Hi Calum,
Here is some more info re your questions:
1) Tool panel updates
When MSM initializes it starts up a background task that is responsible for a lot of screen control updates. Controls that the process updates include:
Probing page probe result DROs
Current, Next and Browse panels on the tooling page
Parallel port input signals on the hardware page.
If the background process stops, these controls stop responding. Conversely, if these controls are not responding, the background process probably died.
I have seen 3 reports of “controls not responding” – so I suspect there is an occasional problem somewhere. The interface that MSM uses in mach is supposed to start a periodic script that runs forever – MSM never shuts down the back ground process.
Of course, I never see this happen on my machines (Isn't software fun?)
Restarting Mach (and therefore MSM) causes MSM to re-init which also starts up the background process again.
I’m planning to add some diagnostics and maybe watch dog code to the next release to try to see if the background script has stopped – but the only tool to do a watch dog is another background process… so I’m not sure if it will tell us anything.
2) Set TCP TP TP MCz
Please refer to manual section 8.3.1.3.
The process to set the TCP TP MCz has to start **exactly** from the Tool change position. If you are trying to jog to that location, you’ll never to the **exact** location precisely enough to satisfy the condition that is being tested for.
The way to get to exactly the TCP is to use the “GoTC Pos’n” button on the tooling page.
Please also see this thread I posted this morning:
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,15521.msg104118.html#msg104118Dave