[prototype3a]

I thought I'd start a thread to see what features others would like to see added to PathPilot.

Here are a few I thought of yesterday.

• Machine coordinate display
• On error, limit switch trip, program stop, etc somehow display where the program was stopped instead of resetting the program
• Display feedrate in addition to percentage for jogging
• Display/compute SFM, IPT
• Add number of flutes data to tool table
• Ability to stop spindle when feedheld (auto restart spindle on cycle start)
• Wait for spindle to reach desired rpm prior to axis motion on M03
• Some sort of screen saver

[jamesjweg]

"Wait for spindle to reach desired rpm prior to axis motion on M03"

I don't have an enclosure, I am really happy that the spindle does not spin up before Z starts lowering down.
This reduces coolant on the floor for me, so I hope if they change this it is an option not the default.

James.

[oneineight]

Prototype3a,
All those features sound like good ones.
James, you could move Z axis closer to the part before either winding up the spindle, or starting coolant to help keep the coolant inside the splash guard.

[phoneman]

Why do you want a screen saver. Screen savers were for old cathode ray tube monitors that are long gone.

Dave

[jamesjweg]

LCD's can have an annoying but not usually permanent burn-in type issue too, screen savers are not a thing of the past. With PathPilot working as a network share I can see people leaving it on for extended times when not using the mill. I would say this is a logical but not totally necessary request.

If you were to boot into the GUI, go to SYSTEM->Preferences->Screensaver you can turn down the time yourself and it would work once you reboot to the mill. After my fresh install straight to PP 1.9.2 mine was already set to use a blank screensaver after 2 hours. But don't blame me or Tormach if you screw up your mill. I could see someone setting theirs to load huge family photo's (or bikini clad girls) and causing the machine to have issues when they load. I personally would stick with the blank screen Tormach had set and just lower the time if you feel the need.

James.

EDIT: oops, I forgot to mention that on mine the time was set to 2 hours but it was not enabled.

[prototype3a]

FWIW, I've not seen the machine go to a blank screen at all and my LCD is already starting to burn in. I've started turning off the LCD whenever I walk away from the machine.

Waiting for the spindle to reach requested rpm prior to motion on spindle start could prevent the tool contacting material before the spindle was up to speed. It could save your tool. It is simply a feature I've seen on other machines and I would like to see it on the Tormach given the slow spindle ramping.

[popspipes]

[QUOTE=prototype3a;1770974]FWIW, I've not seen the machine go to a blank screen at all and my LCD is already starting to burn in. I've started turning off the LCD whenever I walk away from the machine.

Set the monitor settings to turn off after a half hour...........

[Uman]

I would like an option for PP to default to a user selected tool # at the end of every program. One mistake I sometimes repeat is to set the global coordinate without selecting the edge finder (Haimer) tool first. I would like Pathpilot to automatically default to a tool I select as the goto tool after each program completes. Of course a new program run would over ride this and select the programmed tool. I suppose this default tool could be programmed as the last tool in every program.

Also, I would like to see the status info in a more prominent location and style.

-uman

[jamesjweg]

FWIW, I've not seen the machine go to a blank screen at all and my LCD is already starting to burn in. I've started turning off the LCD whenever I walk away from the machine.

Waiting for the spindle to reach requested rpm prior to motion on spindle start could prevent the tool contacting material before the spindle was up to speed. It could save your tool. It is simply a feature I've seen on other machines and I would like to see it on the Tormach given the slow spindle ramping.

From reading the Spindle section of the machine ini I believe that is already accounted for. I believe PP calculates the time to reach full RPM and insures that the spindle is at RPM before it arrives at the cut.

James.

[popspipes]

The spindle is up to speed before it enters the work.

[mountaindew]

The spindle is up to speed before it enters the work.

I see this also and it makes me wave at the e-stop button wondering if its going to plow into material before it starts.
lol , pretty basic feature . Might be a lot to ask.

[prototype3a]

How does pathpilot know where the work is? I would prefer they stop doing 'clever' stuff and just get it up to speed.

[JohnToner]

I would want it to be at speed before it even moves.

[adamboon]

I'm pretty sure it only moves the G00 lines (rapid moves) while the spindle gets up to speed. It will wait at the G01 move if the spindle isn't at speed yet. This was one feature I really like on PathPilot, it's a great time saver for doing production runs. I would be very sad if they took this away.

Adam

[prototype3a]

I may have to run some test code tomorrow just to see what happens.

[mountaindew]

I'm pretty sure it only moves the G00 lines (rapid moves) while the spindle gets up to speed. It will wait at the G01 move if the spindle isn't at speed yet. This was one feature I really like on PathPilot, it's a great time saver for doing production runs. I would be very sad if they took this away.

Adam

This is true and it only scares me now and then. In reality it looks like the spindle is at full speed before it engages tool. I guess this is a habit left over from using mach and spooks me when it rapids into position "many times 0.1 from surface" and the spindle turns on sometimes when its only couple inches away or less.
In reality it works fine.

[samco]

if they have spindle feedback and took advantage of linuxcnc 'spindle at speed' functionality - then yes.

it will wait for the spindle to come to speed before any cutting operations.

sam

Edit add--- You could use a time delay hooked into the spindle at speed pin.

[prototype3a]

Ok.

Held shift and alt during boot (this will take you to the gnome desktop). Enabled the screen saver on a 20min delay with the most obnoxious screen saver option in the hopes that running that will exercise the pixels back to new.

I also changed the display options to 1600x1200 and the high contrast big text option. I don't know if the 1600x1200 setting changed anything when pathpilot is run but the high contrast/big text option changed the look of PathPilot some.

[jamesjweg]

I'm pretty sure it only moves the G00 lines (rapid moves) while the spindle gets up to speed. It will wait at the G01 move if the spindle isn't at speed yet. This was one feature I really like on PathPilot, it's a great time saver for doing production runs. I would be very sad if they took this away.

Adam

I agree, I want it to stay as it is now. I believe that baring a motor/belt/motordriver failure it would be nearly impossible to get PP to engage the work before being at RPM. Yes it made me do a double take the first few times too, but it saves time and keeps coolant in the splash guard.

James.

[prototype3a]

Since I seem to be unable to edit the first post... I removed the bit about the spindle since it does seem to wait at the first feedrate move for the spindle to reach full rpm.

• Machine coordinate display
• On error, limit switch trip, program stop, etc somehow display where the program was stopped instead of resetting the program
• Display feedrate in addition to percentage for jogging
• Display/compute SFM, IPT
• Add number of flutes data to tool table
• Ability to stop spindle when feedheld (auto restart spindle on cycle start)
• Some sort of screen saver (by default)