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Author Topic: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..  (Read 18384 times)

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Offline Chris.Botha

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Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« on: September 02, 2009, 05:26:02 AM »
I am runnign a P4 3.2ghz Intel HT with 1GB of ram with XP pro, minimal install.. it idles on 169mb of ram.

I have had an issue from time to time where mach will freeze up especially if my toolpath display is on.. today i had a real kicker, im using new pathing software that outputs my usual 4 to 10mb files as about 48mb nc files per side, plus 10mb for rotary, so 48+48+10 106mb path total, but only loaded as one piece at a tiem in mach..

Mach cut really badly.. like it was hoppig and skipping. jittering.. and twice it cut right throug my models, once the A axis starteed turning in code that never calls A once.

The code itself is kosher.. smaller files, IE same fiels pathed with larger stepovers, resulting in smaller filesizes work fine.. so is there some limit where mach runs out of steam with nc files?

after crash 2 i loaded the file again and checks resopurces, mach was using 577mb of ram.. Os 169mb so that should leave me with ample free?

A suggestion i was given to overcome this issue was to change my lookahead? that didnt help.

Roland users cuttign the exact same paths dont experience these issues and they cut from machines far smalller than this? I have been told that they have onboard eproms to buffer code etc.. I think i have asked this elsewhere but will a smoothstepper help in this case?

any clues guys?




Offline Jeff_Birt

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Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2009, 09:03:04 AM »
Well with such humongous file you will have a problem if you have the tool path displayed. Turn it off and see what happens.  Problem is that Mach can't update the display will the millions of lines of teeny-tiny segments and keep up with everything else too. Brian has been working on putting the graphics into their own thread and I think we will see a new version of Mach in a few months that is much better in that regard.

The other thing you can do to help is take the pulsing load off the PC by using an external motion control board, like a SmoothStepper. Mach may still choke on displaying your super huge files though, but it will take a load off the PC.
Happy machining , Jeff Birt
 
Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2009, 12:40:59 PM »
Hi Chris,

Have you gone through all the optimisation steps?

http://www.machsupport.com/downloads.php 2nd up from the bottom

I had a cranky PC running a Lathe - crashes / blue screens / etc.
All went smoothly after the optimisation steps.

ATB
Derek
You can "chop it off" but can't "chop it on"

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2009, 01:55:09 PM »
Chris, as things are now one of the most beneficial steps you could take to help is to add a graphics card if your running onboard graphics.
Brett
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!

Offline Chris.Botha

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Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2009, 03:40:34 PM »
Jeff:  by default i run with toolpath display off.

Derek: Yes i installed as per the optimisation recommendations. Runs great on smaller codes up to 15mb.. only bigger code kills it.

Brett: It has a pcie NV8200 with 256mb or ram.



Offline Jeff_Birt

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Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2009, 03:52:25 PM »
What are you using to post the code? For the parts you show I can't imagine that it should be a file that large. Can you do any arc filtering before posting?

As for the reason, with a 15mb file a 1mb of ram there is going to be quite a lot of, crap now the proper term evades me.....'page swapping', swap file action going on, especially if Mach is trying to load the whole file at once. You could try increasing the amount of memory dedicated to the swap file and/or adding another gb of RAM.
Happy machining , Jeff Birt
 

Offline Chris.Botha

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Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2009, 04:02:17 PM »
I will try more ram.. The software is DeskProto and its the strategy that's causing the huge file, spiral inwards at 0.02 stepover with 0.127 tip.

I am attempting to rewrite the wizard that generates the code to make it use a different strategy too.. hope it helps.

vmax549

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Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2009, 06:19:49 PM »
Ram will help a lot. I find 256mb  to be about the bare min with large files. What is probably happening is Windowes is setting up hd space and using that as overflow MEM for the large file. THIS makes MACH jumpy and jerky at times as the HD MEM is much slower than reg MEM.

Here a 5mb file and mach and windows takes about 167 mB  of usable MEM to stay smooth. I RUN 2GB but regularly monitor the MEM loads in testing

Hope that helps, (;-) TP
Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2009, 06:20:23 PM »
From the Mach3 download page:  "Mach3 has a limit of 10,000,000 lines of Gcode even after licensing"

Regards,
Ray L.
Regards,
Ray L.

vmax549

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Re: Do i need a bigger pc for mach..
« Reply #9 on: September 02, 2009, 06:41:23 PM »
RAY if you do not have the MEM for mach to load the file into RAM windows will start spooling mem off to disk and that makes MACH choppy.

(;-) TP