Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / machine running irregular on button script

« on: December 13, 2010, 03:49:30 PM »

Hi All,

I am encountering a problem when running a button script.

It is a fairly simple probing script, for measuring flatness of a surface.
There are a few dro's involved for surface size, grid size, etc.
The script uses some Do Until...Loops to scan a surface for flatness in a regular grid.
Scanned XYZ values are written to a textfile.

For instance, on a surface of 270 x 400 mm with a 20mm measuring grid about 300 points are beeing probed.
This takes about 10 minutes.

During this scan my machine sometimes acts strange, it looses steps and is running irregular.

Also, when the probe hits the surface "G4 P.25" is used, a pause to allow for writing values to the textfile.
About 1 in every 100 times the pause is skipped, the probe backs off immediately to go to the next piont.
XYZ Values are written okay though..


Is there some explanation for this strange behaviour?

I never loose steps when running g-code.
I can run complex programs without a problem.

So, is there a way to scan with a g-code file?
Can XYZ values  be written to a textfile while using g-code?
I mean g-code in a .NC-file, not g-gode in a button script.

Thanks for helping!

Rich
  
  
 
 

 

2

VB and the development of wizards / check if G68 is active

« on: May 18, 2010, 04:51:00 AM »

Hi,

I am setting up my machine so that it can handle a G68 job rotation.

Button-scrips for measuring the angle and setting G68 are already functioning.

From what I understood you have to switch off G68 before toolchange.
(Obvious: The toolsetter has a fixed location stored in machine coordinates.)

So I want my toolchange macro (M6) to check if G68 is active, switch it off, do the toolchange and switch on G68 again.

Does anybody know how to check if G68 is active?

Are there any other G-codes or macro's that require G68 to be deactivated?

Thanks for helping!

Rich
  


 

3

General Mach Discussion / helix toolpath problem...

« on: May 05, 2010, 10:26:29 AM »

Hi,

Since a while I am having a problem with some helix toolpaths, generated by mastercam x4.

The problem occurs when milling a hole slightly bigger then cutter diameter, so with a small helix spiral.
For instance when milling a 4 mm diameter hole with a  3 mm cutter.
When the hole is a little bigger, say 5 mm the problem doesn't occur.

Actual problem: At the first part of the toolpath everything is normal, about half way the machine starts moving jerky and speed decreases.

Tried different cv settings, didn't help...

Anybody any suggestions?

Thanks!

Rich

   
 
 

4

General Mach Discussion / driver watchdog triggerd?

« on: April 24, 2010, 09:24:01 AM »

Hi,

When I load a large engraving file (4,8 mb) I get then message "Driver Watchdog Triggered" and Estop is triggered.
Resetting the machine is all it requires, so minor problem...

Does anybody know why this happens?

Rich
   

5

General Mach Discussion / how to set up 2 probe inputs?

« on: April 20, 2010, 05:42:38 PM »

Hi,

I have a toolsetter and a probe and I want to connect them both to the Mach probe input.

From previous experiments I can remember that you HAVE to use the probe input in a probing macro, you cannot use another free input.
(Please correct me if I'm wrong)

Because of their construction the probe and toolsetter cannot be connected to the same "physical" pin of the LPT Connector.

So what I would like to do is to assign two pins of the LPT connector to the Mach probe input.
Is this possible?
Or is there another way to solve my little problem...?

Thanks!

Richard

(Using Mach3 for quite a while now, and I like it.... ...!)