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Messages - joeaverage

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541
General Mach Discussion / Re: Help please
« on: August 23, 2022, 08:42:30 PM »
Hi,
ZAsto0 is 100% right, I am a Mach4 fan.

All development on Mach3 ceased seven-eight years ago, so whatever bugs it has it will always have. Mach4 is still actively developed.

This is a direct quote from Brian Barker:
Quote
Mach3 grew organically , Mach4 was designed.

That quote and many of the diverse improvements of Mach4 over Mach3 are here:

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=42891.msg278176#msg278176

Given that the purchase price of Mach4 is $200 whereas Mach3 is $175, there is not a lot in it...however it is highly likely that your machines motion
control board IS NOT Mach4 capable, and would add the cost of changing to Mach4 considerably, say $190 for an Ethernet SmoothStepper or $120 for a UC100
for example.

Craig

542
General Mach Discussion / Re: Help please
« on: August 22, 2022, 11:17:12 PM »
Hi,
500 lines is the limit of mach3 when in Demo mode....so clearly your installation thinks you are in Demo. Commonly if Mach3 is licensed then the owners name
is on the very top line, and from your description that is the case....so what gives?

May I suggest looking for the license file...its been such a long time since I've used Mach3 (having transitioned to Mach4 eight years ago) but if I'm not mistaken
the license file should be License.dat or similar in the main Mach3 directory.

Craig

543
Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 with ESS and Linear Scales
« on: August 21, 2022, 08:26:52 PM »
Hi,
have a look at Machs Control plugin, the MPGs tab. There you can enable MPGs/Encoders. This will cause Mach to make the appropriate registers for each MPG/encoder enabled.
Then look at the InputSignals tab of the ESS plugin, if you scan down you will find that there is provision to assign A & B inputs for Encoder0, Encoder1 etc.

Note the requires that the A & B inputs be attached to the ESS, usually via a BoB, ie you require six spare inputs. Do you have them?

Craig

544
Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 with ESS and Linear Scales
« on: August 21, 2022, 07:16:36 PM »
Hi,
the ESS can read MPGs and linear scales no trouble. The ESS reports an integer number back to Mach and Mach decodes that number to display a position in
a register which can in turn be displayed in a DRO.

To do as you wish you would de-power or disable the steppers so they were not locked and then use manual wheels. There will be a delay between the linear scale
and the DRO, approximately the cycle time of the ESS, which is by default 40Hz, or a worse case delay of about 25ms. I doubt you would notice it.

A number of people have tried using Mach to drive the machine, but rather than the DROs displaying where Mach 'thinks' the machine they use linear scales
to drive the DROs. The delay in that circumstance is noticable and objectionable. The only time when the DROs are accurate is when the machine is stopped
and the linear scale/ESS/BoB/Mach delay catches up. The general feeling is that its not the right way to go.

The delay would however totally screw any attempt to use it to drive a closed loop, for which the delays would have to be a few microseconds max.

To do this you would need at least six spare inputs on the BoB/ESS combination, 2 inputs (A & B) per axis. Do you have spare inputs, or are you prepared to buy another
BoB to do so?

Craig

545
Mach4 General Discussion / Re: lua in Mach 4
« on: August 18, 2022, 04:55:51 PM »
Hi,
every API is a function, and every function has at least one result, the return code, and maybe other results of the function.

There is a list of return codes here:

https://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=40051.0

The software test you are applying asks 'Is there an error in the function', if so stop the macro otherwise continue. That is a pretty crude test, there are many reasons that
a function can fail, one of the more common is:

-18     MERROR_NOT_NOW 

This means that for whatever reason Mach cannot execute the macro, and that in turn usually results because the screenscript is not executing at that particular moment. If you were to wait,
maybe a few milliseconds and try again then the function would proceed.

There are a few circumstances this error is common. They are characterised by control of the machine as it passes from the main Gcode interpreter to the screenscript,
and an m6 is a prime example. So in this circumstance it may be necessary to use another software test, and even devise a strategy for repeating the API call if it fails.
You may be concerned that ' this seems really bulky and inefficient.', and this further testing makes it worse....but you potentially can save the macro from faulting.

A great deal of effort and expertise in software development is less about 'normal and correct' operation but what happens in a fault condition? Having software to trap an error and ideally
correct it automatically, is the holy grail. You'd certainly hope nuclear launch facilities have robust error trapping routines for example, LOL.

Quote
Please keep in mind I do not want to become an expert lua programmer I just want a single usable piece of code to run my tool changer.

