Messages

3121

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Can I safely downgrade Mach4 to an older version without loosing settings?

« on: February 05, 2019, 03:34:10 PM »

Hi,
when you update Mach4, which would include installing an earlier build any files that have the same filename will be overwritten.

Thus if you use the file wx4.set, a screen set folder, that you have modified to do certain specific things. Now when you update
you will get a fresh wx4.set file, overwriting and losing all your edits/tweaks.

The trick to having Mach update WITHOUT losing all your work/settings/macros etc is to have unique and personalized names
for your profile AND YOUR SCREEN SET. Most people don't bother having a personalized screen set and the wonder what happened
to all their screen edits when they update. I know....that's how I found out!

Craig

3122

Mach3 under Vista / Re: Mach3 Ethernet IP setting

« on: February 05, 2019, 03:07:09 AM »

Hi,
I have a very poor opinion of XHC, they sell stuff and don't give a damn if it works or not.

You should ask XHC. If they help you all well and good. If they don't throw the piece of junk away and get yourself
a US or European made controller.

Tell everybody not to waste their money on XHC.

Craig

3123

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 CNC Controller Build and asking for LUA scripting help

« on: February 05, 2019, 01:37:35 AM »

Hi,

2)....no trouble. You can use buttons or you can stagger the enable signals to each axis, I only learned of this feature
a few days ago.

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=39375.msg264520#msg264520

3)....no trouble

4)....no trouble but I would have one Estop, the usual and conventional emergency stop button. You can have other triggers
such as overtemp, overvoltage etc each with their own messages but should still be 'additional' to the absolutely basic and
reliable Estop.

5)....The ESS handles MPGs no trouble. You will have to add a lot of buttons and/or rotary switches to come close to most
pendants. I use a VistaCNC pendant and I couldn't possibly make one that does as good a job for the money. You might like
to check out Daz-the-Gaz's Xbox plugin, I suspect it will give you results that would take you hundreds of hours work just
to match let alone exceed.

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=33121.0

6)....That is ambitious. I have a Allen Bradley servo and drive and I too am absolutely gob-smacked at the flexibility
of the control software. Most of the functions you describe can be programmed into the drive and would be
reflected at a number of the programmable output pins. To have Mach communicate to the drive to reprogram the drive
is very ambitious. I myself just use the Rockwell setup software to program the drive and monitor the outputs I deem
necessary (output current, as I use my servo as a spindle drive).

I have encountered a quote from a novel I am reading at the moment......'Perfect is the mortal enemy of good enough'.
Over the years I have done just exactly that, tried to do something perfectly but declining to make the attempt because it was
beyond my means/skill/whatever and denied myself the chance of having a 'good enough solution'.

May I suggest working on 2), 3), 4) and 5) as eminently achievable and THEN chip away at 6). If you don't get 6) working
properly it still won't stop you from having a kick-anus machine with those servos!

Craig

3124

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Understanding Mach 4 LUA scripting capabilities

« on: February 05, 2019, 01:07:35 AM »

Hi,

Its great to know that LUA is fast, and it seems to be a lot more flexible that VBS/cypress enable was in MACH 3.

The reason I shifted to Mach4 in the first place was to avoid VB/Cypress. Lua, the APIs and Machs modular structure have a distinct
learning curve but the result far, FAR, FAR outshines VB/Cypress.

Craig

3125

General Mach Discussion / Re: Slave axis moving at different speed when homing

« on: February 05, 2019, 12:53:02 AM »

Hi,

I would like to adjust the amount each axis backs up off the switch after activating it.

That is not a Mach feature/function. Some motion controllers offer that, PoKey 57CNC certainly and others I suspect
but can't say definitely.

I do not think this is a thing you can do with a parallel port. You can write a small script which would accomplish the same
thing however.

Craig

3126

General Mach Discussion / Re: Engrave/V-Carve Toolpaths overcutting corners

« on: February 05, 2019, 12:47:04 AM »

Hi,
I don't know if there is a specific answer for your situation but:

lowering the acceleration curves of the motors,

is exactly wrong. The best and most accurate tool path following is achieved with the HIGHEST POSSIBLE
acceleration, not the lowest.

Craig

3127

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Home/reference OB axis

« on: February 04, 2019, 12:17:29 PM »

Hi,

If thats the case, then I have no clue what we are doing wrong, since using the same parameters but assigning it to a Cordinated axis will home the motor.

May I suggest that you try explicitly homing that one axis with an API call:

Code: [Select]

LUA Syntax:
rc = mc.mcAxisHome(
number mInst,
number axisId)

Description:
Used to start an axis homing.


But now, after reading your link I understand that Zero'ing it won't be possible

It is possible but not easy. It was ALWAYS intended that the machine coordinates can be set (or reset) ONLY by homing the
axis.

Craig

3128

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: enable output

« on: February 04, 2019, 02:44:41 AM »

Hi,
you said you put this code in the PLC script. Did you put it in before or after the declaration/initialization of
testcount?

Craig

3129

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: enable output

« on: February 04, 2019, 02:25:34 AM »

Hi,
well the idea is nice but just pasting in code tends to be problematic no matter who wrote it.

The first encounter (in your script) with the variable testcount is this:

local tick_1 = testcount % (Fast_flash_rate * 2)
local Fast_flash = false      
if (tick_1 >= Fast_flash_rate) then
   Fast_flash = true

But testcount has not been declared within your script so Mach treats it a global variable. It looks for it and finds it is
a 'nil'. Consequently any arithmetic performed using testcount as a variable will fail. Hence the error report.

Note that in the PLC script testcount is declared and without the 'local' prefix therefore testcount should be global, or at least
with the PLC scope anyway. The declaration is right at the top of the PLC script.

local inst = mc.mcGetInstance()
local rc = 0;
testcount = testcount + 1

I am somewhat bemused as to why testcount which has been declared AND initialized in the PLC is generating an error
when used within the scope of your script.

Further it looks as if testcount is being used to set a blink rate. Why the extra complication?

Additionally the PLC script is run every few milliseconds. Do you really want the PC to churn through this code
tens or hundreds of times a second?

Craig

3130

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: enable output

« on: February 04, 2019, 01:51:48 AM »

Hi,
OK that is a big mill and yes I can see that you need to be thorough.

When you say 'Mach doesn't like the script' what do you mean?
Does it compile?
Have you put it in a quarantined folder and single stepped through it?

Just pasting a complex script into Mach is not likely to give you a good result and you'll be left with absolutely
no way to diagnose any of it.

Craig