[keen]

I have contacted Tormach - but just a warning for other metric users that G21 might unexpectedly revert to G20 and lengths will all go crazy.

I have only been using Pathpilot a few days so I am not yet quick enough to see when it is happening and what is triggering it, but sometimes when I check the status it has changed back to G20.

Yikes this is scary - I nearly machined a part 25.4 times too big - the soft limits saved the situation that time.

I loaded V1.9 after loading software.

Keen

[Plascut]

Keen

Have been using Path-Pilot for a couple of months, yes it was a problem having to make sure you entered G21 into MDI every time you started.


Have recently updated to V1.9, and yes it has fixed the problem where the status reverts to G20 when you shut down.


But the tooling offsets revert to imperial lengths and diameters on the status/tool page. 
Even with the Status showing G21.

Have learn’t if you change one dimension to metric, enter they all change.



Have just checked it again, and hadn’t noticed it before my machine starts in G20 but when you press RESET it changes to G21?

I will send this onto Tormach, I’m sure they will get it right eventually.

My computer skills are fairly basic and I am not real comfortable with having to check this all the time.


Hope it not that dam coriolis effect!

Greg


[keen]

Keen

Have been using Path-Pilot for a couple of months, yes it was a problem having to make sure you entered G21 into MDI every time you started.


Have recently updated to V1.9, and yes it has fixed the problem where the status reverts to G20 when you shut down.


But the tooling offsets revert to imperial lengths and diameters on the status/tool page. 
Even with the Status showing G21.

Have learn’t if you change one dimension to metric, enter they all change.



Have just checked it again, and hadn’t noticed it before my machine starts in G20 but when you press RESET it changes to G21?

I will send this onto Tormach, I’m sure they will get it right eventually.

My computer skills are fairly basic and I am not real comfortable with having to check this all the time.


Hope it not that dam coriolis effect!

Greg


Hi Greg. Yes I see it switches back to G21 now on reset...that is ok really. What I am talking about is an intermittent, perhaps random fault, where it just changes to G20 (and shows on status bar as G20) of its own volition, during use.

I have yet to catch it to see when it is being triggered, but just notice after a while it is back on G20 - yes I am on V1.9. Keen

[FuriousGeorge]

Thats very odd, hopefully you'll get it worked out soon. In the meantime, if you are worried about this happening during a program you could include the 3 lines:

o100 if [#<_imperial> EQ 1]
G21 (or M02)
o100 endif

I don't know how much you know about programming, but this is a basic statement that you can use in PathPilot where a condition is checked. If your machine suddenly changes from G21 to G20, there is a global variable (#<_imperial>) who's value will change from 0 to 1. You can use this to to check what state you're in and then have your code switch to either G21 or end the program. Not the best solution, but it's a patch.

[TurboStep]

Yikes this is scary - I nearly machined a part 25.4 times too big - the soft limits saved the situation that time.

Did PP get set back to imperial during initialization or while probing, or did it happen while g-code was actually being executed? Obviously this should never happen but PP swaps values between metric and imperial and it's possible that there's an error somewhere in a probing routine perhaps.
If it occurred during g-code execution then that could be really nasty. Each g-code program should start with a standard initialization block like the following (as generated by the Sprutcam post):

N20 G90 G54 G64 G50 G17 G40 G80 G49
N30 G21 (Metric)

This must set metric mode and PP must stay in metric unless told to do otherwise. There's no need to test for metric/imperial, simply call G21. You should also check your g-code for a stray G20. I've been caught out before by a stray command (self inflicted) that cost me several days, several end mills and fair amount of aluminium!
Step

[keen]

Hi Guys. Thanks for your replies.