You may not want to become an expert and I imagine you'll get your wish, but you will have to be proficient, and that's nearly as tough.
The alternative is to pay NFS to write it for you,and they will...but at a cost. The expectation that you can write code to enact a tool changer and that it be
as easy as falling off a log is unrealistic.

Craig

546
General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Estop triggered when spindle stops
« on: August 17, 2022, 07:22:27 PM »
Hi,

Quote
Would reinstalling mach3 help? or even reinstalling windows?

By all means try but I think it will make no difference at all. If the system Estops every time the VFD starts or stops then its an electrical noise issue.

Craig

547
Hi,

Quote
Thank you for the response. Looks like this is a very complex process which ultimately seems to cause more problems than it solves. I'll shelve this in favor of the more practical, and simpler, physical switches.

Yes, that was my concern that its so complex.

Most motion controllers can read incremental encoders, the familiar A+,A-,B+,B-, but not absolute encoders. The first thing you would have to do is use a microcontroller like an Arduino to read
the encoder. I am assuming the your linear encoders go into some sort of processing/display unit? If they do, it may be that the unit itself processes the absolute encoder inputs and maybe provides
an output on Zero? If that were the case you could use that output to be the equivalent of a home switch, and thereafter you could use standard procedures of Mach/motion controller to
home your machine. It would be an elegant solution, but requires a processing unit to generate a Zero pulse. Does it do so?

Craig

548
General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 and Controlling a CNC via USB
« on: August 15, 2022, 11:14:28 PM »
Hi,
if you are new to hobby CNC then I'd recommend Mach4 rather than Mach3. Mach3 certainly works and tens of thousands still use it but all development ceased seven plus years ago.

I suspect the machine you have linked to, and it looks like a pretty fair machine for the price, will work with Mach3 rather than Mach4. Not a deal breaker but Chinese electronics tend
to be pretty shoddy and have not kept up with Mach.

In the early days of Mach the pulse streams to the motors came from the PCs parallel port. Such a machine HAD to be 32 bit, and Windows 7 or XP.

Since that time we now use external motion control boards connected to a the PC by USB or better Ethernet. A PC used is this manner can be basically anything, 32 OR 64 bit, a laptop
OR a desktop, up to Windows 11. When using an external motion controller the PC does not need to be powerful, one of the kids cast-off PCs will be fine.

I have very little regard for Chinese motion controllers and I think it reasonable for you to consider that when you purchase your machine that you will in the short to medium term
upgrade to a US or European motion controller like an Ethernet SmoothStepper or a UC300. I personally have an Ethernet SmoothStepper and have used it extensively for eight years,
best $180 I've ever spent. It has a Mach4 plugin and a Mach3 plugin so you can use either, Mach4 preferred.

Per my previous post LinuxCNC is another very worthy choice, but are you up to play with Linux? If your more comfortable with Windows then Mach is entirely reasonable as are UCCNC or Planet CNC.


Craig

549
General Mach Discussion / Re: Can you Explain NC Code?
« on: August 15, 2022, 06:57:23 PM »
Hi,

Quote
Thanks but I have no interest in a new learning curve and although it may be much better/easier than MC still will need time to learn even the basics.

If you have MasterCAM then stick with it. Its hard to learn and will take ages to get the best from it but along with HSMWorks its the best CAM program out there....fullstop.
Any and all effort to get familiar with MasterCAM will be very amply rewarded.

Craig

550
General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach 3 and Controlling a CNC via USB
« on: August 15, 2022, 03:38:09 PM »
Hi,
all Windows PC CNC software solutions including Mach3, UCCNC, PlanetCNC are 'buffered control' solutions, that is to say the the numeric trajectory data
from the CNC software goes into a motion buffer before being executed by the motion controller. The motion buffer will typically be 100ms or longer.

LinuxCNC however is realtime, that is to say the the numeric trajectory data is executed as it is generated.

Thus the LinuxCNC brigade are correct that all Windows solutions do have latency, and in certain situations that is important, however mostly you can't even tell
that there is a motion buffer and you can make perfectly excellent parts just as fast and accurately as LinuxCNC.

If you are trying to decide between LinuxCNC or Mach then the 'latency issue' is somewhat of a red herring. The real and distinct advantage that LinuxCNC
has comes ONLY if you intend using the PC to close a motion feedback loop where its being realtime is REQUIRED. Most hobbyists never ever come
close to that requirement.

Craig

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