Messages

21

General Mach Discussion / Help Setting Up a Laser Cross-hair in Mach3 Using 2010 Screenset

« on: October 14, 2013, 10:34:10 AM »

I apologize if this has been asked and answered but searching did't turn up what I was looking for.

I just physically hooked up a laser cross hair to my machine and it is connected to the output port 32 on my controller.

Using ger21's 2010 screenset there is a button for using the cross-hair but I'm still new enough at this I have no clue which output  this button is trying to use.

When i looked in the ports and pins setup I obviously have many choices to map the pin to under outputs but want to make sure I choose the one I need the button to power.

Actually now that I'm thinking it through as I type I'm guessing the cross-hair button only tells Mach3 to reset the DRO's to the coordinates of where the laser cross-hair is pointed so I need to figure out how to map turning it on and off to a key but I've no clue.

It is currently mapped to Output5 .

Thanks in advance and thank you so much for all the help you guys give on this forum.

Chris

22

General Mach Discussion / Re: Uninstalled and reinstalled Mach3 now Emergency Mode Active will not reset!!!!!!

« on: October 12, 2013, 02:47:26 AM »

I cannot say enough good things about Sergey at KSILabs.com he patiently helped me work through everything and then asked "are you sure your CENTIPEDE controller is getting power? Nothing is making sense." and somehow the fuse for the controller board had blown in between uninstalling Mach3 and reinstalling it.

His hardware isn't cheap but the level of support he gives is absolutely the best.

23

General Mach Discussion / Uninstalled and reinstalled Mach3 now Emergency Mode Active will not reset!!!!!!

« on: October 12, 2013, 12:29:52 AM »

Nothing has changed in my hardware setup. I was having weird glitches in macros so uninstalled Mach3 .066 (deleted folders and even cleaned the registry to be safe) and reinstalled. I re-did my entire configuration from scratch from screenshots I took of all menus so no corrupt xml file to mess me up.

When I turn Mach3 off my machine does the "clunk" so I know it is getting power from the controller card.

Sergey at KSILabs has been trying to help me work through it and nothing he's suggested has worked.

Hardware was working just fine before and I swear I didn't touch it.

Have switched inputs from active low to not just in case and no joy.

I've even uninstalled and re-installed drivers and the PCI card.

Sergey even suggested going back to .062, which is what I started with when I first got my CENTIPEDE controller and it just worked then.

I'm at my wits end. Does anyone have a suggestion? I'm attaching my newly created xml file.

24

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need some gcode help again. Using Ger's Screenset (but that isn't the issue)

« on: October 10, 2013, 11:37:51 AM »

R3.043.066

25

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need some gcode help again. Using Ger's Screenset (but that isn't the issue)

« on: October 10, 2013, 11:05:29 AM »

Thanks ger . Since it seems to be the macros would uninstalling just the screen set help or is the full uninstall still what should happen?

Thanks BR549. Hope that isn't it. It's been running great for months until yesterday when it started doing this.

26

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need some gcode help again. Using Ger's Screenset (but that isn't the issue)

« on: October 09, 2013, 09:23:12 PM »

It's definitely strange. I removed the tool change from the gcode and it actually all worked ok. Maybe something is messing with the macro

27

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need some gcode help again. Using Ger's Screenset (but that isn't the issue)

« on: October 09, 2013, 09:03:42 PM »

Material offset is definitely not checked and reads all zeros. I did disable watchdog after reading a little. I'll ask Sergey; he's been a huge help through my initial setup. Before bugging him though I think I'll try uninstalling and re-installing Mach3.

Anything out of the ordinary I should be saving in order to keep my screenset stuff saved?

28

General Mach Discussion / Re: Need some gcode help again. Using Ger's Screenset (but that isn't the issue)

« on: October 09, 2013, 08:52:23 PM »

Nope not parallel port. I have the Centipede system for my connection http://www.ksilabs.com/index.php?cPath=21&osCsid=0vospi1ggpb243c2ju9stqho32 so a PCI board with very expensive many pin cable connecting them.

Ok, a little more to add to the puzzle. I hadn't stopped it during any macros that I know of but I did reboot my computer and the next time things started to run correctly except after it went to the fixed tool change plate and touched off twice it reset Z0 about 1" higher than it was supposed to be zeroed to. Tried it several time with the same results.

Another strange thing that started happening is I got the Watchdog Driver alarm last time before re-booting. I've got a screaming fast PC, lots of memory.

Guess I might need to uninstall as you suggested.

29

General Mach Discussion / Need some gcode help again. Using Ger's Screenset (but that isn't the issue)

« on: October 09, 2013, 07:18:19 PM »

I found the mastercam post processor and overall things are working much better with code MasterCAM puts out but on some files it will start to do my tool change, it will go to the correct X,Y position for the tool change, then I hit cycle start, it will go to the correct X,Y position for the fixed tool check plate and start to descend but a second later will stop descending with t ding sounding from Mach3 and sit there showing Probing for Z Zero... but nothing happens until I hit either stop, at which point it will flash "Error on line 147 - Application defined or object defined (and then I can't see the rest of the error)" or if I hit Cycle start again it will start descending but will try and push through to the center of the earth.

It will do this with some of the cut files I create but not others but they are all created using the same settings in the post processor file; at least I think so.

Any ideas?

30

General Mach Discussion / Re: edge finding/2.5D probing

« on: October 04, 2013, 07:48:55 PM »

Would love to find out how things are going on this. Could really use it for a couple of projects.