Messages

81

General Mach Discussion / Re: Cuter Complensationn working ???

« on: March 24, 2013, 05:02:46 PM »

What??
Nobody Knows if cutter compensations works?

82

General Mach Discussion / Re: I keep getting "The parameter is incorrect"

« on: March 24, 2013, 04:39:28 PM »

Yes. That's it. Thanks
You reminded me that I have a screen set on my actual machine that has a tool setter. Not part of the standard install. I didn't copy that over to my laptop.

Good. Glad that's cleared up.

Sorry or the detour onto my problems.

So I wonder if that's a clue to what happened on the other machines mentioned in this thread. Maybe the screen set got corrupted ?

Sage

83

General Mach Discussion / Re: I keep getting "The parameter is incorrect"

« on: March 24, 2013, 10:48:34 AM »

I noticed the white screen thing recently. It happened on a fresh install of mach on my NEW laptop that I use to write and debug code.
I thought I had installed the same version as I have installed on my CNC machine.
 I copied the XML file from my CNC to the laptop to quickly transfer all the same settings. Upon starting Mach on the laptop I got a white screen instead of the control panel. I re-installed the correct version and it was fine. I later had a look at the two XML's and they were different. One had some extra commands at the top. I would have thought the XML would have some notation at the top to say what version it came from. You know - the usual documentation. All I could tell was they were quite different in the first few lines.

Also adding to the confusion is that in the mach directory I found three xml's by slightly different names for mill. I couldn't remember which one was the name the program was using. So I put an X in front of the names one at a time and restated Mach. I guess when I got to the one it was looking for (and it wasn't there) I think I got a white screen as well.

So, in the case of the previous posts, maybe the XML was being corrupted by the flakey computer?

Hood:
You ask a lot of people to send you their XML's for analysis. Out of curiosity, how do you tell if it's correct for the version they're running?
Or if it's complete. There's a ton of stuff in there.

Sage

84

General Mach Discussion / Cuter Complensationn working ???

« on: March 23, 2013, 07:34:07 PM »

Was cutter compensation ever fixed? If so in what version.
And if I go to that version what other issues can I expect?
Looking back, I think there was problems with the version I'm using. 3.042.040

Thanks

Sage

85

General Mach Discussion / Re: BUG ??? Single block, start, feedhold, start

« on: March 23, 2013, 08:48:58 AM »

Hood:

Well that does seem to work but but that would not (and was not) intuitive. Pressing stop at any other time abandons the program (I thought). Knowing that I would never press stop when I know I want to continue.
BTW I note that pressing stop (other than when in feed hold) also rewinds to the beginning of the program. I've never noticed that before. I usually press stop AND rewind. May be that's an option somewhere. If found all of these issues on a fresh install on a new machine.

I never experienced it but what of the A-axis move (mentioned by BR549) with no A-axis code? That's really weird.

No I'm thinking this is just another wacky bug.

But we'll be rid of it with the introduction of Mach4 

Then we can chase all the new bugs. 



Sage

86

General Mach Discussion / Re: New PlugIn just about done..

« on: March 22, 2013, 10:05:12 PM »

My shuttle Pro became intermittent as well. I found the USB cable intermittent. Broken wire from so much handling. It was bad right were the cable goes into the shuttle. Typical of about any well used device with a cord eventually.
 I opened it up, unsoldered the wires from the circuit board, and cut enough off the end of the cable to eliminate the bad part, stripped and soldered it back on the board. It was fine after that.
 Next time I'll replace the whole cable because I quite often find it twisted up. I think because every time I pick it up I do the same hand motion which turns the shuttle and twists the cable. I can't seem to break that habbit.


Mine also creeps on occasion. I thought maybe it was because of dirt in or under the rotory control. But I can also imagine that there must be a set of balanced springs to return the rotary dial to the center position. I'm not sure how it works. Maybe they are getting weak or something. If it gets to bother me I'll take it apart.


Sage

87

General Mach Discussion / Re: BUG ??? Single block, start, feedhold, start

« on: March 22, 2013, 09:25:33 PM »

TP:
Note the quick question by Johnny above  and  I'd like to know:
What version are you running?

Sage

88

General Mach Discussion / BUG ??? Single block, start, feedhold, start

« on: March 22, 2013, 08:52:50 PM »

After how many years - have I found another bug?
VR3.042.040

Copy the program below. Turn single block ON
Start the program and observe that it single steps a line at a time with the start button (single block).
While it's moving hit FEED HOLD.
Wait for it to pause then hit START.
The single block is not observed even though it's still activated and the program skips right to the end.
It keeps moving too. I'm not too sure where it's going.
It no longer seems to be executing a line at a time either.

Anyone know what's going on?

G1 F10
G1X 0 Y 0.075
G1X 1 Y 0.075
G1X 2 Y 0.0749
G1X 3 Y 0.0748
G1X 4 Y 0.0746
G1X 5 Y 0.0744
G1X 6 Y 0.0742
G1X 7 Y 0.0739
G1X 8 Y 0.0736
G1X 9 Y 0.0732
G1X 10 Y 0.0728
G1X 11 Y 0.0723
G1X 12 Y 0.0718
G1X 13 Y 0.0712
G1X 14 Y 0.0706
G1X 15 Y 0.07
M30

89

General Mach Discussion / 360 rollover bug

« on: March 07, 2013, 03:59:58 PM »

I have the 360 degree rollover set in my A-axis configuration

I have a machining setup where I have a bar set horizontally in the rotory table and I move the side of the bar into a grinder using the Y axis.. The Gcode rotates the A axis a degree at a time and manipulates the Y axis to generate a profile in the side of the bar.
The code starts the A axis at 0 deg and steps one degree per step and manipulates the Y position around to the final command
G1 A360 Y.075
 It then moves Y quickly to a safe position away from the bar.
At this point Mach has rolled over to zero degrees and the A axis DRO display shows 00.00

The next command is G1A0 Yxx. Where xx is the proper starting Y position.
This should not move the A axis as it is already at zero but it moves the Y axis back into the work from the safe position to start again.

What I've noticed very intermittently (only a couple of times in several hundred passes) is when it makes the move shown above it rotates the A axis without moving the Y axis. It rotates the A axis from zero around to 360 or zero again and then continues as it should positioning the Y axis. It's a good thing I have Y set at a safe position otherwise rotating the bar without moving Y would jam the grinding wheel into the part profile.

I'm thinking that perhaps when it rolls over and auto-zeros that maybe somewhere in the umpteenth decimal place the A axis is not
 really zero so it has to make a move to zero to get in sync again.

I can't duplicate it at will.

This might be something that Briian may have a clue about since he knows how the math works. Something to look at for Mach 4 perhaps.

Sage

90

General Mach Discussion / Re: Understanding Tool offsets G41

« on: January 24, 2013, 10:25:44 PM »

Well, you can pretty much ignore everything I posted earlier including the code I attached.
I was working from a poor memory.
I went back briefly and read the book again and I wasn't even close to using the G41 properly.
I'll go back and read the book more after a nights sleep.
if I still have a problem I'll let you know.

Sorry to bother you.

Thanks for your help Gerry.

Sage