Messages

121

General Mach Discussion / Re: One CNC Post Processor

« on: May 07, 2007, 10:42:46 AM »

I Got my own which I did a few years ag.  I don't use the post that OneCNC has, never even looked at it.

You are quite welcome to it if you want it.

Wayne....

122

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: DRO Format strings?

« on: May 07, 2007, 10:39:49 AM »

Graham.   Not so sure those figures were not the actual ones as I'd forgotton by the time I had fixed it!!

But anyway it's fixed now, and my Ghost of Ahha screenset is now more functional

Wayne....

123

Screen designer tips and tutorials / Re: DRO Format strings?

« on: May 07, 2007, 10:08:33 AM »

Hmm the weird results were something to do with a corrupt tooltable or XML file.   I deleted it, and it's all working again.

I had a tool length of say 12.7 in the tooltable and the dro display was something very different like 322.20.

Weird.  Thats the first time I have had a xml corruption.

Wayne...

124

Screen designer tips and tutorials / DRO Format strings?

« on: May 07, 2007, 07:43:00 AM »

Is there anywhere an explaination of the DRO format strings?

e.g %+.4f for the Axis DRO's   4f = 4 places decimal Float???

Spindle speed %2.0f   Zero places decimal, what does the 2 signify?

etc etc

Just i'm getting some weird results in some cases.

Wayne....

125

General Mach Discussion / Re: A-Axis direction problem

« on: May 06, 2007, 12:08:52 PM »

Are you running in Absolute or Incremental mode?

Try issuing a G90 before you try your commands above.

Wayne....

126

Mach Screens / Re: Any MOUSELESS screens out there?

« on: May 05, 2007, 06:26:57 PM »

John. Just had a fiddle for 1/2 hour with Jetcam designer.   Here's something a little like ahha.

Would need a lot of work to make it useful and maybe more faithful to the original.

I actually quite like the Jetcam designer.

Wayne....

127

Mach Screens / Re: Any MOUSELESS screens out there?

« on: May 05, 2007, 02:37:57 PM »

Nice Graham, but I still want to stay away from touchscreens/mice etc.   My workshop is such a hole they have no place there!

I may use a touchscreen oneday if I can find one robust enough for my abuse LOL.

Next week I'm going to be around a few controls particulary a couple of TNC's   I'll take some pics for reference of all the screens on those.

Wayme....

p.s. Here's one for J.S to have a go at hehe  He'll feel right at home!.

128

Mach Screens / Re: Any MOUSELESS screens out there?

« on: May 05, 2007, 09:17:04 AM »

John

I'm not a big fan of toucscreens.  I used to look after a couple of machines with them and they could be a real PITA at times, even though they were rugged industrial types.

Besides my hands are rarely clean!

As I'm now using Modbus able PLC's from Cubloc I can implement all those original operator panels without too much grief.

Actually Cubloc have a PLC with a built in small Touchscreen with Modbus.   This would make a killer pendant for those that way inclined.

I'm actually thinking of creating a screenset either like the Meldas or a TNC control.   Both those used the operator panels with the most often used functions as REAL switches.  and softkeys around the screen for those menu selections.

Was trying out the Jetcam screen designer last night, that being more flexible seems to be easier to use in creating "real", "proper" or whatever you want to call them screens

I bought a couple of I-Pacs the other day, didn't realise they could only do single keystrokes, so not a lot of use, unless you use a multimedia keyboard to program in some non standard scancodes.   Even stuff like CTRL X is not possible it seems.


Wayne....

129

Mach Screens / Any MOUSELESS screens out there?

« on: May 04, 2007, 05:54:24 PM »

Just starting to look into "attempting" a completely mouseless screenset and before I go too far has anyone else done this for setups also without a touchscreen.

I by far prefer the  simple user interfaces of industrial controls, which normally make heavy use of softkeys.

Softkeys are fairly easy to implement in Mach with the use of a keyboard encoder such as the I-PAC's or Xkeys.

One thing I thought might be a stumbling block is the direct entry of values into Axis DRO's without a mouse click.

I tonight made a button which could easily be alligned with a softkey and have an associated hotkey to select it.  This button has the script

x = Question ("Enter New X Value")
Call setoemdro(800,x)

In it. this as expected will set the DRO ok, but has a couple of limitations.  1. being for various reasons ie pressing the button twice might make the box NOT the window taking keyboard input.  ALT-Tabbing back is a PITA.

I don't like the "Answer This" title!!   Sounds kind of out of place, and brutally generic!....  Something like "User Input Required" might fit in a CNC scenareo better.

I guess it's possible to code a new dialogue box routine long hand.

There are hotkeys associated with the axis DRO's already ie X axis seems to be scancode 32856   I have no idea what key combination that is, and it seems that in screen designer that hotkey is locked?

FOUND THAT ONE CTRL X, shame the I-PAC can't do those control keys.

Anyway and others here like to discuss true mouseless screen setup?   

Wayne.....

130

General Mach Discussion / Re: Macro Pump

« on: May 04, 2007, 10:02:32 AM »

Scott I don't want to do anything LOL..   It was someone elses thread

Anyway, he's got a solution, kinda like the one I came up with, so glad to have been able to plant a seed leading to his answer.

Personally I'd rather macropumps have as little as possible in them.   Monolithic Macropumps could in theory never be completely executed.

Wayne....