Messages

31

General Mach Discussion / Re: Here is a sneak preview of the new screen I am working on.

« on: February 18, 2006, 10:11:47 AM »

Hi,

Benny sent an offlist copy of this too and I sent some details and suggestions back by mail. However one point that might "attact wider discussion" was:

 
"What is needed on screen is dramatically determined by the configuration of the mill and the type of display in use. I have an MPG and would never use jog buttons on screen. A button or key jogger needs the Slow jog % easily to hand and visually related to jog buttons so putting them with axis DROs is not as logical as it might seem. I have a two pulley spindle with VFD so my needs are quite different from a 12 pulley spindle with fixed speed motor. And I could go on and on about presettable tools, tool changers, coolant options, need for Single Block, Block Delete etc. etc.
 
What I am saying is that, for me, the perfect standard screen set is one that a system designer or user who has got comfortable with Mach3 can change after watching a video and looking at a few wiki pages for half an hour. Sadly the screens that Brian and team produced for Mach3Mill were a major step backward when viewed from this perspective. For yours it would rather depend what the user is given (e.g. ReadDraw files or just PNGs) but they do not look easy to customize."

I personally think that a screen should be as simple a human-machine-interface as possible not a picture of a possible physical control panel.

John Prentice

32

General Mach Discussion / Re: My Two Cents

« on: January 03, 2006, 12:36:31 PM »

StringKilla

I hope this does not seem too harsh but please do read to the end:

This group has many very experienced software and hardware people but, so far as I know, not one of them has psychic powers. We just do not know what hardware you are working with. The K2CNC site shows a very nice 14 x 25 router table but no indication of motors etc. You mention Gecko 201s and servo motors. This does not sound right.

Will you take 30 mins and write a list of the part numbers of every component you have in your kit or have bought for the project, where you got it from and (if at all possible) take snapshots of things that are difficult to name and how you have it all hooked up?

I am sure it will all fall into place when everyone is "looking" at the same stuff and able to talk the same language.

Best wishes

John Prentice

33

General Mach Discussion / Re: 1280x1024 screen for Marc3 ?

« on: January 02, 2006, 04:12:20 AM »

For your 1280 x 1024 screen, the easiest route is to check Auto Screen Enlarge in Mach3 Config>State dialog and use the standard screen sets. You can of course also design your own screens to cram more on - assuming you are also using a large monitor.

With the current Screen Designer system you can customize many things (including colours of DROs) but not the font. What you saw was a mockup.

John Prentice

ps Just in passing - Is it worth compromising legibility of DROs by a font with less typographical clues in the character shapes?

34

General Mach Discussion / Re: help with wiring diagrams

« on: December 22, 2005, 12:51:44 PM »

Hi,

I understand the problem but struggle with the solution. Some thoughts:

(a) When one moves to a new city the neighbours will alwas tell you how to drive to downtown but you will usually get totally lost. So your wife, when she goes, takes the Sat-Nav. She gets there fine following the turn by turn directions but when she goes with you next time - no Sat-Nav - she has no idea where to go.

- I find learning is a subtle and difficult thing.

(b) The car does not come with a street atlas of every town. You can get one in the phone book or even from from the city council.

- The most likely source of wiring information is from the supplier of your hardware (e.g. the breakout board)

(c) When we are retrofitting a machine with components bought from several sources, it is like navigating the outskirts of one town connected to the centre of another by the roads of a third.

- This is tough!

The Customization wiki has a section for case studies where anyone who has found a good way is invited to contribute. What you have learned (the hard way perhaps) will surely help others.

John Prentice

35

General Mach Discussion / Re: My Two Cents

« on: December 22, 2005, 11:57:50 AM »

Hi,

You don't mention the videos on www.machsupport.com. How have you found them? Your original post suggests that you are trying to start with the difficult things. The Using Mach3Mill manual does not cover the current screens (yet) but with the videos and Chapter 3 you ought to be able to get a good feel for things even before you connect the machine.

Do not despair - "One brick at a time" builds a spendid mansion!

John Prentice

36

General Mach Discussion / Re: New forthcoming screen designer. ( Your input needed)

« on: December 13, 2005, 10:24:27 AM »

Time for a lie down Brian  ;-)   - take care

John Prentice

37

General Mach Discussion / Re: New forthcoming screen designer. ( Your input needed)

« on: December 13, 2005, 08:27:52 AM »

Benny

What graphic package did you use for your mock-up? The visual effect is very good - nicer 3d effects than we have in current screens. Roughly how long would the graphics side of the design have taken you?

Best wishes

John Prentice

38

General Mach Discussion / Re: New forthcoming screen designer. ( Your input needed)

« on: December 06, 2005, 01:11:12 PM »

Just a thought on Benny's remark:

"I also want to see a teach mode for new users, where every item had a question mark on it, and the new use could just put his mouse over it and a popup screen would give a detailed explanation of the setting, along with referal links. By saying this, I do not mean it just opens a HELP menu."

It is little known that a right click on a built in control generally gives quite a good summary. I find the animation a bit irritating and think that the conventional "tool-tip" on mouse hover would be better (and work with a touch screen where right click is hard or impossible) but thehard work documenting the controls has been done.

One can document user controls this way too.

John Prentice

39

General Mach Discussion / Re: New forthcoming screen designer. ( Your input needed)

« on: December 06, 2005, 04:08:42 AM »

I think we need to be clear that there are two distinct issues here:

(1)  Features in a new Screen Designer that would make it easier to design screens whose runtime functionality is the same as Mach3 now.

(2)  New runtime features.

If I understand the suggestions, Benny's suggested Axis modules seem to be in the first group. Floating pallets in the second.

I am very much in favour of (1). It is hard work putting a collection of related controls on more than one screen and then maintaining them. It is difficult to keep track of the use of User LEDs, DROs etc. Screens for displays other than 1024 x 768 are difficult. Issues like Undo and cut-n-paste between two screens would help life a lot.

I am generally against (2). Perhaps availability of cosmetic features like different fonts and colors would improve usability but there is a point were too much customisation is a disadvantage. Many CAD programs exhibit this. As soon as one customises toolbars the program is hard to learn and hard to teach. Things get hidden in fly-out tools and in support the user has a different mental model of the program to the person offering support.

At a more practical level, the investment in experience, documentation and training videos is such that a very compelling case would be needed for a drastically new runtime look and feel.

My view FWIW

John Prentice