[NickB00]

I emailed Omio about the crappy Mach 3 screen and they said it should be good on a 1024 x 768 screen which I tried but made no difference.
I am running Windows 7 on an old emachine laptop which is a wide screen so I plugged in an old monitor for XP computers and made no difference.
No matter what I do I get a crappy looking screen. Oh well, I think..
cheers

Nick the OMIO version of Mach3 is just preset with all the values like motor steps, velocity and acceleration rates etc etc

The program itself is plain old Mach3, which is as old as it looks and optimised to run on windows XP age machines. I have a cheap and nasty PC and monitor running it which has a screen resolution comparable to a game boy colour, it looks a little blocky and old school but it does the job and I can see everything fine.

I was running it on a modern laptop before that which had a resolution a bit above 1080p, can't remember what it was exactly, and it still looked crap but I don't remember it being difficult to see anything so you should be ok. If you're on windows 10 I think there's an option now to upscale programs which might help.


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[Sterob]

Is your monitor set to its native Resolution and Refresh rate?

Steve

[NickB00]

Hi Steve,
Yeah tried that and all other resolutions. The Mach 3 screen is long and narrow and even on a big monitor its average quality.
Bit of a pain but doable.
thanks..

Is your monitor set to its native Resolution and Refresh rate?

Steve

[Sterob]

Worth posting a pic so we can see whats going on?

[NickB00]

Here is a pic of the diagnostics screen, it looks clear initially but hard to actually read the writing.
I struggle to read the input signals and similar sized writing, and it is all at the native resolution of 1024 x768 as recommended.

Worth posting a pic so we can see whats going on?

[Sterob]

It looks like you have 2 problems, that I can see.
First, your 'desktop' does not appear to be aligned to your Monitor correctly,
and your Mach 3 window is not set to 'full screen'.

Fix them and see how it looks.

[NickB00]

The only way I can get full screen is to reduce the screen resolution to 800 x 600 and again it is not very clear.
I am running Mach 3 thru a widescreen laptop (emachine) windows 7 32 bit, and because this screen is so small I have plugged in another monitor
to make it physically bigger. So at 800 x 600 it fits the width of the monitor but not the depth. I will take another pic today.
thanks..

It looks like you have 2 problems, that I can see.
First, your 'desktop' does not appear to be aligned to your Monitor correctly,
and your Mach 3 window is not set to 'full screen'.

Fix them and see how it looks.

[RCaffin]

I think you have a FONT problem. The font which the Mach screen is asking for is not on your machine, so a substitute has been used. Unfortunately, the substitute is not a good choice. Normally that screen, and all the other, have quite good displays. Mind you, a better photo would certainly help!

This font problem is especially obvious on the Spindle Toggle button and the ones under it. My font is smaller and fits on the button.

OK, so what font is missing? Um - I don't know. I would have thought it would be included in the Mach3 package. I assume that the screen was generated from VB, but maybe not.

Cheers
Roger

[NickB00]

I think you could be right. It is really only the writing that is hard to read.
Not sure how to fix this. I am using the Mach 3 setup that came with my machine from OMio.
I will take a better photo today so you can see..
cheers..

I think you have a FONT problem. The font which the Mach screen is asking for is not on your machine, so a substitute has been used. Unfortunately, the substitute is not a good choice. Normally that screen, and all the other, have quite good displays. Mind you, a better photo would certainly help!

This font problem is especially obvious on the Spindle Toggle button and the ones under it. My font is smaller and fits on the button.

OK, so what font is missing? Um - I don't know. I would have thought it would be included in the Mach3 package. I assume that the screen was generated from VB, but maybe not.

Cheers
Roger

[dharmic]

Tool presetter - I tend to set zero on the top of my workpiece (stock) so I know, scanning through G-code, that any moves with a positive Z are safe and any negatives are under the safe retract plane.

Every tool change I pop the tool setter on top of my material and run the auto set cycle to re-zero the tip.

If I can't do it that way, say because I've put the workpiece in a vice and removed all of the z=0 surface in a previous operation, I've hopefully realised this would happen ahead of time and instead zero off the bed on the first tool, then run a G31 down to the top of the workpiece. Take the difference and subtract the tool setter height and I now know how high my Z=0 plane is off the deck. Then I set any tool changes on the deck, and subtract that height after the autoset to get my tool position relative to the top. Lots of words make it sound harder than it is.

[NickB00]

So do you use the tool presetter to zero your tool at the top of the workpiece or just touch the workpiece with the cutting tool without the presetter?
When I have tried to use the presetter say at a toolchange, the new tool runs high over the workpiece and does not touch it. Do I have to subtract the height of the presetter?
I thought that would have been done by Mach 3 as the presetter height has been set by me where it says H. Also Mach 3 wont accept a value for H unless I have given it a Tool # above.
As you say, if the top of the piece has been machined down (as it happened for me) and you need to change a tool, then how do you actually do a G31 command?
many thanks..
Nick

Tool presetter - I tend to set zero on the top of my workpiece (stock) so I know, scanning through G-code, that any moves with a positive Z are safe and any negatives are under the safe retract plane.

Every tool change I pop the tool setter on top of my material and run the auto set cycle to re-zero the tip.

