Messages

971

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Mach3 Plugin Tutorial Document and Prototype File Set

« on: August 14, 2008, 10:13:53 AM »

OK, so if one is using a modeless dialog with Mach, how do you obtain a pointer to the CXMLProfile when your dialog needs to write back to the profile? When using a modal dialog its not a problem as you create/show the dialog in 'void myConfig(CXMLProfile *DevProf)' and then save any changes when you dialog returns. DevProf evidently is NOT a static pointer as simply copying it for later use does not work..

972

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: input/output and pulse analysis probe.

« on: August 13, 2008, 12:42:07 PM »

The purpose of such a probe would be to assist in troubleshooting, no? When one has a problem with an I/O pin the first step is to determine if the signal is getting to/from the I/O device. This helps determine if the fault lies in the I/O device (LPT/Mach in our case) or the external device (machine). So you have a 50/50 shot at the problem being on either side of the I/O device/external device connection.

What your proposing is using a pin on the very I/O device that you need to test to test the I/O device itself (the LPT). Sorry to say, you can't do that. Your testing apparatus has to be in a know good working state before you can rely on it to test anything. And, a testing apparatus cannot test itself!

If your probe was to find that a certain I/O pin was not acting properly how do you determine if the fault is the configuration of the port itself or some external device?

973

General Mach Discussion / Re: Motors are jerky and whine a lot...

« on: August 08, 2008, 09:07:32 AM »

Chuff, glad you got it sorted. I had a rough time with the first laptop I tired with Mach as well. That system now has a dedicated desktop machine on it. The latest machine I built works great on my work laptop / smoothstepper. Considering all the crapola IT puts on each machine, that is saying something.

974

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Mach3 Plugin Tutorial Document and Prototype File Set

« on: August 05, 2008, 10:57:27 AM »

Thanks! I wound up removing the dialog and recreating it and adding the event handler class again. In hindsight I probably could have gotten away with just removing and adding back in the event handler class but I was getting strange errors from the dialog header telling me the the IDC I gave the form was no good. This was a result, evidently, of not having the rest of the #includes in the header.

That compiler errors in C++ really stink. About 50% of the time what they say is useless....grump, grumble...., 45% of the time it is hard to relate what they say to changes you just made in your code, 5% of the time they are dead on....

975

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Mach3 Plugin Tutorial Document and Prototype File Set

« on: August 04, 2008, 05:27:06 PM »

Just for my future reference; does anybody have a clue how I caused an HTML page to appear as the dialog box background? I would like to know how to turn it off if I happen to do it again.

Thanks,

976

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Mach3 Plugin Tutorial Document and Prototype File Set

« on: August 01, 2008, 10:05:20 AM »

I just found those headers just now in the zip file on this page (from May 4th). The file set on page 1 does not have them. There still seems to be some issues with the object model section. Should I start over with the may file set?

977

Mach SDK plugin questions and answers. / Re: Mach3 Plugin Tutorial Document and Prototype File Set

« on: July 31, 2008, 12:16:24 PM »

I've been going through the plug-in tutorial again today after being away from it for quite some time. I am up to the point where I have the form displayed and have added event handlers for the buttons. Problem is that it is displaying an HTML document in the background of the form. Obviously there is some box that I have checked in error and it has auto generated this bloody HTML page, For the life of me I can't figure out how to make it quite including it with the form.

Also, just found this as I got towards the end of the tutorial. The following are included in Mach3OjectModel.cpp:#include "Mach3DRO.h", #include "Mach3Button.h", but ar enot present in machincludes. What am I missing?

Any ideas? Thanks...

978

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 using Galil servo card

« on: July 28, 2008, 10:27:43 AM »

I would add that your I/O defaults should be set and burned into the Galil as well. This is the only way to ensure that they come out of a reset in the proper state. Do not dpened on Mach or a user program to set up the I/O.

I do have a user program running in #AUTO on mine. It reads the extended I/O and stashes teh results in the unused aux encoder inputs (as Econo series boards do not have a secondary communication channel to read the ex I/O automatically) and it monitors a couple of inputs (main contactor and brake) for the proper state and kills the servo enable if the wrong state is seen. This latter adds some HW supervision to Mach saying that it is OK to enable the servos.

You have to be really careful in this area of having user programs and Mach both fiddling with the I/O. It's best to keep it simple and not have them trying to set the same bits.

979

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 using Galil servo card

« on: July 27, 2008, 07:20:57 PM »

The Galil plug-in does not change the pid values in teh Galil card. After tuning your system, or making nay other setting changes to the bard itself you must 'burn' issue a BN command to the card so the settings are saved in the eeprom. Any changes not burned are lost on a card reset (soft reset that mach does or power cycle.)

980

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach III + Vista + SS = wierdness?

« on: June 25, 2008, 01:53:58 PM »

Well, I managed to get the the leads made that they needed at least....The machine worked a lot better once I added a paper clip and duct tape (no kidding!)