Messages

141

General Mach Discussion / MOVED: PMDX411 Spindle & MaCH4 Speed control

« on: February 14, 2018, 10:08:55 AM »

This topic has been moved to Mach4 General Discussion.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=36605.0

142

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: What changes PCID?

« on: February 13, 2018, 10:46:16 AM »

The PC ID is generated by Mach4 based on several factors within your operating system. In order to protect our software, the details on that information is protected. Some (not all or even most) Windows updates affect those pieces of information used to create a PC ID, which is part of the reason our licensing policy is so generous. In the unlikely event you "run out" of usable licenses, open a ticket and let us know. I can honestly tell you no one has ever been denied a usable license because of excessive Windows updates.

143

Mach4 General Discussion / Switching from Mach3 to Mach4

« on: February 13, 2018, 10:10:43 AM »

In order to help ease the transition for users switching from Mach3 to Mach4, I have created a worksheet you can use to collect and organize your machine settings. If you're interested in taking a peek or giving it a try, use the link below to view the post on the Mach3 section and download the document:

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,37090.0.html

Happy CNCing!
-Bryanna

144

General Mach Discussion / Switching from Mach3 to Mach4

« on: February 13, 2018, 10:07:54 AM »

Whether you're an established Mach3 user or you're just starting out and all of your machine instructions are for Mach3, it can be daunting to make the switch to Mach4. Some of the buttons are gone or in a different spot than you're used to and even the configuration menus aren't quite the same. Whatever your level of experience is, there is going to be a learning curve when you start using Mach4. The worksheet attached is meant to ease the transition by helping you collect and organize your settings. Fill it out with with the settings you use in Mach3 and you will be able to use it as a reference when you make your profile in Mach4. It is meant to be used alongside the setup guide for your motion controller--as that will dictate which settings are configured in their plugin and which are configured in Mach4--and with the Mach4 configuration manual. It is written with the language and terminology used in Mach4 so you will know what you are looking for when you start applying your settings.

The worksheet should open in both Excel and Open Office. The first page is an introduction and the Worksheet tab on the bottom is where you'll actually fill out your settings.  Please PM me or submit a ticket at support.machsupport.com with any questions or for more information.

Happy CNCing!
-Bryanna

145

Mach4 General Discussion / MOVED: screen size

« on: February 09, 2018, 11:45:05 AM »

This topic has been moved to General Mach Discussion.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?topic=34826.0

146

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: mach4 license

« on: February 09, 2018, 10:42:05 AM »

For anyone else dealing with this issue, there are three common issues that can cause your license not to stick.

1.) Wrong PC ID. Newer builds of Mach4 will tell you when your PC ID is wrong, so that's easier to diagnose. Your PC ID is shown in the Help>About window in Mach4 and is used to generate your license. If it's wrong, you can fix it by logging in at machsupport.com, going to 'Manage my licenses,' and entering the correct PC ID before clicking 'Add New.'

2.) Not running Mach4 as an administrator. If you're not sure, best to double check by right-clicking the shortcut and selecting 'Run as Administrator.' Windows might ask you for your password. That's your password and not anything I can help you with (sorry!). To make this a permanent selection, right-click the shortcut and go to Properties, then click "Advanced" in the shortcut tab. Select the radio button that says 'Run as Administrator.' This just saves you from having to right-click every time.

3.) Antivirus interference. If you're running an antivirus program on your computer while trying to use Mach4, you're asking for trouble. I recommend not running any programs at the same time as Mach4 (especially when cutting a part!), but AV programs especially can be an annoyance when trying to do things like license your software. You can try adding it to your whitelist (instructions on that are dependent on which AV program you use) but it's safer to just turn it off while using Mach4. Windows Defender, at least on Windows10, doesn't seem to cause this issue. I leave that running on my computer and haven't had an issue the dozens of times I've licensed and relicensed new builds.

Licensing issues are support issues and you can always reach out to the team at support.machsupport.com. Avoid using the Contact Us form for licensing/support because that sends your inquiries to an email rather than the ticketing system that we can all access.

Happy CNCing!

147

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: No way to switch soft limits from lua script?

« on: February 08, 2018, 09:14:31 AM »

I'm going to be including this in a homing/soft limits video in the near future, but it may help with what you're trying to do. Replacing the Ref All Home chunk in the screen load script with the following will turn the soft limits on immediately after homing.

Code: [Select]

---------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ref All Home() function.
---------------------------------------------------------------
function RefAllHome()
    mc.mcAxisDerefAll(inst)  --Just to turn off all ref leds
    mc.mcAxisHomeAll(inst)
    coroutine.yield() --yield coroutine so we can do the following after motion stops
    ----See ref all home button and plc script for coroutine.create and coroutine.resume
    wx.wxMessageBox('Referencing is complete.\nSoft Limits Set.')
    SetSoftlimits()
end

-------------------------------------------------------
--  Set Soft Limits
-------------------------------------------------------
function SetSoftlimits()
    for v = 0, 5, 1 do --start, end, increment
        mc.mcSoftLimitSetState(inst, v, mc.MC_ON)
        
    end
    scr.SetProperty("tbtnSoftLimits", "Button State", tostring(SLState))
    scr.SetProperty("tbSoftLimits", "Button State", tostring(SLState))
    
end

148

Newfangled Mill Wizard / Re: Licence policy different from Mach4

« on: February 07, 2018, 03:33:29 PM »

MillWizard is fully functional in demo mode, with the exception of exporting g code. You can create projects on MillWizard in demo mode and export the project file. You can then use that project file on your licensed computer to generate and export the usable g code file.

149

General Mach Discussion / Re: Nmotion Controller

« on: February 07, 2018, 03:22:58 PM »

I am sorry you have had a hard time with that motion controller, but it is not endorsed or supported by Newfangled Solutions.

 

150

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New to this game!

« on: February 06, 2018, 12:03:31 PM »

Revisiting this old post to let everyone know that Mach4 now has a Font Engrave wizard that allows you to engrave basic letters/numbers without jumping back and forth from a design program. If this is something you use frequently, there is also a font engrave screen set that has the wizard implemented as a tab instead of a popup window. This is not a CAD/CAM replacement by any means, but it's free and is worth checking out.

Happy CNCing!
-Bryanna