I just downloaded your MSM screen set as I really do not like the stock screen for Mach3 Turn. I like your set much better. I have run into a snag. I can not get the Z axis to reference when I hit the Ref All button. The X axis reference just fine. I upgraded to the pro version on a trial basis to see if I can fix this issue. No joy. I searched here for similar issues and have not found my answer. I did single step through the correct script for this button, when I single step it works correctly. I am a little confused.
I am using a smoother stepper ESS with the latest plug in with the ESS plug in setup enabled. I am also using Mach3 ver. 62 as I have had a few issues with anything newer.
Can you please tell me as well what benefit I would have using the Pro vers. of this screen set over the personal one? I am not sure that is spelled out very well.
Jim.
Ref All button only works for X
Re: Ref All button only works for X
Hi Jim,
Was this the script you stepped thru?
C:\Mach3\ScreenSetMacros\MachStdMillLathe.lset\Masters\Scripts\All-RefAllHome.m1s
If you look at that script, there is a constant defined near the beginning: "UseMach1024RefCode" it defaults to true in the script as shipped. see the comments in the code about this... it is possible for mach to mess up a reference operation in newer versions of mach (Know bug that I am told will not be fixed).
Change the constant from true to false and see if this makes the problem go away (or at least different).
Mach frankly can fall into internal timing holes for reference operations - that may explain why it single stepped but did not run when not single stepping.
So you have to pick the one that is "least annoyingly broken" for you.
For me that is mach 3.43.66 which is also the latest release (and it was released in 4/2012). Alas, I've forgotten the things that were changed between .062 and .066 and the mach release notes were not updated to have any info past 0.62
Dave
Me too ( re being confused).Mc2 wrote:I just downloaded your MSM screen set as I really do not like the stock screen for Mach3 Turn. I like your set much better. I have run into a snag. I can not get the Z axis to reference when I hit the Ref All button. The X axis reference just fine. I upgraded to the pro version on a trial basis to see if I can fix this issue. No joy. I searched here for similar issues and have not found my answer. I did single step through the correct script for this button, when I single step it works correctly. I am a little confused.
Was this the script you stepped thru?
C:\Mach3\ScreenSetMacros\MachStdMillLathe.lset\Masters\Scripts\All-RefAllHome.m1s
If you look at that script, there is a constant defined near the beginning: "UseMach1024RefCode" it defaults to true in the script as shipped. see the comments in the code about this... it is possible for mach to mess up a reference operation in newer versions of mach (Know bug that I am told will not be fixed).
Change the constant from true to false and see if this makes the problem go away (or at least different).
Mach frankly can fall into internal timing holes for reference operations - that may explain why it single stepped but did not run when not single stepping.
I wish it were not so but Lathe operation in mach is always problematic. Every one of the latest version of mach has a different set of lathe related bugs. I got Brian to fix a bunch of them a few years back, before he started refusing to do any work on mach 3. Now I am told that there will be no more bug fixes in mach 3.Mc2 wrote: I am using a smoother stepper ESS with the latest plug in with the ESS plug in setup enabled. I am also using Mach3 ver. 62 as I have had a few issues with anything newer.
So you have to pick the one that is "least annoyingly broken" for you.
For me that is mach 3.43.66 which is also the latest release (and it was released in 4/2012). Alas, I've forgotten the things that were changed between .062 and .066 and the mach release notes were not updated to have any info past 0.62
For lathe only work, the pro and personal editions are very close. Much of the MSM advanced feature set is for the mill side of the product. Feature wise the personal edition has most of the lathe features. The personal lathe edition will not let you do mill turn (no Y axis support) and it will not let you save/reload tool or work offset tables to disk or print reports of those tables.Mc2 wrote: Can you please tell me as well what benefit I would have using the Pro vers. of this screen set over the personal one? I am not sure that is spelled out very well.
Jim.
Dave
Productivity Software for Personal CNC Machinists
http://www.CalypsoVentures.com
http://www.CalypsoVentures.com
Re: Ref All button only works for X
Dave, thanks for the fast response. I did try to set that statement from true to false with no change. I even moved the code for Z to above the X axis. NO change. I then deleted the X axis and nothing happened.
As a last ditch effort I dis-abled the ESS smooth stepper plug in home config and the button started to work correctly. I started using their home config screen as it is better than the standard Mach3 one when a dual ball screw is used. It was easier to adjust racking of my gantry.
I would prefer to us the Ess ver. if I could to keep consistent on my setups between the machines however I dont have a dual ballscrew setup on my lathe.
Jim
As a last ditch effort I dis-abled the ESS smooth stepper plug in home config and the button started to work correctly. I started using their home config screen as it is better than the standard Mach3 one when a dual ball screw is used. It was easier to adjust racking of my gantry.
I would prefer to us the Ess ver. if I could to keep consistent on my setups between the machines however I dont have a dual ballscrew setup on my lathe.
Jim
Re: Ref All button only works for X
Hi Jim,
When the SS does not do Z, does it hang waiting for X to finish and never get to Z, or does it make the call to ref Z and then immediately returns (without any Z movement happening)?
