Thanks guys. I like it too.

Hi There, I recently paid to have this screen set and after spending a day installing my touch pad probe etc on to the machine i finally gave the auto tool a go, wow!, can it get any easier.... money well spent i recon! just one question, is there a legend to the keyboard shortcuts, especially for the auto tool functions, as i want to build a probe with a button, so i just place the probe on the material and press button and the auto zero kicks in .....

Thankyou again for a really usefull Screen!
 

There are no Shortcut keys for the Auto Zero buttons. All the other shortcut keys are listed in the manual in the Toolbar Button section.

If you want to add them, it's pretty easy to do. Open the .set file in Screen4 (Specify the correct size, it's in the manual toward the back. 1015x726 I think)
Right click on the button you want to add the shortcut key to. Check the Hotkey box, and press the key(s) you want to use for the shortcut. Save and your done.

I can do it for you if you want, just email me what you want them to be, and let me know if you're using the 3 axis or 4 axis version.

Hi Gerry,
Thankyou for that, i need to learn this stuff so i followed your directions and managed to set the hotkeys, Didnt know it was that easy,

Cheers Lee.....

Hi Gerry,

Boy, you have done a fine job and are to be congratulated.

I spent some time yesterday installing your 2010 Screen Set.  I have explored most of the features and find the placement and access to them to be very user friendly.  The placement of both the Job Coordinate and Machine Coordinate DRO's side by side is an excellent idea.  The large work view area is another bonus.  The options you put in each of dialog boxes are well thought out and add to the ease of use of your screen set.  The Semi-Automatic tool changer looks like it will be a real GEM.  I haven't mounted my fixed tool plate permanently yet, but did test the operation with a temporary movable plate.  I wired up the tool plates like you suggested and everything worked like a charm.  That is a real time saver and will allow me to do tool changes of the parts I make on the router.  The Park Position, Safe Z, and REF Home buttons are handy and easy to use.  I might add that you have been very prompt in answering all my questions as they pertain to your 2010 Screen Set.

When I purchased my Shopbot router I thought I was pretty much ready to go, but have spent some time getting acquainted with Mach3 and the many options that can added to a stripped down machine to make it a really nice machine tool.  The Super PID solved my RPM issues and your 2010 screen set has just added the whipped cream to the whole setup. 

Thanks again for a GREATLY ENHANCED PRODUCT with SUPER SUPPORT and a price that is OUTSTANDING!    Wish you the Best!

Just installed this screen set and going through the set up docs...

A couple things I really appreciate right off the bat... Being able to home an individual axis.. and the ability to bring up the G codes list from the tool bar... I was wondering if there was a comprehensive list somewhere (probably in the Mach 3 manual Smiley).. as I didn't know what all those codes meant...

Is there a way I can turn on or modify images so that the icons show what they are when I hover the mouse over them?

I'm using the screen set in a window on a higher res monitor, so I'm kinda planning to add some duplicate buttons and what not in the extra available real estate... Then this thing will really be 'just what I needed'...

First impressions are 'nice'... Somethings are confusing right now, but I'm sure most things will become clearer as I read through the docs...

Hi Gerry,
Trying to set up the auto tool change and auto zero system today...

Some questions,

First question...

My BOB has inputs in 'pairs.. IOW, an input and a ground for that input..
For instance, I have my home switches set up to go active low... when the switch is engaged the high signal input is shorted to the corresponding ground for that input on the BOB. For example the Z axis home input on the BOB is assigned to "Z Home" in the ports and pins page, and when the switch is engaged, it shorts that pin to the "Z--" input in the ports and pins page..

So, my understanding of how this will work for the auto zero/tool change is that I would connect the fixed/moveable calibration plates wire to the 'probe' input and set it for "active low" in Mach 3 (I can set it up for "active high" if that is better).... The I would take the other wire of that input pair and attach it to the router housing or mount.... Looking at the ports and pins page, I see where to assign the probe input, but I do not see where to assign the ground...

So in my case, I have the probe input connected to the parallel port pin 10, and it's corresponding ground pin is pin 21.. It is this ground pin that I do not know how to assign... Or does it not matter in that pin (pin 21) is part of a global ground and doesn't need to be assigned?



Second Question...

 I wanted to go ahead and just test it by shorting the probe input to ground (haven't tried this yet), but on the diagnostics flyout, I can not find an LED shown for the probe input.. Is it called something else? Or is it on another page?



Third question...

In your set up guide, you state that the top of the Z axis travel must be zero (home), and that when it jogs 'down' it must go in the negative Z direction.. This is what I have set up on my machine now... However, on the image you have in the docs, it shows Y reversed and Z not reversed.. My Z is currently reversed (green check mark next to Z in the 'reverse' column).. If I uncheck it, then my Z is opposite of what you are saying it should be (and my home system is jacked)... Is the image a typo? Or have I set something else up wrong? I set it up according to the limits video tutorial on the Mach 3 Site...

Anyways, I'm kinda hovering here for the moment until I get these questions answered..

Thanks,
 Mark

1. All the grounds on your breakout board are most likely tioed together, so it shouldn't matter what ground it. My router is plugged into the same circuit as my PC power supply, and I didn't need to run a ground wire, as the ground from the parallel port is tied into the ground of the circuit, and it works that way. If you're breakout board is isolated, than again, any ground on the board should work.

2. I think it's labeled digitize on the Diagnostics page, but the LED is on every page, upper right, next to the Machine Coordinate DRO's.

3. Reverse column doesn't matter. If you change two wires on your steppers, they'll change direction. If you change the dir active low setting, it'll change direction. So, there are 3 ways to change a motors direction, so the Reverse column depends on the other two scenarios. Basically, don't worry about it.

Thanks Gerry... I went back and read my BOB docs and it supposedly has every input opto-isolated and protected, so I just shorted out the two wires and watched the diagnostics page.. and the digitize LED lit up, so it's connected to my terminal strip I mounted on the side of the table ready for hook up to plates...

I'll test it with a wire direct to the router to see if I need to run that ground or not...

Once I get the plates made and installed, I have some questions on tool change code in the program being run.. And once those are asked and answered, I guess I can try it out... and then maybe think about setting up the X-Y probing wizard after that.... That would have come in very handy after jamming my Y limit the other day...

Thanks,
 Mark

Mine didn't ground through the power cord like yours, I guess because of the opto-isolation on the BOB, so I just ran a wire from the ground input to an X rail mounting bolt, and then a jumper wire from a bolt that holds the wooden gantry supports to the X carriages to a bolt that attaches the wooden Gantry mount to the aluminum gantry, and now the circuit is complete to the router bit...

Next to make some zero plates and what not, now that it's all wired...

Thanks,
 Mark