If I can't do it that way, say because I've put the workpiece in a vice and removed all of the z=0 surface in a previous operation, I've hopefully realised this would happen ahead of time and instead zero off the bed on the first tool, then run a G31 down to the top of the workpiece. Take the difference and subtract the tool setter height and I now know how high my Z=0 plane is off the deck. Then I set any tool changes on the deck, and subtract that height after the autoset to get my tool position relative to the top. Lots of words make it sound harder than it is.

[Mmpie]

So do you use the tool presetter to zero your tool at the top of the workpiece or just touch the workpiece with the cutting tool without the presetter?
When I have tried to use the presetter say at a toolchange, the new tool runs high over the workpiece and does not touch it. Do I have to subtract the height of the presetter?
I thought that would have been done by Mach 3 as the presetter height has been set by me where it says H. Also Mach 3 wont accept a value for H unless I have given it a Tool # above.
As you say, if the top of the piece has been machined down (as it happened for me) and you need to change a tool, then how do you actually do a G31 command?
many thanks..
Nick

Nick, you don't enter the height in the tool offset table. Leave that alone, you do not need it with these ER taper spindles.

You set the height of the tool setter in the offsets page, from memory I think it's the gauge block bit.


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[NickB00]

Just had a look and there are 2 places on the Offsets Page showing the Guage Block height, top left and bottom right.
Do you fill them both out or is the 2nd one for a toolchange?
cheers..

Nick, you don't enter the height in the tool offset table. Leave that alone, you do not need it with these ER taper spindles.

You set the height of the tool setter in the offsets page, from memory I think it's the gauge block bit.


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[NickB00]

Hey Guys, I have finally done my first job with my Omio X4-800L CNC Machine!
I did this one using Artcam which is an awesome program to use. Many thanks to you that have answered all my dumb questions (but wait.... there will be more)
but at least now I have made a good start and amazed how good these machines really are!
So thanks heaps everyone for your help!
Blown away!
cheers
Nick

[Mmpie]

So I'm running it at 1366 x 768 (max for that monitor).

And it looks like this




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[dharmic]

What Mmpie says. There are different approaches you can use, but using the tool length offset in the tool table is more for bigger machines with tool holders (eg BT30 etc) where you set up and measure, accurately, the tool in the holder and leave it there. In that environment you'd probably not even use the dinky tool probe that we have, you'd use a proper tool setter with a dial on it to accurately dial things in.

For us, every time the tool changes, we just set the workspace Z offset to zero it in wherever it needs to be. Yes you need to set the "gauge height" so that after the auto-set macro runs it subtracts the height of the gauge. I think by default the macro zips up 10mm from wherever it zeros, so check the Z workspace coordinate in the DROs at the end of the auto set cycle. For example, my tool probe is 19.24mm high. So every time I run the auto-set, it finishes at Z=29.24mm.

[NickB00]

OK so dont use the tool table on the main screen, set it up in the offsets page and it will subtract the tool setter height.
The Z axis then goes up to presetter height + 10mm, so do you have to zero the Z at this time on the DRO?
I am going to have a play with this today but it is so cold in the garage...also I 3D printed a dust shoe which I need to check-fit..
thanks.

What Mmpie says. There are different approaches you can use, but using the tool length offset in the tool table is more for bigger machines with tool holders (eg BT30 etc) where you set up and measure, accurately, the tool in the holder and leave it there. In that environment you'd probably not even use the dinky tool probe that we have, you'd use a proper tool setter with a dial on it to accurately dial things in.

For us, every time the tool changes, we just set the workspace Z offset to zero it in wherever it needs to be. Yes you need to set the "gauge height" so that after the auto-set macro runs it subtracts the height of the gauge. I think by default the macro zips up 10mm from wherever it zeros, so check the Z workspace coordinate in the DROs at the end of the auto set cycle. For example, my tool probe is 19.24mm high. So every time I run the auto-set, it finishes at Z=29.24mm.

[dharmic]

And I get you about cold in the shed. Even though mine's insulated now and we're finally seeing a bit of sun in Perth after a couple of weeks of british style misery, I'm not even a little bit tempted to swap my uggies for steel caps and shuffle down there

[NickB00]

It was 8 degrees in my garage yesterday lunchtime, I was trying to fit a dust-shoe I printed which needed some mods so thankfully I had to go back in the house and there I stayed. Brrrrr... no thanks!

.

And I get you about cold in the shed. Even though mine's insulated now and we're finally seeing a bit of sun in Perth after a couple of weeks of british style misery, I'm not even a little bit tempted to swap my uggies for steel caps and shuffle down there

[NickB00]

Hey Guys, just wondering if any of you have bought or made a DUST SHOE to fit your spindle with a vacuum attachment?
If so can you let me know where you got it or what you made with some pics please!
I tried to print one on my 3d printer but it wont fit as the spindle motor is too close to the Z axis frame and there is maybe 3mm clearance so
the one I printed and others that you can buy on ebay wont fit because of this minimal space and they have 100mm diameter vacuum attachment??? What the.. !! https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/65mm-Spi...53.m1438.l2649
Here is a link to the one I printed. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2019569
cheers Nick