Messages

31

General Mach Discussion / Re: MachTurn problems and questions

« on: September 22, 2009, 07:49:54 PM »

Thanks for the suggestions.  It looks like I have good company being dissatisfied with the screens.

I have not edited a screen for a very long item.  What is the current recommended screen editor?
TIA
Bertho

32

General Mach Discussion / MachTurn problems and questions

« on: September 22, 2009, 03:16:44 AM »

After using Mach3 Mill and switching to MachTurn, I am still very much in a learner stage; I have a few comments and questions. I realize the program is work in progress.

1: Is there a problem list so I do not have to carefully document known problems?

2: I miss the tabs or screen selection style of Mach Mill; I can instantly jump to the screen I want. Here I often have to take a detour to the front screen.

3: Why no jogging option in Diagnostic? It is useful if testing limit switches.

4: There is an Edit, Cycle start and Rewind button in the diagnostic page.
Why run a program from there?

5: The Single step button works but there is no LED indicator so I do not know what mode it is in.

6: On "Auto page", the "cycle start" is not a cycle start button, it goes to another screen. I was "scared" to push it since the G-code program was not shown in the "Auto page" screen.

7: There is no indication in the upper left Axis display if it is machine, program, or part coordinates

8: "Set Home" moves at selected homing speed so that is good. "Home" returns to the home positions extremely slowly, maybe just 1% of max. How can I change it?  This also magically started to work.  See #10 below.

9: I get an error message "Simulating feeds, no spindle feedback" I have a spindle sensor and it correctly displays the RPM

10: Ref/Home LEDs never change, even though I have switches and homing works.  Actually this started to work.  The following day after restarting the program it looks OK.  Maybe it wakes up and works after the program has been restarted if the home functions have been changed

11: What is the "Feedback" LED on the "Auto" - "Run" screen?

12: I select metric mode but the "Run" screen still displays feed in Inches/minute

13: I select Diameter mode, it displays “Diameter” but the DROs are in radius mode

Bertho

33

General Mach Discussion / Re: Digitizing

« on: June 30, 2009, 04:48:26 AM »

I am sorry but I cannot remember having any "2 points per probe" problem when I tested the probe and scanned the quarter.
Bertho

34

General Mach Discussion / Laser fixed pulses per distance (power proportional to feedrate)

« on: June 10, 2009, 10:31:02 PM »

To get uniform cutting depth the laser power needs to be proportional to the actual feed rate which will vary as the laser head accelerate and slows down. This is commonly done by pulsing the laser on for fixed power burst every time it moves a fixed distance. For example it can fire every 0.1mm (4mils). So by first setting the power level by the duty cycle modulating the laser by for example 25% duty cycle and then pulsing it every time it moves the fixed distance the cutting power will be uniform.

After that long introduction comes the question: Can the Mach-3 software do the proportional pulse control? If not what suggestions do you have? I can always build a little embedded controller looking at the X-Y movement and calculate pulses based on that but I really do not want to spend the time doing that.
I have to hook up my CO2 laser to my Mach3 controller instead of the mill this weekend.  Any god references or reading material?
TIA for any suggestions.
Bertho

35

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Understanding the Wizard structure.

« on: September 07, 2008, 05:39:05 AM »

Thanks Nick,
That was the obvious step that I was missing.  I tried too hard and looked at the generated code not using the script editor.
Bertho

36

VB and the development of wizards / Re: Understanding the Wizard structure.

« on: September 05, 2008, 10:07:57 PM »

Thanks Ron for taking the time.
I am trying to learn and understand from an example so I opened Digitze.set in a regular text editor.  I see the top section with a mixture of text and binary, the center section with the actual code generating the G-codes and at the end there is another mixed section.

I am obviously missing the big picture and I will look at the Screen4 program you mention.

The “Customize Mach-2” manual discusses the digitizer as an example but it only shows the center section and nothing about the whole procedure.
Have a great weekend,
Bertho

37

VB and the development of wizards / Understanding the Wizard structure.

« on: September 04, 2008, 03:40:52 AM »

I have been studying the Digitize Wizard to learn how to write my own.  I understand the code section but I am missing some obvious steps:  There are sections of binary code in the beginning and at the end.  Where do they come from and how are the sections linked.  There got to be some obvious help and information available.  Where should I go looking to learn more?  TIA
Bertho

38

VB and the development of wizards / RS232 instrument I-O

« on: September 04, 2008, 03:32:47 AM »

I am working on a touch-less digitizer and at each X-Y location I need to send a command to the instrument to take a reading.  The instrument will then respond by nnnnn.
I found the command to send a string in the "Customize Mach-2" manual but nothing about receiving RS-232.  I also saw an old post since 2006 that said that it is not available.
How can I read the data coming back in Mach-3?  TIA
Bertho

39

General Mach Discussion / Re: Digitizing

« on: August 27, 2008, 07:05:15 PM »

Here is an update on my scanning adventure:
After hunting high and low for software to check out my probe with, I finally found several free and extremely low cost solutions and I have updated the info with samples on the website. See:
http://www.vinland.com/Touch-Probe.html
Bertho

40

Video P*r*o*b*i*n*g / Re: MachCloud point viewer program

« on: August 25, 2008, 11:21:32 PM »

Art,
No problem. Thank you for providing the program.  It looks very promising.
Bertho

Sorry, cant do it. Totally experimental program, there is no support for it.. its just a hobby thing I tinker with, you can eother get it to work on a
file or you cant.. Its just one of those types of programs..
Art