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Author Topic: Mdi is not a MODE  (Read 6536 times)

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Mdi is not a MODE
« on: November 03, 2016, 07:55:34 PM »
So just learned that if you are in the MDI screen and press the hard cycle/start button (shouldn't be doing that but I did), Mach executes the current program on the main screen.  Crashed a 3/4 endmill 1 inch deep into the vice at G0 speed.  Broke endmill, destroyed hard jay on chuck and broke retaining stud on cat 40 tool holder).  Glad I closed the doors before I did that.

Is there a way to disable the cycle start button when on the MDI screen.  I get that I should not have done that BUT.......
Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2016, 08:58:37 PM »
A little update.  I tested this on my kneemill that doesn't have a hard switch for cycle start.  But the short cut key is Crtl+R on the keyboard.  This will not activate the program if on the MDI screen.  Have no clue what happens if an input on a parrellel port is used.  My setup is CSLABS ethernet contol box.

Honestly, I have no idea how the founders and the aftermarket folks haven't actually sent an endmill through someone's skull.  The bugs are beyond insane.

Have a recently retrofitted VFI that is now forsale cheap.  Located in Virginia-US.  It works great but full of bugs.  Was going to gut the contol package that I just put in and try out linuxCnc.  In the end, I make money on this machine and I'm trying to teach a noob how to do some machining.  This ain't working at all.  A new haas is a lot cheaper than dead employee.

Offline Davek0974

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Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2016, 03:20:35 AM »
Don't you just love Mach3 :)

As it happens I do, but yes there are very few safety constraints in there - the CS-labs box was not around when Mach was written either :)

The hardest part is adding the logic to control human input - mach will do what you tell it, but if you tell it to run the code when not expecting it to, it will usually run the code as you found - this is not really a flaw i think, Mach is pretty much just a controller - you have to add the bells and whistles as i have been doing ;)

How do you select the MDI screen, maybe there is a way in there, my screenset does not have it - the MDI is just a line on the main screen activated by pressing enter or clicking in it. Stopping the code running should be possible, its just a matter of where to apply the block and what triggers it.

Offline stirling

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Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2016, 05:04:19 AM »
So just learned that if you are in the MDI screen and press the hard cycle/start button (shouldn't be doing that but I did), Mach executes the current program on the main screen.

Out of the box - Mach won't run a program from the MDI screen. Someone has customized it to respond to hard buttons and done it without due care.

I've lost track of the crappy code people have added to Mach without really knowing what they're doing and then blamed Mach for not doing what they want.

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2016, 09:28:26 AM »
So just learned that if you are in the MDI screen and press the hard cycle/start button (shouldn't be doing that but I did), Mach executes the current program on the main screen.

Out of the box - Mach won't run a program from the MDI screen. Someone has customized it to respond to hard buttons and done it without due care.

I've lost track of the crappy code people have added to Mach without really knowing what they're doing and then blamed Mach for not doing what they want.

No truer words have ever been spoken Ian.
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!

Offline stirling

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Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2016, 01:38:05 PM »
No truer words have ever been spoken Ian.

Hey stranger - where you been?  ;D

Cheers Brett

Offline Chaoticone

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Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2016, 01:53:24 PM »
No truer words have ever been spoken Ian.

Hey stranger - where you been?  ;D

Cheers Brett

Hey Ian, I am usually here. I just don't get much time to participate. 
;D If you could see the things I have in my head, you would be laughing too. ;D

My guard dog is not what you need to worry about!
Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2016, 08:10:27 PM »
To be clear, Stirling called it right is my guess (as he corrected me when no one else had a clue about programing with bits and integers).  But I want to be clear and feel I did what I was supposed to do.  I am using the CSLabs plugin with mach 3 version 3.043.66 which is not the version you are pointed to when buying from scratch.
Heres a link to what I did.  Basically mapped an input to the oem trigger function for cycle/start.

I just want to be sure that the "crappy code people have added" is not on me.  If so, I'll stand corrected (OCS folks may truely understand that one) and I'll be a champion.

Heres the link to what I did.

http://www.cs-lab.eu/en/artykul-111-STARTSTOPPAUSE_buttons_configuration_on_an_operator_panel.html

I didn't know that I had further control of the oem trigger.  If I did, shame on me.  If not, shame on........

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2016, 02:08:35 AM »
Hi Mike,

I don’t think there is any argument that by fitting the external Start/Stop button you did exactly what you thought was right - however, as you have discovered, this action does have it’s consequences.

“Crashed a 3/4 endmill 1 inch deep into the vice at G0 speed.  Broke endmill, destroyed hard jay on chuck and broke retaining stud on cat 40 tool holder)”

Since you have discovered this issue exists (on your particular set-up) you should now be looking at this in a positive way and investigating the introduction of an interlock so that it cannot happen again in the future.

If responsibility is to be apportioned it lies with you and you alone.


Tweakie.
PEACE

Offline stirling

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Re: Mdi is not a MODE
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2016, 12:05:20 PM »
Mike

I think I may know where you went wrong.

I think you've assumed that because Alt-R does nothing on the MDI screen then somehow cycle start can't happen on the MDI screen. That's not the case however.

You hit Alt-R on the Program Run screen and sure enough it does a cycle start. The reason it does that is two-fold. One: there's a button on that screen that has its hot-key code set to Alt-R and two: that button's function is set to cycle start.

On the MDI screen, there simply isn't such a button. That's the only reason ALt-R does nothing. The MDI screen is just a screen - it has no special merit. (Check out the Toolpath screen - you can't jog on it. Why? simply because there's no Jog Control - that's all - a pendant would still allow jogging though)

An OEM trigger is just an input that can be configured to automatically execute an OEM code when it goes active. If that simplistic behavior suits your particular requirements then all well and good. However if your requirements have caveats then triggers are of no use. You have to resort to the dark art of the macropump or brains.