Messages

5021

General Mach Discussion / Re: Cutting speed

« on: April 30, 2010, 11:47:30 AM »

Depends what you are cutting. We cut wood at 19M/min.

5022

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Can anyone make a "normal" windows screen design please? 0:-)

« on: April 29, 2010, 10:18:39 PM »

Spent a few more minutes tonight.

5023

Finished Screens / Re: Mach3 Aqua

« on: April 28, 2010, 10:28:00 PM »

Open the Aqua.set in Screen4. Right click on the Ref All Home button. A window should open. "Use Hotkey" is probably checked. Uncheck it, then check it. It should ask you to hit a key. Hit your Home key, then OK to close the window, and save the screen. That should do it.

5024

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: DXF to LC problems...

« on: April 28, 2010, 11:48:15 AM »

LazyCAM is for 2D files only.

5025

General Mach Discussion / Re: mach's rounding of measurements?

« on: April 27, 2010, 09:11:35 PM »

On linear moves, do you scale each axis independently, or deal with the dominant axis and have tests for the dependant axes on when to take a step?  And how do you deal with circular moves

Each axis has a final destination position, so wouldn't Mach3 have each axis get as close to this position as possible, for each axis?

5026

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Can anyone make a "normal" windows screen design please? 0:-)

« on: April 26, 2010, 06:13:21 PM »

Correct! The "P" Icon should open a page which shows the positions.
Zero Point
Park Point and
Measurement Point

There is a small bar under the icon-bar which could show the momentary coordinates X,Y,Z

I can't open a window with Mach3, unless I use Flash. But there is no Flash documentation, so no Flash screen.

I don't understand what "zero point" is? And Measurement point?



I'm not going to make a duplicate of that screen. I may not make exactly what you want. Rather than the picture, give me a list of al the features you use, and an explanation if needed.

Do you use the 3 feedrates?
clamps?
pump? Is this coolant?

What's a "reference move"?
Height scan? Is that probing?

I don't like the start button in the top, so it'll be down lower, and a bit larger.

5027

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Can anyone make a "normal" windows screen design please? 0:-)

« on: April 25, 2010, 09:13:22 PM »

Rich, at the current rate, it may be another year?

Roelli,

What is the P (positions)?

Can you give me a clearer screenshot of the right side?

I didn't think of using icons for a lot of things. That frees up a lot of space.

5028

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: Can anyone make a "normal" windows screen design please? 0:-)

« on: April 25, 2010, 03:07:35 PM »

This morning I started taking the first steps to creating a new screen, tentatively called "Mach XP".

I quickly remembered what the most difficult part of screen design is - Figuring out what goes where, and what's needed. The 50-100 hours I'll spend in Photoshop is the easy part.

I'm thinking a 2 screen solution, with auto probing (and other stuff) on the current jog flyout, like in my Aqua screen. One main screen, and one diagnostics/settings screen.

Since it'll look like a Windows screen, there won't be big colorful buttons, so lots more stuff will fit on the screen.

This may take 6 months or more to finish, so don't count on it any time soon. I've got a lot of stuff to get done this summer, so I can start building a new router in the fall.

I've googled for sample control screens to get some ideas, but not sure where I'm going right now.

I'm thinking:
Big toolpath, 25% of the screen, top left.
Small g-code window, bottom left.
Program run controls, and file loading, right of the toolpath.
DRO's, upper right. Lots of them. Multiple sets, including machine coordinates, and togo dro's.
Jogging bottom right.

Suggestions open. Tell me what controls you need to have.

5029

Feature Requests / Re: Warning if in Demo mode

« on: April 25, 2010, 12:27:19 PM »

The latest version of Mach3 displays your name in the title bar if it's a licensed copy. No name = demo mode.

5030

General Mach Discussion / Re: Aluminium Cutting

« on: April 25, 2010, 11:17:51 AM »

No offense taken. Just pointing out what your spindle should be capable of. But the rest of the machine has to be up to the task as well. Good luck.