Messages

2601

Mach4 Toolbox / Enums,Pound Variables,Return Codes,Machine States

« on: April 17, 2019, 05:41:44 PM »

Hi All,
over a period of time I have a few documents that have lists of various Enums, pound variables, return codes,
machine states and the likes. In some cases I have written or compiled them myself but others I have edited poppabear's
lists (posted on this board). I thought I would bring them altogether.

May I suggest that if you find any of them useful download it to Mach4Hobby/Docs and then you will have access during
a Mach session via the <Help Docs> screen button.

If you have any additions or corrections please post.

Craig

2602

FAQs / Re: Mach4 to C/C++ transport

« on: April 17, 2019, 04:27:30 PM »

Hi,
as promised links to poppabear's posts:

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=27396.msg193456#msg193456

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=30323.msg210742#msg210742

poppabear has quite a few posts in the Mach4ToolBox daughter board. poppabear was very active in the early Mach4
days but has been absent from the forum since. Some of the posts are pretty dated....but any info is
appreciated...thanks Scott.

Craig

2603

FAQs / Re: Mach4 to C/C++ transport

« on: April 17, 2019, 04:18:29 PM »

Hi,
this post should probably be in the Mach4 General Discussion board, it will get more replies.

Firstly scripting in Mach4 is done in Lua. The ZeroBrane editor and Lua compiler are built in whereas there is no C/C++
editor or compiler. Any C/C++ code has to be written and compiled externally to Mach4.
Plugins are written in C/C++ but all scripts are in Lua.

The API.chm gives both C/C++ syntax and Lua syntax because by and large the API is used in scripts
and plugins.

I have attached a couple of useful text files.  One is the Mach4 return code number to Enum. The other is
the Mach4 state number to Enum. These two files are so useful I put them into Mach4Hobby/Docs folder
which will mean that they are available from the <Help Docs> button of the File Ops tab in Machs screen.

I will shortly post a link to poppabear's (Scott's) posts which have various Enums and pound variable lists. They have proven
so useful I have put them in the Docs folder also.

Craig

2604

General Mach Discussion / Re: StepCraft inlcuding a WinPC-NC USB-Module

« on: April 17, 2019, 03:24:52 AM »

Hi,

Is it a good idea if I buy the 13€ Parallel Module (LPT1) and a PCI express DB25 parallel card and LPT cable? would it then work?

Yes, cheap and cheerful. Once upon a time ALL Mach3 was run that way.

Be sure you have 32 bit Windows 7 or XP, the parallel port WILL NOT work on 64 bit, laptops or Windows8 or later.
Best idea is do a fresh OS install and only have enough software just to run Mach and no more. No internet. No anti-virus.
No updates. No nothing....Mach and Mach alone.

Craig

2605

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Missing Documentation of mcCntlGetPoundVar magic numbers...

« on: April 17, 2019, 01:50:30 AM »

Hi,
you can only issue on g31.x at a time. Therefore if you probed your surface plate with a g31.2, the data from the
probe event could be stored before probing with a g31.1 for instance. That data would then be stored also but distinctly
from the previous g31.2.

Craig

2606

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 input signals to use USB Motion card controller for stepper motors

« on: April 16, 2019, 11:36:46 PM »

Hi,

I will buy an XHC 6-axis pendant WHEN they have one that supports MACH4 NOT now.

Then you might be waiting a long time, the latest missive from one of the guys who wrote a plugin for one model of
XHC pendant that XHC is not interested in Mach4 plugins.

This comes from your previous post:

It is wrong to blame over $1billion people

Where among any of my posts have I blamed the entire Chinese race? I have not. I do lambast those people, however
many there are and of whatever nationality, of XHC because they are selling rubbish and refuse to put right their
customers complaints.

Anyone who tries to pull that stunt will be lambasted by me, be they white, red, black, brown or green!

Craig

2607

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 input signals to use USB Motion card controller for stepper motors

« on: April 16, 2019, 11:14:46 PM »

Hi reuelt,
defend XHC as you please.....the proof of the pudding is in the eating and multiple users have found XHC distasteful.
If you are so keen why don't you buy one?

Craig

2608

General Mach Discussion / Re: StepCraft inlcuding a WinPC-NC USB-Module

« on: April 16, 2019, 10:13:29 PM »

Hi,
just as a matter of interest that if you are going to consider a UC100 then don't get a Chinese knock-off, they
abound on EBay and Amazon. Buy direct from CNCDrive or their nominated distributor.

Craig

2609

General Mach Discussion / Re: StepCraft inlcuding a WinPC-NC USB-Module

« on: April 16, 2019, 09:58:25 PM »

Hi,
well you have some options. It rather looks like your machine has a parallel input port but wired as  IDC rather
than DB25.

If you have a 32 bit Windows7 PC (or earlier) then you could use Machs parallel port all for the cost of
an adapter cable between the DB25 of the PC to the IDC socket of your machine, the parallel port driver software
being free.

With the same adapter you could connect a UC100 to your machine and the UC100 is USB connected to your PC.
That brings with it the advantages of an external controller, ie you can use a laptop or a desktop, 32 or 64 bit and
any Windows OS including Windows10.

If you wanted more IO for later use the you could use a multi port controller like the UC400, UC300 or a SmoothStepper.

Note the three UC***  models all being from CNCDrive, you could choose to use CNCDrives software UCCNC.

The UC100, UC300 and the Ethernet SmoothStepper and probably the UC400 (needs research) all have Mach4 plugins
so you could optionally use Mach4.

Lots of choices.

Craig

2610

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 input signals to use USB Motion card controller for stepper motors

« on: April 16, 2019, 08:08:04 PM »

Hi,
getvar() and setvar() are native functions in Cypress Enable which is in turn a subset of Visual Basic, the
scripting language of Mach3.

Why it is that XHC has chosen not to have their controller support the standard Mach3 scripts is a mystery. Indeed
many of the Chinese manufacturers produce boards that do not support Mach3 scripts. You may have noted that they tend
to modify Mach3 to work with their board and then sell it as a pirate copy.

Now XHC have released a board and a plugin claimed suitable for Mach4. However the plugin is that buggy that most users
have ditched the board.

NFS have offered technical assistance to XHC to improve their plugin. It is in NFS's interest to see as many manufacturers
make and support Mach4 products and yet XHC have not taken advantage of it.

If you have a project to write a plugin for a piece of hardware and need technical assistance about the inner workings
of Mach4 then you can ask NFS. If they are agreeable, then you sign a Non Disclosure Agreement, ie agree not to cheat
NFS out of their software, and thereafter you have access to the information required.

There are at least two hobbyists who have done just exactly that. They have written plugins for two models of XHC pendants
for which XHC has declined to provide a Mach4 plugin. Those plugins are freely given to the Mach4 user community.
Interestingly and no doubt disappointingly to the two individuals concerned with little or no support from XHC.

It is clear then that NFS will happily support an individual or company to produce Mach4 compatible hardware and
plugins which makes XHC's refusal to take up that assistance all the more perplexing.

The upshot is however that at this time XHC boards are unsuitable for Mach4 and anyone who buys one for Mach4 is
going to be mightily disappointed.

Craig