Hi all,

I recently got Mach3 and SheetCam TNG up and running for a plasma machine. I generated some simple code to test and set up the machine and Mach3 reports several errors in the code generated by Sheetcam.

First, I get a "bad character" errors on lines 200 and 320. I looked at the post processor (I am using MP3000-DTHC-SmlArcFix#2.scpost) and found the following lines that generate the offending code:

function OnPenUp()
   post.Text (" M05*ONPENUP()*\n")
   if (endDelay > 0) then
      post.Text (" G04*ONPENUP()* P")
      post.Number (endDelay,"0.###")
      post.Eol()
   end
 end

I am not familiar with lua but the expression *ONPENUP()* looks like a comment and the expression was not found in other variations of the same post processor so I removed it and the error goes away and just leaves the proper M05 on the line.

Rechecking the code now gives another "bad character" error but it gives that for all of the lines with a comment on them. It does not appear to like the ( or the ) symbol. Removing the comment lines and other offending comments give no errors and the codes runs fine.

The first appears to be fixed but having to delete all of the comments is a pain. According to everything I've read and searched about these should not be a problem. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? My code is as follows:

N0000 (Filename: test circles.tap)
N0010 (Post processor: MP3000-DTHC-SmlArcFix#2.scpost)
N0020 (Date: 10/1/2012)
N0030 G20 (Units: Inches)
N0040 G53 G90 G40
N0050 F1
N0060 (Part: circles)
N0070 (Process: Inside Offset, Layer1, T1: 16 ga steel)
N0080 M06 T1 F100  (16 ga steel)
N0090 G00 Z0.5000
N0100 X2.7205 Y1.5000
N0110 G28.1 Z0.50
N0120 G92 Z0.0
N0130 G00 Z0.0860
N0140 G92 Z0.0
N0150 G00 Z0.2000
N0160 M03
N0170 G01 Z0.1000 F100.0
N0180 X2.9705
N0190 G02 I-1.4705 J0.0000
N0200 M05*ONPENUP()*
N0210 G00 Z0.5000
N0220 X6.1476 Y1.5104
N0230 G28.1 Z0.50
N0240 G92 Z0.0
N0250 G00 Z0.0860
N0260 G92 Z0.0
N0270 G00 Z0.2000
N0280 M03
N0290 G01 Z0.1000
N0300 X6.3976
N0310 G02 I-1.4705 J-0.0000
N0320 M05*ONPENUP()*
N0330 G00 Z0.5000
N0340 X0.0000 Y0.0000
N0350 #650 = 18.979
N0360 M05 M30


Thanks in advance!
Bill

That is a BAD post for SheetCam. It was on old test POST from long ago I still don't know HOW it got encluded in the Scam installed post list.

(;-) TP

Ok. So I changed post processors and it fixed the one M05 error (comparing it to others is how I fixed it in the first place) but it still didn't fix the error on the comments. I even wrote a small snippet of g-code by hand and it does the same thing. I even reloaded mach3 and no joy.

Any other suggestions?

Bill

Can you post your hand written program I will test it here.

Here a (comment) is fine in Gcode.

(;-) TP