Topics

41

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / V2.81

« on: December 04, 2008, 10:26:48 AM »

I have fixed the Cut rectangle problems, including the preview code. This time I ran tests of each case and actually measured all the rectangles. I really think I have it right this time.

I also fixed the circular pocket routine- it was doing the wrong directions- if you requested CW it actually went CCW

Let me know of any errors.

Edited Dec 9 to remove V2.81. See new topic for V2.82

42

General Mach Discussion / Mach3 Install and setup document

« on: November 10, 2008, 05:47:37 PM »

A new document for Installing and setup of MAch3 is now on-line See http://www.artsoftcontrols.com/docs/Mach3Mill_Install_Config.pdf

This is a doc that needs to be read and followed step by step. I covers everything a beginner needs to get a mill running.

We hope to have paper copies for sale at the Cabin Fever workshop and on-line.

43

General Mach Discussion / Mach Workshop at Cabin Fever Expo

« on: September 27, 2008, 11:29:19 AM »

ArtSoft USA is sponsoring a 3 day Mach workshop at the Cabin Fever Expo. This is a chance to get in depth technical information about Mach, meet Brian, Scott and other Mach users, and enjoy one of the best model engineering shows in the US.

The event is January 16, 17, 18, 2009 at York PA.  Everyone registered for the seminar is also registered for the expo. You can visit the several hundred exhibitors, or the nearly 200 vendors of tools, machinery, books, kits, plans, etc.

On Friday a major auction will be running with hundreds of items, including machines, tools, all kinds of shop equipment and  models. The seminar schedule has several breaks included so you can take advantage of both the expo and the seminar.

For details about Cabin Fever and the auction see http://cabinfeverexpo.com/

Seminars will start Friday at 9:00AM. the tentative agenda is as follows:

Friday
1) Mechanical Considerations. Stepper, servos, ballscrews, belts, pullies, etc
2) Electronics, BOBs, SS, Geckos, Power supplies, general wiring hints
3) Installing Mach and basic config, ports and pins, motor tuning, basic test and debug
4) General config, choosing the right answers.

Saturday
5) Basic Mach operation, loading programs, running, operator control, CV
6) Wizard Operation
7) Operator interfaces- Shuttle Pro, Xkeys, Ipac, PoKeys, MPGs, pendants, etc.
Customizing screens and macros.

Sunday
9) Other I/O options, modbus, PLCs, Brains, tool changers.
10) Plug-ins, using and writing.
11) Wrap up, feedback, next steps.

On Friday night there will be a social event at a nearby hotel, details to be arranged, but we are calling it 'pizza and beer time'

There will be a demo area for CNC machines, we will have at least a mini-mill with a tool changer, a lathe with a tool changer and a router. Other demos are welcome if any users want to bring along machines.

The Mach Workshop will require pre-registration and will be limited to 75 people. It will cost $50, including both the seminar and the Expo.  You can find the registration form at http://www.machsupport.com/cabinfever.php (Note: Please enter the City/State where you are from in the Comments field during checkout (for badges).  If paying for multiple people, please list the individual names and their City/State in the Comments field also).

Mark your calendar now and watch this topic for more details as they are developed.

44

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / V2.79

« on: August 25, 2008, 11:00:34 PM »

Version 2.79 is ready for test. The main change in this version is to handle the metric tool units correctly. Old versions were doing a double conversion of metric values to english resulting in bad values for Feed rate.

I have also displayed the units LEDs on every page. You select a unit in the first screen when you select material. From then on all units are assumed to be in the chosen system.

But when you select a tool you may indicate the tool is in the other units. When you calculate chip load and feed rate they will be shown in the selected units, but when you click Continue to move to the next screen the tool values will be converted to the native units. A message Box pops up to tell you it made a conversion. I may eliminate that box if its to annoying.

Consider this a test version for a while.

Download the zip file and unpack it into Mach3/Addons/Newfangled

have fun, let me know if there are errors.

