Messages

41

General Mach Discussion / Re: Accurate Homing and the Boards that can do that, What is everyone else doing?

« on: December 13, 2016, 02:28:23 PM »

I think you have to have a limit switch anyway (usually mechanical) to tell the control when to be looking for the next index pulse.

42

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: Luddite needs some really basic macro-training (XHC HB04 Pendant)

« on: December 08, 2016, 09:49:34 AM »

Ahh so; your knowledge & wisdom is most helpful & appreciated Master Po:

“I can show you the path but I can not walk it for you.”

43

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: Luddite needs some really basic macro-training (XHC HB04 Pendant)

« on: December 07, 2016, 12:00:55 PM »

Not sure the forum can handle files of this size.

Thanks for looking!

44

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Re: Luddite needs some really basic macro-training (XHC HB04 Pendant)

« on: December 06, 2016, 05:04:46 PM »

I forgot to post a pic of the XHC plugin config screen.  Simple, right?  I'm just too dense to "get" it.  I guess it's some thing to do with the after-effects from my stroke a year go. (That's what I'm using for an excuse these days anyway. )

45

Third party software and hardware support forums. / Luddite needs some really basic macro-training (XHC HB04 Pendant)

« on: December 02, 2016, 02:56:14 PM »

I have one the above mentioned (wired, USB) pendants and I got it working fine.  I'd like to use a few of its available "Macro" buttons to perform simple mouse-click functions in the "stock" Mach Turn screens.

This is a trivial task for most of you experienced computer wizards out there but I'm still in a fog after reading various posts on the subject, the Mach manual and the pendant's instruction manual.  Can someone please post a really simple explanation on how to do this from step one & don't assume that I know anything.   I used to maneuver my way around DOS in the old days & I get by OK in Windows most times but there's some simple concept that keeps zinging right past me.  They say If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.  Just assume I'm a six year old.

46

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool wear backwards when boring on the lathe or is it just me?

« on: November 25, 2016, 04:23:06 PM »

Thanks for the heads up Rich & thanks for not sayin' "RTFM Milton!"

It makes sense but now I hope I can remember it next time.

47

General Mach Discussion / Tool wear backwards when boring on the lathe or is it just me?

« on: November 25, 2016, 02:16:51 PM »

Was making some widgets for a buddy last weekend that had a fairly tight ID tolerance.  I thought I would use the ol' X-axis tool wear trick to start out undersize & sneak up on the final dimension before running through the batch.  It seemed odd that when I put in a negative .002" tool wear, the ID got bigger, not smaller.  It seems backwards to me.  Is that just another quirk of Mach (easy enough to work around) or is my thinking process bass-ackward?

48

General Mach Discussion / Re: third axis for lathe

« on: November 08, 2016, 08:25:09 AM »

...do any of you have children who know everything-
wont take advice  and then when they mess up completely they blame their fathers for everything
from illegitimate children to bankruptcy and drug addiction?)

I feel your pain Fred.  My step-daughter blames her mother (my wife) for everything.  Done NOTHING but take advantage of anybody & everybody that got near her throughout her life.  She drained my wife & I's retirement down to almost nothing trying rehab, counseling & all kinds of support.  She finally  left mountains of debt & legal problems behind  & left our son-in-law holding the bag for everything.  She  left her own son behind & left the state hopefully forever.  The only reason she left is that my wife finally made the personal decision to turn her back on her and quit enabling.  Very painful for my wife but 25 years overdue.  We're now able to focus our efforts on helping to repair our young grandson's shattered life & keep him safe from his mother's warped reality.  Hopefully, some day she might reach bottom & come out the other side a better person.  I don't have much hope for that though.

49

General Mach Discussion / Excel file to calc proper feed IPM from IPR at different diameters - Mach Turn?

« on: October 31, 2016, 02:04:08 PM »

Kinda hard to ask that clearly in one simple sentence.

I had a terrible experience trying to part off 2" H-13 steel this weekend.  My normal method of using G96 & a slow feed resulted in 'orrible howling & work hardening.  I finally calc'd the RPM's at 1/8" increments in diameter, used that speed to calc a new feed in IPM for each diameter and after manually writing the code it worked pretty well.  Theoretically a sound idea but my lathe (in its higher torque belt reduction mode) ran out of speed at about the 1" point but that's another story & a problem I can't fix until I change it over to a supercharged 5 liter Jag spindle motor.

Anyway, has anyone ever set up an Excel S/S to calc the numbers using the  SFM, IPR, RPM & diameter?  I can calc it manually but you computer types should be able to do that in your sleep.

...or someone could announce that they tweaked a few lines of the magic Mach3 code & G95 will now work in concert with G96!

50

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: MIKRON WF3 RETROFIT

« on: September 15, 2016, 09:16:47 AM »

Hmm, very interesting.  I never knew such a device existed!  I'm interested to see how you use it on your machine.