[ericscottf]

Hello Techno CNC users,

My name is Eric and I've been with Techno CNC for the past 9+ years. I'm currently responsible for mechanical/structural design and software design. Some of you may have spoken to me in the past.

I'm about finished with the next version of the CNC interface (1.424), which will bring quite a few new features to our products, as well as a few new product lines. The release will coincide with a new controller we're producing as well, but will work with all of our windows based installs. I'm not ready to spoil any surprises yet, but there will be a few nice new features in the upcoming version.

I'm interested in hearing what our users would like to see for the subsequent release (1.425).
To start, the following is already on my list of features being considered:
Skip-to-line starting of files
Cutter compensation
User "can-able" cycles, where you can define a motion in the gcode and call it as a subroutine
Live g-code line by line view while running
Ethernet-based control

Now would be an excellent time for you to chime in and let me know what you'd like to see.

Regards,
Eric

[Montabelli]

first off the top of my head, it would be nice to be able to call a touch off routine as part of a manual tool change. another nice feature would be to be able to call a routine to have the machine find the center of a hole with a tool, that way you could affix a pipe cap or something similar to a fixture then similar to the tool touch off, jog to a position where the tool is in the cup, then " center tool" the tool could move as if finding the center of a hole with a touch probe, then re set xy to the center of the cup. then the operator can put in the appropriate coordinate offsets, and be precisely aligned with the fixture where ever it is placed on the table.

an interface card which would allow for running other amps and motors would be nice too,

[ericscottf]

Touchoff routine as part of a toolchange:
Currently, you can change the tool, then click touchoff or click resume... What would the difference be from what is currently available?

Center finder: What you describe involves me making touchoffs work on X/Y instead of just Z and A. Simple to do, but could introduce some issues. The pipe cap will have to be wired to the touchpad input. If it wasn't well connected, it would break something or drag the part. If the tool in the spindle had an aggressive helix, it might locate on the root on one side and the cutting edge on the other side -- so a dowel pin should be inserted... In other words, easy for me to implement, hard for people to use properly.
For the mean time, try the following:
Go to one edge of the part
Zero the axis you're up against the part in
move that axis to the other side of the part
click Goto
Click the axis letter on the keyboard (X or Y)
Click the letter H on the keyboard (stands for HALF)
The goto box for that axis will be divided by two
click go
it will move to the center of the hole
click Zero
Click the axis

So the following combination, after zeroing on one side in X and jogging to the opposite:
g
x
h
g
z
x
will result in being zeroed in X at the center of a void.

Amps:
Our new controller is completely modular.
The things I'm ready to release:

Out of the box, it will support several styles of new amplifier, and a hacker/tinkerer will have no problem wiring up pretty much any amplifier they wish to use (no steppers yet -- but eventually... I don't think it'll be popular, but I'll do it just because I can)

No more high-pin-count cable - uses an off-the-shelf cable available at staples, officemax, amazon, etc, etc (I won't say which one yet)

PCI OR PCI-e interface (two different cards)

There's plenty more coming, but we're not ready to talk about it yet, as we want to launch these features in a more official way.

Please keep the suggestions coming.

Eric

[Montabelli]

the center finder could easily work with a manual edge finder( to avoid breaking any thing), as long as it conducts the cup to ground a revers type probe so to speak. it would be nice to be able to do calculations in macros for such things. this feature would probably be used as a stand alone but it would be nice to be able to call it. it could also be set up to use as an edge finder, nothing much more than a side ways touch off. don't underestimate the value of this type of thing to your users.

[ericscottf]

One way or another, something is going to have to be electrically isolated to make that work. I don't see it having a lot of adoption by many people, but it won't take me long to add it in. I'll put it on my list.

What about your other request, touchoff after manual tool change? How does that differ from what we have now?

Eric

[Montabelli]

currently, i am writing a g code routine which moves to a clear tool chage place and then pauses(M0), then moves up to a touch off position (touch pad attached to the tail center on my 4th (rotary) axis, and pauses then I jog the z down an do the touch off routine then un pause, then the program moves to x0 y0 z0 and then resets the z to the needed z offset (g92) and runs the balance of the tool path.

it would just simplify the process if once the tool were changed I or any other non atc guys could just call a touch off routine that would move to a specicied location and moved to a safe z height range and then automatically touched off and set the offset for the given tool and resumed the program.

I routinely run 2 to 5 tool changes to a given part. as much automation and linking of toolpaths to reduce opportunities for errors the better

[ericscottf]

The touchoff safe spot routine you describe is already in the software.

Define the spot in Setup->advanced->touchpad and remote

then when touching off, click Touchoff, Spot.

Regards,
Eric

[Montabelli]

I know, but how about a call from g code to automate that part? Including the touch off itself.

[ericscottf]

Since you're changing tools manually... why not do the touchoff before you hit resume after the change?

