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Topics - leversole

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1
Machscreen Screen Designer / Main Screen Disapearance!
« on: January 15, 2017, 02:57:18 PM »
Suddenly, the main window in Mach Screen disappeared?!? Only the properties window shows…I rebooted, uninstalled, reinstalled ver 64 (was using ver 66)…still whenever I start Mach Screen the main window loads for a split second, then disappears, leaving behind the properties window…
Even looked for a registry setting, cannot figure this one out...
Any ideas?

Thank You
Leslie

2
VB and the development of wizards / Visibility or color property
« on: January 08, 2017, 06:03:42 PM »
How can I set/change either the visibility or color of a screen object? I am designing some new screens, and just as an example, I would like to have an LED be invisible (or the background color) until I turn it "on"? Or, I would have a small icon (of a "home" for example), and it would not be visible until the axis is homed?


3
Mach Screens / Key simulators
« on: December 30, 2016, 09:02:58 AM »
I think I like tweaking/enhancing my machine and controls as well as I like making parts! (wood signs mostly)...anyway...I am going back to the drawing board on a new screen set...may buy a touch screen, but that will be the general design...will probably emulate the new Haas stuff.
I do not want a full on keyboard, but on my manual operation page, I would like a few keys (G,T,M, etc) and a number pad...what I am looking for for is guidance on how to press one of the keys and place its value in the MDI. I could brute force it by building a string in a variable and maybe script it to make whatever I am doing happen, but it would be way cooler if I could press my buttons and fill out the MDI, then press enter to execute...as I am typing this I suppose I could fake the MDI and use a user label...hmmmm...if anyone has an elegant solution or point me in the right direction I would love to hear it...

Thanks
Leslie

4
VB and the development of wizards / Secondary tool z zero
« on: December 21, 2016, 11:02:57 AM »
I am struggling with getting the Z height correct after a tool change...eg when doing VCarving and using a flat area tool, I always have lines in the workpeice (wood)...I am as carfefull as I can be when doing the second Z zero (new tool to the top of the work peice with my touch plate), but sometimes it is hard to do, so I am ready to build a second fixed touch off plate...
Have a couple of questions...
from what I have been reading, you touch off your first tool as normal, then touch the first tool on your second plate...do you store this value somewhere?
Haven't got is completely in my head yet, on the next tool change, I understand you go to your fixed plate, after you get the new Z dro, do you add, or subtract the difference from your "stored" number? Or am I missing something simple? I would think you would have to offset you current zero to a new zero based on the second fixed probe, jsut not sure what steps to take...is there some example code somewhere?

Thanks
Leslie

5
General Mach Discussion / Weird V Carve cut
« on: December 16, 2016, 11:14:46 AM »
When using Vcarve to generate code, I get these rounded pockets where it should be square. Anyone have any suggestions? I am using a standard Frued carbide tipped 60 deg VBit. I attached my tool settings...



6
General Mach Discussion / Axis calibration
« on: December 07, 2016, 10:07:16 PM »
I wonder if I am missing some setting...
As I mostly do text based wooden signs with my router, I really never put much effort into getting the axis's super accurate, I just used a 24 inch ruler and estimated...I recently rebuilt the machine to gain Z distance and increased stiffness...anyway...(I have done this several times)...I can get the X and Y axis to repeat +/- .001" measured by an electronic digital caliper, over a 5" range...now when I cut a 5" circle (gcode generated by VCarve)...the circle ends up about  +.032" across the X and +.044 across the Y...not really sure if something else is going on...tomorrow, I will cut some squares and measure...

A couple of questions...I read somewhere that you MUST re-home an axis after you use the calibration routine...True?

Also, If I can cut say a 5" square and end up with (tool diameter compensated for) 5.030", can i just go into the axis calibration and say to move 5", then enter 5.030? THis is what I will try tomorrow, just did not know if there was some other config setting that may be creating the circle errors...

Thanks
Leslie

7
General Mach Discussion / MUST KILL WINDOZE!!
« on: March 13, 2016, 04:59:19 PM »
I CAN NOT BELIEVE the mess I have gotten myself into! So, been a couple of days trying to figure out why when I run MachScreeen, edit and save, changes are not there?!? Been jacking with it, renamed, saved, loaded other screens, then back etc...etc...etc...

Figured out today that Win7 will not let programs write directly to the program directory?!? WTF? Anyhow after several searches online figured out that the real files that are written to are buried deep in windows....\users\me\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\ProgramsFiles\Mach3\...okay whatever...so I now edit the screen down in this directory...screen changes are there, but script changes are not? WTF? So I kind of have it figured out (I think) and am mixing copying matching files, then, BAM the xmla is WRONG! Pins, motor tuning everything...I downloaded Klaaus' excellent xml utility, but I am stuck...I can find the one that is seemingly correct, but no matter WHERE I put it aint working...I am now putting everything back in manually and running into problem after problem...eg...used the auto feature to set the input pins, seems to go well, but on the diagnostics page, the port/pin graphic responds to the limit pins, but the M1Limit, etc is not changing state! I cant belive how easy it is to hose your whole system up!

I want to scream!

8
General Mach Discussion / Tool Description
« on: March 13, 2016, 02:49:21 PM »
Many of you probably already know this, but I couldn't find any posts so this might help out a newbie (like me!)

I have a custom screen set and I wanted to show not just the tool number, but the description...I spent a lot of time typing these into Mach so they correlate with the tools in V-Carve...wouldn't I feel foolish if I were to put the WRONG tool in!

Anyhow, Thanks Art for making such a personalizable (not a word!) and extendable program...

First, create a user label on your screen using your favorite screen designer, you have to name it correctly (actually the text that it contains), "UserLabel" + some integer from 1 to 255...I named mine UserLabel50

Now, the last line of my M6Start macro is SetUserLabel(50, GetToolDesc(GetCurrentToo()))...now when Mach is waiting for me to change the tool, the correct size AND description is there for me to see!

Leslie

PS...one thing after another....now I am fighting with Win7 virtual store...I now know why people SHOULD NOT put Mach in the Windoze program directory! Anyhow, another story for another day.

9
General Mach Discussion / Z axis acting up
« on: March 12, 2016, 10:09:48 PM »
My first full day with the Gecko540 and Mach3...things were great until I loaded a file with a tool change...the Z touch macro works fine UNTIL the second tool change (not the first one at the beginning of the file)...after the second plate touch off on the Z, the Z axis moves up (away from the work) and cuts air...at this point I stop the cut and try and re touch off the Z, it runs up and crashes at the top...does it every time, it is repeatable, I cannot figure out what is wrong...I made a small file with a single line, then tool change, another single line, it screws up all of the time on the second tool change (and Z touch off)...I jacked with it for several hours, cannot find anything wrong...

I have attached my xml, the macro for touch off, and a simple file that screws up on the second tool change...

I hope someone can help!

10
VB and the development of wizards / Getting machine coord for Z
« on: March 12, 2016, 11:45:10 AM »
I have a "park" function which gets the router out of the way quickly to check out or remove a part...the macro is quite simple, g0 z-1 followed by g0x12y12...

works great IF I have touched off and the new zero is at the top of the workpeice! You can guess what happens if I park with the Z at machine zero!!

So what I am asking is how can I make a Z move in machine coordinates? Eg...I would change my script to move to machine zero before the XY move, this should work in all cases (as long as the Z has been homed)

Thanks

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