

« on: December 11, 2015, 05:20:01 PM »

Are your motors providing normal holding torque while at rest?

If not, this controller may not activate the motors until it sees the
"charge pump" running. Have you configured the PMDX-411 to
supply a "charge pump" signal on pin 16?

420

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: How do I get mach 4 to run with Heiz xero3 controller?

« on: December 11, 2015, 04:50:50 PM »

Hi Jem,

We need additional information in order to help you. Is this the controller that you have?

http://www.prototools.co.uk/shop/download/media/controller/zero3.pdf

If this is the controller that you have, the PMDX-411 needs to connect to the DB-25
on the LEFT side. To accomplish this you will need either a gender changer or a
straight through cable with a female connector on each end.

You should not need to change any of the settings inside the controller box.

Also, please use the Help > Support > Package Current Profile option from the menu bar
in Mach4 to generate a Profile Package from your machine and send it to us for analysis.

Regards,
Steve Stallings
PMDX