Messages

4411

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Where to find documentation to develop scripts?

« on: June 01, 2018, 04:11:53 AM »

Hi,
your comment has been made before by many, and by myself as well.

While  Mach4's documentation lags considerably NFS has not been idle. Examples are the Probing Module, the PMC module, and most recently the Zero Brane editor.
If NFS were to devote the time and energy to documenting what they have all three of these advances would not have happened.

This is my interpretation of the observation 'NFS is very much committed to developing Mach as completely and quickly as possible at the expense of documenting
it all because it needs all these features to be considered a genuine CNC software solution for OEM builders'.

The potential for frustration re lack of documentation is high but I sure do love all the new 'goodies', so much so that I prefer the 'goodies' to boring old 'docs'  anyway.

Craig

4412

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: ESS + Mach4 + Clearpath = Motor error input goes where?

« on: June 01, 2018, 03:20:09 AM »

Hi,
the ESS does not have dedicated inputs for motor faults.

I would suggest you hook each motor fault line to one of the available general purpose inputs INPUT1 through INPUT64. Thereafter Mach can read each signal
with a suitable entry in the signal library table and Estop or CycleStop as you see fit.

Craig

4413

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Where to find documentation to develop scripts?

« on: June 01, 2018, 03:13:19 AM »

Hi,
there is no list but rather snippets here and there. It is one of the serious frustrations about Mach4 is that there is no major repository
for documentation.

Personally I find the wx.Widget functions the most confusing, and they actually have superb documentation, its just so much that I overload so quickly.

When I am coding this link is permanently open:

https://www.lua.org/manual/5.2/

Another good source is the Lua  Examples folder that ships with Mach. You can take snippets from here and snippets from there to do many things.

The true source is this forum, there is always some one to help and chip in.

Craig

4414

General Mach Discussion / Re: ABC's of YOOCNC 6040Z Setup

« on: May 31, 2018, 11:57:58 PM »

Hi,
the numbers that you have listed suggests to me that your native units are mm. Would you please confirm that
Machs native units agree.

Craig

4415

General Mach Discussion / Re: ABC's of YOOCNC 6040Z Setup

« on: May 31, 2018, 11:23:49 PM »

Hi,
when you installed the UC100 did you have to install the communication software that accompanies it?

Craig

4416

General Mach Discussion / Re: ABC's of YOOCNC 6040Z Setup

« on: May 31, 2018, 10:27:08 PM »

Hi,

I thought the way the Z worked is that from it's lowest point and going to it's highest would all be + and page down would be -.

Its common that the machine coordinate of the uppermost Z position is zero. All operations on Z are conducted
at negative Z MACHINE co-ordinates. That is effectively the same as what you have proposed. Its just that at its
lowest it starts a  high negative number and becomes increasingly less negative as it moves upwards.

The DROs however are usually displaying WORK coordinates. Usually you would 'zero' Z at the surface of the material.
Thereafter any positive Z coordinate (remember work coordinate) is above the material and any negative (again
work coordinate) is cutting into the material and you need to concentrate.

Would setting up soft limits have any affect on my situation?

Without home switches to reference your machine soft limits are worse than useless, they will fault out all the time
and confuse you. I highly recommend you fit home switches. It was the best and possibly cheapest addition to my mill.

Craig

4417

General Mach Discussion / Re: ABC's of YOOCNC 6040Z Setup

« on: May 31, 2018, 08:47:35 PM »

Hi,
depending on where the 'zero' is that may not be a problem.

If currently the Z axis is 25mm lower than the current Z zero it will show in the Z DRO as -25.
As you jog upwards the Z DRO wil become increasingly more positve through -20, -15, -10, -5,
eventually 0 and then 5, 10 etc.

Soft limits only work when your machine is referenced, also called homed. That requires home switches.

Craig

4418

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: Coil winding machine ( Wizard needed)

« on: May 31, 2018, 05:11:56 PM »

Hi,
you may have noted that some of the latest updates from Microsoft, particularly Windows 10,
have interfered with Mach3. I wonder if that is what is happening to you.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,37291.0.html

Craig

4419

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: Coil winding machine ( Wizard needed)

« on: May 31, 2018, 04:54:53 PM »

Hi,
did you attempt to run one of the standard screen sets and standard mill profile as  I suggested?.

That coil winding screen is as old as the hills and was never completed. I'm not sure how much
use you'd get from it.

I use Mach4 and wrote my own coil winding script.

You might try to download Mach4 just to see whether it will install and run on your PC.

Craig

4420

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Re: Coil winding machine ( Wizard needed)

« on: May 31, 2018, 03:01:26 PM »

Hi.
so what actually happens?

Does Mach3 attempt to load and run?

I'm begining to think you may have a corrupt copy of Mach. May I suggest delete the C:\Mach3 folder and download a fresh copy.
This time when you are asked to select a profile at start up select the standard mill profile. Start from there.

Craig