45

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / V2.78

« on: April 15, 2008, 10:36:54 AM »

I have made a couple corrections so here is a new version. the fixes are:

1)Cut rectangle was not doing the rotate angle correctly.

2) On the main screen the buttons to list or delete an operation were fixed to the C:\Mach3 path. This now reads the base path so should work installs that use a different folder. I don't have a good way to test this one, so Id like feedback on how it works.

3) The preview screen now has a gcode window as well as the toolpath. I had added this to an earlier version, but somehow it got deleted later.

Let me know if there are any problems with this version. Brian will be adding it tothe install kit later.

ron ginger

46

Screen designer tips and tutorials / G code window

« on: February 20, 2008, 06:14:23 PM »

What determines the properties of the g code window? I just did a new lathe screen and the code window has some very strange colors- like a deep blue background. There are no choices to set when you create the screen, and the only color choices in the config menu seem to be for the tool path window.

47

Works in progress / Screen with soft keys?

« on: February 14, 2008, 09:45:40 PM »

Has anyone tried to do a screen with soft keys- Im thinking of mounting a flat screen in a cab with a row of physical buttons along one or more edges. The screens would have buttons placed right along these edges.

In particular, Id like to put some DROs along the edges, so a softkey could be set up as a hot key to activate the button.

What IM trying to get to is a mouseless display, but not a touch screen.

48

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / V 2.77 ready for test

« on: February 13, 2008, 01:22:50 PM »

I have fixed some of the problems reported so here is a new version. The fixes are:

Changes to the surface wizard. This was actually done a while ago, but somehow fell out of the V2.76 code. I hope its back to stay :-)

The circle cut wizard had some problems with the lead-in cut for tool comp. It was correct in the Preview display but wrong on the Post code. The tool comp radius was being calculated as toolR*1.15, it should have been toolR*1.5

The thread screen had a couple bugs, a redundant start move.

I found some junk in the Bitmaps folder so the zip file is now 300kb smaller.

Download the zip file and unzip it into the Addons folder.

April 15, 2008- I removed the file, a V2.78 is now loaded to a new topic

49

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Worlds oldest CNC lathe?

« on: February 05, 2008, 07:32:55 PM »

As best we can tell this lathe was built in Maine about 1892. We use it at the Boothbay Railway Village shop to turn railroad wheels. We recently did a 're-tread' job on 2 wheel sets for the Conway Senic RR.

The wheels are held between centers- remember these things are 34-36" diameter, 4ft 8 1/2" between flanges, over 5 1/3 ft long. weigh over a ton.

The wheel profile is a complicated set of tapers and fillets, so I set up 2 old cross slide on top of each other and powered them with 900 oz-in steppers. I did a Mach wizard to do the tread profile.

The two guys operating it have never see a CNC machine before, in fact, they are both stuck somewhere back about 1890 in their interests. Note the intense concentration on the screen while running it with the Shuttle Pro.

In the background is a boiler we are building, the first locomotive boiler built in Maine since 1905.

50

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / V2.76

« on: January 15, 2008, 08:55:56 PM »

I have made some fixes and posted a new version, now 2.76

The tool selection screen has been fixed to properly handle metric tools. I has apparently been wrong since the beginning, I guess not a lot of guys use metric tools ;-) Odd bug, it was supposed to test LED 1020 to see if it was metric, but it was looking instead at DRO1020, which happened to be a value on another screen.

I also fixed the tool table dialog box to display the tool description field. Art added a VB call for that some time ago, I just got around to fixing it.

I also made major changes to the thread milling screen. I believe it is now safe from all tool crashes, but check your code before you crash an expensive tool!

The one remaining problem I am aware of is that the circle wizard does a radius in move when you ask for a groove. That screen has some very ugly VB code and Im not quite ready to hack it apart yet. I will get there.


Feb 13, removed the zip file, see new topic for new version