Messages

6011

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: computer requirements for mach 4

« on: November 05, 2017, 12:50:59 PM »

Hi,
Mach4 can be run on very modest computing platforms and they do just as good a job as some whizz bang gaming PC with muscles on its muscles!

I run my mill with a miniITX board with a dual core Atom CPU and on chip graphics similar to:
http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=47#D2550HN
It runs fine but can be very slow to load and draw large Gcode files but has otherwise proven to be very good. I know smurph describes the graphics as 'excerable'
but I have no complaints there either.

If I were buying again I would look for a bit more grunt, not a lot but some. If you have an external controller like an ESS the consider:
http://www.lattepanda.com/ which has Windows10 activated already....great value....or:
https://www.udoo.org/udoo-x86/
The ultra version with a 2.6 GHz Pentium 4 G RAM and 32 G Flash, you could get away without a hard drive is great value but any of them would work.

Craig

6012

General Mach Discussion / Re: A axis will only run one way

« on: November 05, 2017, 12:36:04 PM »

Hi,
as an experiment try checking (unchecking) the Active Low for the Dir pin for that motor. If it then goes in the opposite direction then there is a fault
in your BoB or PP setup, if it doesn't go the other way then there is a fault in the driver.

Craig

6013

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Teach File

« on: November 05, 2017, 02:13:17 AM »

Hi Kenny,
wxWidgets is a bunch of functions that do a lot of things like text boxes, data input boxes, file browse panels and more.....lots more. I personally
have found wxWidgets much harder to understand than Lua or Machs API. I have found while I can code Lua and API calls from scratch I need something
to copy and modify for wxWidgets code.

If you want a file browse box try m401  in Mach4Hobby/LuaExamples/ProbeToFile.

Craig

6014

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th axis continuous movment

« on: November 05, 2017, 01:59:18 AM »

Hi dude1,
even if the main spindle were for the duration arranged for manual control that would leave the Spindle Step/Dir free.

In Mach4 you can have up to six Out-of-Band motors...easy!

Craig

6015

General Mach Discussion / Re: How to rewind the 4th axis?

« on: November 05, 2017, 01:55:37 AM »

Hi,
I'm a bit suspicious of the 4th axis driver.

may I suggest as an experiment in the ESS plugin check (uncheck) active low for the DIR pin. The motor should now spin the opposite direction. If it
doesn't it points to a fault in the input circuit of the driver DIR pin. If it does spin the other way that suggests a fault in either the ESS or the BoB in between.

Craig

6016

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th axis continuous movment

« on: November 05, 2017, 01:47:43 AM »

Hi dude1,
how about disconnecting the regular spindle.  Then set up for a Setp/Dir spindle but hook it to the A axis driver instead. The wherever Mach sees a M3 or
a S2500 it would be acting on the A axis....if you don't tell Mach you're cheating I wont tell either!

Craig

6017

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Missing Parallel Port Driver Files

« on: November 05, 2017, 01:31:25 AM »

Hi,
when I bought Mach4 I also bought a Darwin Licence but never actually got around to using it.

The two files you mentioned are the plugin file  and its signature file and I believe they are obtained when you get a licence. The only files I have left on my
laptop are

DarwinSetup2763.exe

and a licence file. What happened to the m4pw and sig files I don't know.

I think if you have a licence Artsoft will happily supply the required files.

Craig

6018

General Mach Discussion / Re: new setup issues

« on: November 05, 2017, 01:15:41 AM »

Hi,
the latest version is .066 although many consider it buggy and prefer .062. Note that all development on Mach3 ceased a couple of years ago so what it is
is what it will remain. Would recommend either of these versions.

The new kid on the block is Mach4, I've been using it for about a year and its good. It doesn't have all the quirky little features and work-arounds like Mach3
but it doesn't have any, or at least many bugs either.

Look in the Mach3 folder of you hard drive and find a profile something like Mach3Mill.xml. I would like to see a copy of it if I may, it reveals so much about your machine
setup, we could spend all day posting backwards and forwards and not share nearly as much info as an xml file.

Craig

6019

General Mach Discussion / Re: MDI question

« on: November 05, 2017, 01:03:15 AM »

Hi,
those lines are previously executed lines. An <up arrow> and the previous line will popup in the main text box and on <enter> will execute again.
If you want to execute a different line just type it in the main text box as normal and when ready <enter>. It will now occur as history.  AFAIK you can't
delete the history short of something radical like shutting Mach down, but why bother, just type in your next line and carry on. The history is only
provided as a convenience if you have to type a whole bunch of identical or very similar lines.

Craig

6020

Modbus / Re: Who can I call to help me setup this automation direct vfd

« on: November 05, 2017, 12:55:40 AM »

Hi,
let me know how you get on with these things, I think now that you should be able to <Test Modbus> for a affirmative response, hope I'm not being
to overconfident but it doesn't hurt to try right?

Craig