Messages

7411

Mach4 General Discussion / Namespace?

« on: September 12, 2016, 07:32:03 AM »

Hi All,
please forgive my ignorance but have a question...

Reading some software manuals and references and came across...

wxLua functions using 'wx.' namespace.
From the context I guess wxGet...,for example, is a wxLua function but is accessed wx.wxGet....

If my guess is correct the mcGet...., a Mach Core function is accessed using mc. namespace as
mc.mcGet....

If these are true then scr. must be screen namespace. So what are screen functions and is there
any documentation that I might read?
Are there any other 'namespaces' that I might need to be aware of that affect Mach4 customisation?

Craig

7412

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 and windows?

« on: September 12, 2016, 03:12:31 AM »

Hi jaustin,
Mach3 doesn't require a super-duper PC. When my old XP became so cranky (had to
lay it on its side for it to boot!) I bought a miniITX with a dual core Atom. Has one
built in PP and one PCI slot for another. 4Gig RAM and 64GigSSD, recycled power
and monitor and I loaded Windows7 Embbedded 32 bit as OS and never looked back.

I know a lot of people who use old PC's with good success but the above is hardly
expensive, $75-$100 for the miniITX and processor and maybe $150 more for
mem/HD. Perfectly reasonable 'crispy new' alternative to repurposed XP clunker.

Craig

7413

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: wxLua functions

« on: September 11, 2016, 07:19:32 AM »

Hi DTG,
again thanks for your help.

I have already viewed the three links, the wxLua users manual and the
reference manual are pure information overload at the moment.
The Lua 5.3 manual is somewhat more comprehensible but gives a
headache after a couple of hours.

I've downloaded wxFormbuilder and while I'm still floundering I can instantly
see the code which generates the frame/window/control or whatever, very
nifty and informative.

As a student did plenty of programming in Fortran and Basic and more
recently C for a servo drive controller. All of those are procedural languages,
this object oriented stuff has thrown right back to the beginning!

Craig

7414

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: wxLua functions

« on: September 11, 2016, 05:28:48 AM »

Hi DTG,
thanks for your reply.

If I understand correctly plugins are C++ programs that interface with the Mach4 core
whereas Lua scripts are 'within' Mach4.

Looking at API.chm for example:
mcMotionCyclePlannerEx has C++ syntax but no Lua syntax therefore this function
is not available for scripting purposes?

In the little scripts I've written I've used wx.wxMessageBox("......") to signal progress
in Mach4. Simple, crude but effective.
Where I've come unstuck is trying to find equally simple functions to accept data from
a window. It seems I have to write some sort of 'forms' code and have yet to find
some code that I might copy to get an intro into the syntax and structure.

Craig

7415

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: wxLua functions

« on: September 10, 2016, 09:59:32 PM »

Hi All,
another quick question.

In the M4 API .chm there is syntax for C++ and LUA.

Can either or both be used in scripts?

Craig

7416

Mach4 General Discussion / wxLua functions

« on: September 10, 2016, 09:54:08 PM »

Hi All,
just started to write scripts and so on....

Is there a list of available wx functions and syntax?

Craig

7417

General Mach Discussion / Re: MPG PENDANTS

« on: September 09, 2016, 08:23:11 PM »

Hi there,
I bought a P1 from Vistacnc and have been delighted.

I had one issue with it, my fault, I felt sure I'd zapped it. I enquired about sending
it for repair but they sent me the firmware program and talked me thru it and its
been good ever since. If I lived in California or in fact the US I would send them
a box of beer or something. Really impressed.

Craig

7418

General Mach Discussion / Re: Pin Test

« on: September 08, 2016, 02:51:59 AM »

Hi wadenres,
have you run the driver test program? It is not an ironclad test that everything is
working but usually gives pretty good insight.
Also go to your device manager and confirm that the port numbering is correct.
Is there a reason you're using port 2?
On my PC port 1 is built in with what seems to be a widely used standard port address
and usually identical to the default port 1 address in Mach3. It was the first port I used
when starting out and had no issues with getting it to work.

Craig

7419

General Mach Discussion / Re: Pin Test

« on: September 07, 2016, 03:38:59 AM »

Hi wadeanres,
are you using a breakout board?

Directly probing D connectors is a good way of making problems rather than solving
them. Often the smallest of slips and two adjacent pins are shorted together any very
tender TTL circuits wont survive.

The breakout boards I use have an LED for each I/O and make diagnosing faults SO
much easier. Not all BOB's have them but most do. Worth every cent!

Craig

7420

General Mach Discussion / Re: Long programs crashing

« on: September 07, 2016, 03:00:26 AM »

Hi Rachie,
found it,

http://www.magnelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Robot-based-winding-process-for-flexible-coil-production.pdf

Craig