Messages

1091

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Feature Request

« on: May 06, 2014, 03:05:53 AM »

Most settings are written to the INI file when they are changed.  (All of the Mach config is like this).  This is because they are part of the core and not the GUI.  However, some of the GUI settings are only saved at close.  This is the case for Tool and fixture offsets because they are really just modifying G code parameters.  So no, they are not saved to disk at the time they are modified.

1092

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Feature Request

« on: May 06, 2014, 02:44:18 AM »

Oh, and the keypads are resizable.  Make them as big as you want.  Easy touch screen access!!!  The size is remembered so you don't have to do it every time.  They are also intelligent as to their position.  They try to sit below the DRO so that the changes can be seen.  If the DRO is not in a position on the screen for this to be possible, the keypad will move to another location (above or beside) the DRO.  If all that fails, the keypad will pop up in the upper left corner of the main window.

Steve

1093

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Feature Request

« on: May 06, 2014, 02:41:01 AM »

Dan,

Brett posted a new install in the Announcements and updates thread.  Have a look at it.  I think you will like it. 

There is now a choice of editors for the DROs.

1.  In place (with the changes you wanted).
2.  Basic keypad.
3.  Extended Keypad (math funcs).
4.  Read only.

You will have to edit the screen and change the DRO's "Editor" property to get the Keypads.  The in place editor is the default.  Once you change a DRO to the Keypad type editor, you will then have to enable "Auto Calc" (like Mach 3) in the Operator menu.  The setting is persistent. 

Steve

1094

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Bug Reports

« on: May 06, 2014, 02:21:08 AM »

Yes, I did some digging and found the issue.  I really hate GUIs...    It is tested and working.  But thanks for posting that up!  The secret is the Flush().  If you do not call that at the time your app closes, it will destroy the contents of the clipboard.  With a name like Flush() it seems counter intuitive!  So if I ever see an API with flush() in it, I will call it blindly from now on...  

Steve

1095

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Comments about Mach4 in Demo

« on: May 06, 2014, 01:28:37 AM »

HIYA STEVE, I ran itno a problem with this macro. IN the G65 call  Instead of the Parameter "A(#1)" being used to set the starting point angle for the macro Mach4 is trying to rotate the A axis to 45 deg at a VERY slow rate.


    O0008 (Main program)
    N005 G54 G90 S800 M03 T02 F100(Select coordinate system, absolute mode, start spindle, get next tool ready)
    N010 G00 X3.0 Y2.5 (Rapid to center of bolt hole pattern)
    N015 G43 H01 Z.1 (Instate tool length compensation, rapid up to workpiece)
    N020 G65 P1008 X3.0 Y2.5 Z0 R1.75 D0.75 A45.0 H8.0 C81. F50 (Machine entire bolt hole pattern with drilling cycle)
M30


    O1008 (Custom macro to machine bolt hole circle)
    #101=1 (Initialize counter)
    #102=#1 (Initialize current angle to A)
    #103=360 / #11 (Constant for incremental angular distance between holes)
    #104=#26 + 0.1 (Constant for rapid approach plane)
    #105=#26 - #7 (Constant for Z bottom position of hole)
    N1 IF [#101 GT #11] GOTO 99 (Test if loop is finished)
    #110=#24 + COS[#102] * #18 (Calculate X position for current hole based on current angle)
    #111=#25 + SIN[#102] * #18 (Calculate Y position for current hole based on current angle)
    G#3 X#110 Y#111 R#104 Z#105 F#9 (Machine current hole)
    G80 (Cancel cycle)
    #101=#101 + 1 (Step counter)
    #102=#102 + #103 (Step current angle)
    GOTO 1 (Go back to test at loop beginning)
    N099
 M99 (End of custom macro)


(;-) TP

Try running this without an offset on your A axis.  I think this is actually a G81 issue.

Steve.

1096

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Viewing #var values

« on: May 06, 2014, 01:23:04 AM »

You can make a screen page (or even a tab) that displays any G code var you want.  But I am working on a G code var plugin that will pop a floating window up much like the Diagnostics windows for mcRegFile and mcModbus.  Where you can "pin it" as always on top or not.

And I'm working on the #3000 stuff.  Just trying to get the more pressing issues looked at first.

Steve

1097

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Bug Reports

« on: May 06, 2014, 01:16:59 AM »

HIYA Steve,  I noticed that when you cut and paste from the gcode editor it does not always hold the CUT in the buffer and when you leave the Editor to paste it somewhere else the paste is EMPTY. Quirk ?? or made that way ??

Would it be possible in teh Gcode editor to have it ADD a "Newline" when you exit This still gets a lot of newbies.

Just a thought, (;-) TP

Changing the settings in the config does not take effect until "Reset" is pressed.  So look at the modes string to be sure what you think is in effect is actually in effect.  Or, you can code it in your program.

Steve

1098

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Bug Reports

« on: May 06, 2014, 01:06:01 AM »

HIYA Steve,  I noticed that when you cut and paste from the gcode editor it does not always hold the CUT in the buffer and when you leave the Editor to paste it somewhere else the paste is EMPTY. Quirk ?? or made that way ??

Would it be possible in teh Gcode editor to have it ADD a "Newline" when you exit This still gets a lot of newbies.

Just a thought, (;-) TP

The clipboard is destroyed when the editor is closed.  It is the same with the LUA editor.  It is a GUI framework thing for which I have not found and answer.  Yet...

Steve

1099

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Bug Reports

« on: May 05, 2014, 06:18:08 PM »

This is what I get.  You might have some other setting bonked?  Look in the general tab and make sure.  It has got to be something local to your machine. 

Steve

1100

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach 4 Bug Reports

« on: May 05, 2014, 04:53:58 PM »

G65 local vars?  You mean the parameters?  Or this:

#1 = 2
#2 = 4
G65 P1000 X#1Y#2

type of thing?

The general rule of thumb is that result accessing local vars without first setting them "locally" is undefined.  They may have a value.  But it may not be what you want.

Try this...  Graham converted and it seems to work fine.

G50 G40 G80 G20 G94 G91.1
#101=1 (size of box)
#102=.125 (cutter radius)
#103=.125 (size of box bars)
#104=1 (degrees of resolution)
#105=#104 (COUNTER)
#106=[[#101/2]+#102] (ACTUAL RADIUS OF CIRCLE - CUTTER RADIUS + RADIUS)
G01X0Y0F100
m3 s3600 m8
M98 P140 L40
G0Z0
X0Y0
M30
%

o140 
   #108 = [[SIN[#105]*#106]*SIN[45]] ( X AND Y POSISION)
   #109 = [0-[[1-COS[#105]]*#106]] (Z HIGHT)
   g4 p0
   G1X[#108]Y[#108]F30
   Z[#109]
   G18 G02 X[0-#108] Z[#109] I[0-#108] K[0-[#109+[#106]]] F5
   G19 G03 Y[0-#108]Z[#109]J[0-#108]K[0-[#109+[#106]]]
   G18 G03 X[#108]Z[#109]I[#108]K[0-[#109+[#106]]]
   G19 G02 Y[#108]Z[#109]J[#108]K[0-[#109+[#106]]]
   #105=[#105+#104]
M99