I have spent quite a bit of time this morning trying get the G21 G20 issue to repeat and soon became aware of another issue perhaps related.
A Z value setting issue. Sometimes I noted the Z would not zero but rather entered 60.00. After much repeating I finally found the sequence that usually triggers the fault:
Load NC code - clear current programme - Z zero - 60.00 appears! (M30 works fine so the problem seems to be work offset not machine offset.)
E stop and reset - issue still there.
If I shut down and reboot, Z will zero. If I load NC code and clear current programme, Z will not zero but enters 60.00. If I change to G20 it will enter 2.3622. It will go to M30 position fine. If I enter Z 0.00, same problem - 60.00 appears
I repeated this several times and each time the same, however on one reboot the reboot froze midway on the Tormach logo. After several minutes I switched it off and it rebooted fine.

keen

[popspipes]

Hi Guys. Thanks for your replies.

I have spent quite a bit of time this morning trying get the G21 G20 issue to repeat and soon became aware of another issue perhaps related.
A Z value setting issue. Sometimes I noted the Z would not zero but rather entered 60.00. After much repeating I finally found the sequence that usually triggers the fault:
Load NC code - clear current programme - Z zero - 60.00 appears! (M30 works fine so the problem seems to be work offset not machine offset.)
E stop and reset - issue still there.
If I shut down and reboot, Z will zero. If I load NC code and clear current programme, Z will not zero but enters 60.00. If I change to G20 it will enter 2.3622. It will go to M30 position fine. If I enter Z 0.00, same problem - 60.00 appears
I repeated this several times and each time the same, however on one reboot the reboot froze midway on the Tormach logo. After several minutes I switched it off and it rebooted fine.

keen

I have had a similar problem occasionally, after the machine has sat idle, try to set z zero and it reads the tool length of the tool in the tool window. I shut the computer down and rebooted and it zeros fine after that, this has happened about 3 times so far, a reboot fixes it.

another time I ran a program after it had sat idle for some time and the readouts were working erratically, I noticed it as the program was new and I was checking the z depth to see what the readout indicated after each pass, it wasnt moving on Z down but the dtg was, kind of wierd, but the part ran correctly in spite of this.

To date Pathpilot has ran perfectly, just cant say the same for the readouts.

I dont use metric so cant comment on that.

[keen]

Did PP get set back to imperial during initialization or while probing, or did it happen while g-code was actually being executed? Obviously this should never happen but PP swaps values between metric and imperial and it's possible that there's an error somewhere in a probing routine perhaps.
If it occurred during g-code execution then that could be really nasty. Each g-code program should start with a standard initialization block like the following (as generated by the Sprutcam post):

N20 G90 G54 G64 G50 G17 G40 G80 G49
N30 G21 (Metric)

This must set metric mode and PP must stay in metric unless told to do otherwise. There's no need to test for metric/imperial, simply call G21. You should also check your g-code for a stray G20. I've been caught out before by a stray command (self inflicted) that cost me several days, several end mills and fair amount of aluminium!
Step

Hi Step. It goes G20 when no prog is loaded. So that answers your other questions. Because it is rare and intermittent I cant find the trigger. All seems well so I stop watching for it - Then I notice the status is back on G20.

thanks. Keen

[keen]

I have had a similar problem occasionally, after the machine has sat idle, try to set z zero and it reads the tool length of the tool in the tool window. I shut the computer down and rebooted and it zeros fine after that, this has happened about 3 times so far, a reboot fixes it.

another time I ran a program after it had sat idle for some time and the readouts were working erratically, I noticed it as the program was new and I was checking the z depth to see what the readout indicated after each pass, it wasnt moving on Z down but the dtg was, kind of wierd, but the part ran correctly in spite of this.

To date Pathpilot has ran perfectly, just cant say the same for the readouts.

I dont use metric so cant comment on that.

Hi Mike

I am getting deeper into this and it is also like your issue - I am waiting on tormach - more later. Thanks. Keen

[keen]

Thats very odd, hopefully you'll get it worked out soon. In the meantime, if you are worried about this happening during a program you could include the 3 lines:

o100 if [#<_imperial> EQ 1]
G21 (or M02)
o100 endif

I don't know how much you know about programming, but this is a basic statement that you can use in PathPilot where a condition is checked. If your machine suddenly changes from G21 to G20, there is a global variable (#<_imperial>) who's value will change from 0 to 1. You can use this to to check what state you're in and then have your code switch to either G21 or end the program. Not the best solution, but it's a patch.

