Today I finished the new wiring for the quill, and got limits working, so I now have a quill drive and a knee drive. Tomorrow I want to implement the tool length comp using the knee. Mach3 v3 doesn't really suport this, as G43/G49 are processed internally. So, here's what makes sense to me as a temporary kludge until Mach3 v4 is ready:
Setup:
1) Load tool table with length offsets - reference tool is longest tool of entire set, with length set to 0.000". All other tools will have negative offsets.
2) Setup fixture as follows:
Load and select reference tool
Set quill (Z axis) a reasonable distance down from top of travel (rapid/safeZ height + some pad at a minimum)
Raise knee (A axis) until top of workpiece almost touches reference tool tip, and Zero A work offset DRO
Lower quill to touch-off on workpiece and set Z work offset DRO
Usage:
1) Use M143 in place of G43, M149 in place of G49, to enable/disable tool length offsets
2) M143 will move knee up to current tool length offset. i.e. - if tool length offset is -1.234", knee will move up to A1.234.
3) M149 will move knee down to A0.000"
Do you guys see any problems with this? I can't see any reason this won't work, and it's dead-simple to implement.
Regards,
Ray L.