[Montabelli]

if the position on the table for changing the bit is not convenient to the touch off position, which I always do on the form itself, then I have to jog over there and then do the touch off. the more that is automated, the better. if that weren't the case, atc would never have been invented. occasional errors of the human kind sneak in with greater numbers of manual operations, if I can build in virtually all the variables all that is left is for the operator to put in the wrong tool.

[ericscottf]

There is a specific function -- touchoff Spot. It is exactly what you're asking for, though not called by gcode. It goes to a specific spot that you define in setup->advanced-touchpad and remote

Instead of clicking Tool, Touchoff Z, you click Tool, Spot.

Available in V 1.421 and higher.

Eric

[Montabelli]

close but not exactly, the touch off spot will vary with the from and tool paths and location of said form on the table. I would like to be able to control it from with in the g code, the more ways you let me do what I want the way I want to do it the happier I am, I recognize that I am a cantankerous old coot with a penchant for trying to reinvent the wheel, but you asked. Experience tells me that I can't trust homing switches for very long as I have trashed too many of them over the last 20 years, hence the positioning cup, the edge finding and the touch off ideas. since I have two machines, I don't always cut on the same machine, so I have to align with the form, not the machine home. if it can't be done that's fine, I just think if I could I'd like to do it my way.

[ericscottf]

I don't mind talking about ideas, crazy or otherwise, I'm just having a hard time figuring out what you want to do, how you want to do it, and what problem it's solving.

You don't trust home switches, so you want to specify a tool touchoff location in G-code instead of in the software... how does that eliminate mistrust of switches?

I'm just... confused.

Eric

[Montabelli]

every product i make has it's own specific vacuum form. each for has a reference hole and location in it. it is tedious but I put the tool in and jog to the location of the hole and then align the tool center with the center of the hole. when it will drop in the hole and not bind on any edge when manually turned then I know the relative position of the spindle to the tool path, and form then I can reset the xy with the the required location. that is my current procedure. now I know where I am in cyberspace. then I touch off, since I may have 5 tool changes on a given part, and since I need to have different length offsets from z0 I can envision a system where I would build the information which is contained in the setup sheets into the program giving me a semi automatic tool change arrangement. I see this as working best for me if I can set the location for the touch off in the g code and then once I resume after the tool change it automatically goes and touches off adjusts the length offset and runs to the next tool change.

come to think of it could I then have an io that would run an alarm relay for tool changes since between the vacuum pump and dust collection noise I dont always hear the pause for tool change when the spindle shuts down?

[ericscottf]

You can wire your coolant output to an alarm if you wish!

Eric

[RandK]

I share Montabelli's challenges with manual tool changes and fixture registration. I machine reference edges in X and Y (instead of the bit drop method) and use an edge finder. Being able to touch X and Y in addition to Z would save time and increase precision. Depending on the fixture sometimes I touch Z to the top-of-stock or to the fixture plate base on the same part.

I would also like to see cutter compensation added so I don't have to make a bunch of program versions because one type of cutter is a little more undersized.

I use offsets for my various subfixtures and would like to have G-code control of those. Editing offset fields and being able to read longer offset names was broken in 422. I don't know if 423 fixed that but if not I would really like to see those back to working.

I appreciate that Techno is putting effort into improving the controller.

[ericscottf]

Would you put a dowel pin in to do an X/Y touchoff? Certainly, you couldn't use a cutter. If you used an edgefinder, you'd have to electrically isolate it and wire that in. Perhaps you're keen to do that.

Cutter compensation is mostly done and is being tested by a select few. It will be released for a more widely available beta "shortly".

Please explain what parts of offsets broke in 422, I have no knowledge of something being changed/broken in that area. Please elaborate!

[RandK]

For the X/Y touchoff I could use the body from a old-style steel audible edgefinder (no head). Since it is so time consuming I only do this process when I am reinstalling my garolite fixture base to the table or verifying that the base or subfixture is exactly where I think it is. Being able to touchoff would let me figure out the new offset values for the repositioned base.

The settable fields in the offset screen in 422 do not allow editing as other fields in the program do. I can't click them, use cursor to position within them, use the delete key, highlight replace -- all the normal stuff. I have offsets made in 377 that are now too long to view in the field box and I can't use the end or cursor right keys to scroll over to read the value. I can use the backspace key to erase and replace but that's all that works.

[ericscottf]

Offsets: You're talking about a change that actually happened long ago (420). I put in the grid so we could expand past 10 stored offsets.

You're the first person to complain about the editability of those fields. I've actually got a fix for that in some of the other things i've written, I'll drag it over and it'll probably wind up in 1.424.

Eric

[RandK]

I had let James know during the 422 beta about the offset fields. The extra offsets are nice but then I really need good naming conventions so I can remember what they are for.... I put the date at the end of the description and there's pretty much no way to read that far over now. Thank you for fixing that !