Thanks FG. No it is not happening during a prog. cheers. Keen

[keen]

Glad to say my issue has exposed a couple of problems - Tormach have been really responsive and are on to it.

One has just been documented, see issues and tracking 1007 .Hopefully it will be sorted for the next update.

In the mean time be careful using Clear Current Programme (CCP) on v 1.9. If you use this you may initiate unwanted changes such as Z DRO errors or a change in the G20/G21 status.

cheers Keen

[s4t]

Hi Guys. Thanks for your replies.

I have spent quite a bit of time this morning trying get the G21 G20 issue to repeat and soon became aware of another issue perhaps related.
A Z value setting issue. Sometimes I noted the Z would not zero but rather entered 60.00. After much repeating I finally found the sequence that usually triggers the fault:
Load NC code - clear current programme - Z zero - 60.00 appears! (M30 works fine so the problem seems to be work offset not machine offset.)
E stop and reset - issue still there.
If I shut down and reboot, Z will zero. If I load NC code and clear current programme, Z will not zero but enters 60.00. If I change to G20 it will enter 2.3622. It will go to M30 position fine. If I enter Z 0.00, same problem - 60.00 appears
I repeated this several times and each time the same, however on one reboot the reboot froze midway on the Tormach logo. After several minutes I switched it off and it rebooted fine.

keen

I reported that bug a few versions back. I thought it were fixed by now. I just don't use that option anymore. Not really needed anyway unless you don't want someone to look at the code while it's loaded. You don't have to use it to load a new code.

[keen]

I reported that bug a few versions back. I thought it were fixed by now. I just don't use that option anymore. Not really needed anyway unless you don't want someone to look at the code while it's loaded. You don't have to use it to load a new code.

It may be a bit more involved than that s4t....my comment you quote was only the start of it ... did you see issue and tracking 1007 on the PP centre. ...also more may have been unravelled since then.

Although in the mean time like you I am staying away from CCP. I am glad to see Tormach are on the case, so I leave it to them now.

Keen

[s4t]

No i only saw that now that you mentioned it. Might be a while until a rock solid version but it will get there

[keen]

They will. I am making parts - running pathpilot now on my number two 1100 and staying away from CCP - and so far no problems. and keeping an eye on the current status line. Touch wood. Keen

[keen]

Its not over yet 1 - Just struck another issue. Warning for Metric/G21 users - check the tool table after opening/reset - it may still be in inch even though the status states G21 and the main DRO's are in Metric.

I have contacted Tormach again. Never a dull moment. keen

[keen]

And this is not triggered by CCP - I have been avoiding doing that. keen

[Andrevh]

Its not over yet 1 - Just struck another issue. Warning for Metric/G21 users - check the tool table after opening/reset - it may still be in inch even though the status states G21 and the main DRO's are in Metric.

I have contacted Tormach again. Never a dull moment. keen

I saw this today when I installed PathPilot for the first time and was setting up the Tool offsets. Machine was in Metric (G21) and it captured the height offsets in metric.

When i restarted the controller it was still in G21 mode but checking the tool offsets saw that they where in imperial. in the tool table by metric next to the DRO's.

I am now wondering which of the 2 Pathpilot will use when I start running code. Whats was Tormach's response to your query ?.

Andre

[keen]

Hi Andre. It is a refresh problem. As a work around click and enter in the tool offsets table and you should see refresh triggered and all change to G21.

This should be corrected with the next upgrade..

Keen

[Andrevh]

Hi Andre. It is a refresh problem. As a work around click and enter in the tool offsets table and you should see refresh triggered and all change to G21.

This should be corrected with the next upgrade..

Keen

Thanks. Will give that a try.

Andre