I have tried all kinds of methods to get a knob on the front of my panel to set feedrate manually. An arcade control (A-pac) with a pot is the only one I have gotten to work to date. I would like to just use an encoder/MPG to input through two parport inputs and do its thing. I got the encoder changing the MPG#1 DRO but that is as far as I have gotten. How do I get Mach to take this input and apply it to the feedrate? Simply. For dummies. Like me.

Just an ideia. If you have the keybord at and, you can assign a key to do feedrate+ and feedrate-. For example in my system, I use the 'S' key to start a cycle, so I belive that you can also do like this to feedrate+ and -.
I never did it, but I believe it works.

Filipe

You could set up 2 OEMTriggers, 1 for the A channel and 1 for the B channel, then you have to write 2 macros 1 for each trigger to run, in the macros is a bit of code to increment or decrement the feed rate.

Graham

You guys give me WAY more credit than I deserve! Dummies are people who are intimidated by such terms as scancodes, hotkeys, keycodes, oem triggers, oemcode, modbus, triggers, macros, brains, etc. I am talking MAJOR dummy! Also, I am rather unlucky. If there is a bad plugin or a misprint in an instruction sheet, I am the one who will use it or follow it. I know, this really doesn't inspire confidence in anyone kind enough to assist me. However, I am persistent and appreciative! And dumb.

Just curious why you want to use an encoder rather than using a pot? To me a pot is the ideal thing to use and is what all the industrial machines use.

Hood

^^ and they're much cheaper

Well, a pot requires some kind of A/D conversion to input it to Mach. Then what do you do with it? Encoders, contrary to popular belief, are cheaper than quality pots. A good Clarostat or Bourns costs me about $9.00. A CTS 2-bit encoder costs me $3.20 and no A/D conversion needed. If there is a simple way to do the A/D conversion like I was doing with that A-pac, a pot and Keygrabber, I am willing to try it. Keygrabber is one thing that works for me, most of the time. Also, does anyone know the keystroke for "reverse run"? There may not be one.

No keystroke set up for Reverse Run but you can easily add one of your choosing by editing the screen with screen4.

Hood

Yeah, Hood, I'll bet I could get a lot of stuff I want done if I would get used to changing things in Screen 4. I don't know why I don't just set aside the time to learn a bunch more of the options available. I am an old panel builder and I guess that makes me want to fix everything with another relay or a stacked switch. I can just barely program a simple PLC. Everything else I have tried with Mach, including the Galil plugin and J-code, has made sense and has worked for me. I tried EMC2 for a while but the lack of documentation frustrated me to no end. It ran a good, tight closed-loop with PWM output to DC servos. What more can you ask of a group with a penguin fetish? Do I put in a LOL now?

What I am not understanding is you said you had the pot working fine, so why change to an encoder.

I use the PoKeys on the mill to provide the analogue input and on the lathe and the new Mill I will be using analogue inputs on the PLC's. I just wrote a Brain to look at the input and it writes to the FRO  DRO.

Hood

Hood