What is the correct procedure for doing a proper manual tool change?

Program stopped for a tool chamge at Z=2.5
I swapped the tool manually
Lowered the tool and touched off
manually reset the Z DRO to .471.
hit cycle start.
Z was supposed to go to .335 but went to -1.468 and obliterated the tool and the entire setup.
Nowhere in the program is there a negitive Z number

Is there something else that needs to be done on a manual tool change? Some setting somewhere that needs to be checked?


Again what is the correct procedure for doing a proper manual tool change?

Check you don't have a height offset in that tools offset

Yes I checked all that. After a little more digging I found that I'm not the only one it's happened to and I could not find a fix for the proble.. I guess the only way is to write  or edit my M6 macro. I have absolutely no Dea how to do that. If I did I would write one so it worked just like mach3. Touch off somewhere, set z, and hit cycle start and off we go. I'll have to find a work around for now. I have parts to make that can't wait. Not sure why it's not already built into mach4. It works on every machine.

It could also be that you need to have a G54 command at the start of the new tool to update the absolute position.

Thank you I will check into that.

The G54 had no effect on the situation. I think I need to learn Lua so I can modify my M6 macro. Something Like This....

Call G6
Get x, y, z machine coordinates stored in variables
move the machine so I can touch off a known height
manually change Z height in DRO
manually move Z to a safe height
Click cycle start
change Machine coordinates to match current position
end G6

Does that sound like Mach3?
Thats what I have done for years when I had Mach3.

Is there a list of core variables somewhere so I can start experimanting with Lua?
 

Ok I just noticed today that a newer version of mach4 was available. Installed it and it appears that the problem is fixed. I'm going to fun all day Wednesday so we shall see.

Just wanted to come back and say thanks. Mill ran a dozen parts and was flawless. Acted exactly as I wanted it to. Thank you for all your help.