If it is hanging on X, you can play with the ref all home script... an idea:
Comment out the calls to MachRefWait() - that routine is a "trick" to wait for a mach reference call to complete (See comments in the subroutine). Maybe it's hanging in the wait and never seeing the Ref action get completed.
My guess is that the SS code is not doing something that the default PP code does that mach is expecting to see happen. But only Greg would be able to tell us what he did in the latest SS homing code.
Dave
Hum, that implies that the smooth stepper is doing something different internally for the homing sequence than the default PP code in mach does. I guess that does not surprise me since doing it differently is likely to be the reason to have the SS home config stuff.Mc2 wrote:Dave, thanks for the fast response. I did try to set that statement from true to false with no change. I even moved the code for Z to above the X axis. NO change. I then deleted the X axis and nothing happened.
As a last ditch effort I dis-abled the ESS smooth stepper plug in home config and the button started to work correctly.
When the SS does not do Z, does it hang waiting for X to finish and never get to Z, or does it make the call to ref Z and then immediately returns (without any Z movement happening)?
If it is hanging on X, you can play with the ref all home script... an idea:
Comment out the calls to MachRefWait() - that routine is a "trick" to wait for a mach reference call to complete (See comments in the subroutine). Maybe it's hanging in the wait and never seeing the Ref action get completed.
My guess is that the SS code is not doing something that the default PP code does that mach is expecting to see happen. But only Greg would be able to tell us what he did in the latest SS homing code.
Dave
Productivity Software for Personal CNC Machinists
http://www.CalypsoVentures.com
http://www.CalypsoVentures.com
Re: Ref All button only works for X
Hi Dave,
Just been spending a lot of time uprating my Turn system which is based around an Emco 5PC, mach3 at version 066 and MSM pro, 2.0.9.
All things (well within the occasional quirks of Mach3) have been running happily for the last year or so but I have now chosen to move away from the parallel port - primarily because I have built an automatic toolchanger and need to control it and I have no more parallel boards.
I went down the Pokeys route with their 56U unit which is not super easy to install but seems to have been eventually successful.
However.....I see exactly the same issue with Ref All, does X then says Homing Complete. However I have X and Z homes commoned onto a single pin and I think the homing sequence is not moving the X back enough to untrip the home signal. If I try a ref Z then I usually get an indication that the home is already set...
Ref X and Ref Z both work separately.
And.....I see a similar (well worse) situation using the original screens where Ref All doevsn't do anything.
Not sure if you can shed any light on this or whether it comes under the heading of a problem buried elsewhere!
Finally, on the pro vs. free version, do I understand that I cannot store tool positions in the free one - meaning all of the tools in my new ATB?
Thanks,
Simon
Just been spending a lot of time uprating my Turn system which is based around an Emco 5PC, mach3 at version 066 and MSM pro, 2.0.9.
All things (well within the occasional quirks of Mach3) have been running happily for the last year or so but I have now chosen to move away from the parallel port - primarily because I have built an automatic toolchanger and need to control it and I have no more parallel boards.
I went down the Pokeys route with their 56U unit which is not super easy to install but seems to have been eventually successful.
However.....I see exactly the same issue with Ref All, does X then says Homing Complete. However I have X and Z homes commoned onto a single pin and I think the homing sequence is not moving the X back enough to untrip the home signal. If I try a ref Z then I usually get an indication that the home is already set...
Ref X and Ref Z both work separately.
And.....I see a similar (well worse) situation using the original screens where Ref All doevsn't do anything.
Not sure if you can shed any light on this or whether it comes under the heading of a problem buried elsewhere!
Finally, on the pro vs. free version, do I understand that I cannot store tool positions in the free one - meaning all of the tools in my new ATB?
Thanks,
Simon
Re: Ref All button only works for X
I think that there are two different aspects to "Saving" here...simon0362 wrote: Finally, on the pro vs. free version, do I understand that I cannot store tool positions in the free one - meaning all of the tools in my new ATB?
Thanks,
Simon
1) you can save (put) offsets into the tool table - that is possible in both pro and Personal editions of MSM (it's a standard mach feature). If you could not do that the tool table would not be of mush use.
2) MSM extends Mach by adding the ability to take the contents of a tool table and write it to a named disk file. It can also reload the entire tool table from a saved file. This is useful where you have a table of tools that is used for a certain job. This additional MSM (Save table to disk" feature is only in the pro version.
Dave
Productivity Software for Personal CNC Machinists
http://www.CalypsoVentures.com
http://www.CalypsoVentures.com
Re: Ref All button only works for X
Dave,
Thanks that clarifies the issue. I have just had to replace my pc with a replacement unit when the old one went belly up and I was debating whether to try and anull the registration on the old one to transfer the 'pro' licence across - or to just install the latest version in a personal version which is the route I think I will now follow.
Regards,
Simon
Thanks that clarifies the issue. I have just had to replace my pc with a replacement unit when the old one went belly up and I was debating whether to try and anull the registration on the old one to transfer the 'pro' licence across - or to just install the latest version in a personal version which is the route I think I will now follow.
Regards,
Simon