[mikemaat]

Can you "step" with a keyboard attached to the PC? Also, when you change between continuous and jog as well as the step increments, do the changes reflect visually in mach3 on the "virtual pendant" (hit the TAB key)

[TCGliderguy]

It figures…. I started up my Mach3 computer, and the iPad Pendant…. just to confirm that the stepping was working with the keyboard, and now everything is working just fine. For whatever reason, the machine was ignoring the step commands from the iPad before….. ?????

Now I just need to get the Z probe working. I assume that this is accomplished through a macro (which I have ZERO experience with…) Is there a quick hint on getting this macro to work with the pendant?

Thanks for the help!

-Taylor

[mikemaat]

Hehe, not saying it was Mach3's fault......but the program can be really "enjoyable" to work with sometimes

Yep, you'll need to accomplish that through a macro. I suggest doing some research on CNCzone for Z probe and getting it all working within mach3 before worrying about mach pendant. Then when you have the macro fully working, you can set up a macro button in machpendant to call the same macro and you're off to the races. Here are some links to get you started.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/cnc-wo...ro-setter.html
Automatic Tool Probe - CNC - The Hossmachine Forum

Be sure to leave some review's on the app store for the app. Everyone says they are going to and so far no one has, even though tons of you have downloaded it! Cheers

[TCGliderguy]

Thanks for the input. I've got the Z axis probing (and X, Y, and "Center of Circle" as well ) working just fine with the MachBlue screen set. Is there a way to copy those macro routines over to the iPad pendant?

-Taylor

[mikemaat]

Okay, I did a little bit of digging. Rather than using Macros in Mach3's macro folder, it looks like the MachBlue/BigTex probing routines are programmed right into the buttons. So, what you can do is download "Mach Screen" which is a screen set editor. Then in that program, open up your "MachBlue.set" file. Click on the button you want to make a macro from (and click the appropriate "Image" in the popup menu - the ones that are 34px X 34px). Next double click on the field beside "Execute Code". The probing routine script will popup. Copy all the text and paste it into a notepad file. Then save that file as something like M999.m1s into your mach3 macros folder for whatever profile you are using (typically c:\mach3\macros\mach3mill). Then in machpendant use the name you chose (without the .m1s). For instance, name a button as "My Macro" and set the script name to "M999".

Attachment 228046

[TCGliderguy]

Fantastic! I'll try this out, and will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the great support! I posted a review on the Apple iTunes store… hope it gets you a lot more sales! Thanks again!

-Taylor

[TCGliderguy]

Mike,

I am SO frustratingly close. I followed your instructions exactly, copied the button code, and pasted into my macros folder as a .m1s file. But when I click the newly named Macro button on the iPad pendant, I get a "cannot find M999.m1s macro" error message. I opened up the correct macro folder in list view, and I see that the one that I created has a different icon, and when I scroll over it, it shows up as a text file… not as a .m1s file like the other macro files do. If I go to the Properties command, and try to change the app associated with the file, I see that the other macros show up as "non identified"….. (Not quite the right term, but I think you'll get the idea…..

How do I make my new macro file recognizable to Mach3 ?

Thanks!

-Taylor

[TCGliderguy]

Mike,

I think I found the solution. (I'm stuck in my office and can't try it out on my actual cutting computer right now…). I went into the Mach3 > Operator > Visual Basic Editor, pasted in the macro text, and saved it into the Mach3 > Macros > My Machine Profile directory. My test shows up as a .m1s file now…. not as text. Hopefully, this will work on the actual machine as well…..

-Taylor

[TCGliderguy]

Mike,

I got the button code installed into a new macro (I tried M998 this time…), and it now shows up in the list view in the window with an identical .m1s (the same as the "stock" macros that came with the MachBlue.set installation. When I try to run the macro from the pendant, I get an immediate hourglass icon, and all of Mach3 hangs up. I can force quit the application, but then the Mach Loader refuses to run, and I have to hard reboot the computer to get back to work.

As an experiment, I tried installing one of the "stock" macros (that come with the screen set) into the pendant… and I get the same result… a hung computer.

Do you have any suggestions? I would LOVE to get this Z Axis setting working on one of the pendant macro buttons….

Thanks!

-Taylor

[mikemaat]

Try editing your macro and only putting this in it:

Message ("THIS IS A TEST")


Let me know if the message pops up when you click the macro button or if it hangs. Typical developer excuse, but I think there may be some issues going on with Mach depending on what code is in the macro. Try with just that message line and let me know your results and we'll work from there.

[TCGliderguy]

SUCCESS! Per your instruction, I created a macro (M997) in the VB Editor, saved it into the macros> machine profile folder, and entered it into the pendant macros as "TEST". When I clicked it, the "THIS IS A TEST" message came up in the "Status" window on the MachBlue screen ! We have some sort of communication going….. :-)

-Taylor

[mikemaat]

Hmmmm.... So this is somewhat strange. It seems that everything from mach pendant's end is working fine but Mach3 is crashing when running certain macro's through the external commands. Obviously those macros work fine internally for the button script. Let me do a little more digging.......

Can you send me a copy of the macro? Ill do some testing on my end.

[TCGliderguy]

Thanks Mike,

Here's the macro, copied right from the VB Editor window....

Rem VBScript To probe In the z axis
PlateOffset = GetUserDRO(1151) 'Get plate offset DRO
CurrentFeed = GetOemDRO(818) 'Get the current feedrate to return to later

If GetOemLed (825) <> 0 Then 'Check to see if the probe is already grounded or faulty
Code "(Z-Plate is grounded, check connection and try again)" 'this goes in the status bar if aplicable
Else
DoOEMButton(1010) 'Zero Z dro'
rem Code "G4 P5" 'Pause 1 seconds to give time to position probe plate
Code "F3" 'slow down feedrate to x ipm

Rem Probe In the z direction
Code "G31Z-1"
While IsMoving() 'wait for probe move to finish
Wend

ZProbe = GetVar(2002) 'read the touch point
Code "G0Z" &ZProbe 'move back to hit point incase there was overshoot
While IsMoving ()
Wend

Call SetOEMDRO (802, PlateOffset) 'set the Z axis DRO to plate thickness
While IsMoving ()
Wend
Code "G0 Z0.25" 'put the Z retract height you want here
While IsMoving ()
Wend
Code "(Z axis is now zeroed)" 'puts this message in the status bar
rem Code "G0 Z0.25"
Code "F" &CurrentFeed 'Returns to prior feed rate
End If

[mikemaat]

Try typing M997 in your MDI in mach3 and see if the auto zero runs. If it does, try typing it into the MDI on mach pendant and see if it runs. Let me know what you find out. We'll eliminate all the variables until we get to the bottom of it

[TCGliderguy]

MORE SUCCESS! I assumed that you meant M999 (M997 was the macro I created that posts the "THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE"). The M999 runs fine from both the computer keyboard, and by typing it into the pendant interface. :-)

[mikemaat]

Give this a try, replace the server applet version you have directly with it. Ignore the "new version available" alert, this is a beta release. This *should* bypass any issues mach has with running macros from external input. Instead, its going to simulate entering the macro number in the MDI, which should circumvent the problem (and as a user you wont know the difference).

[TCGliderguy]

That works like a Champion! Thank you VERY much! If there is anything that I can do to help with additional testing, troubleshooting,etc., please let me know I feel like I owe you for support that is far "above and beyond".

Thanks again!

-Taylor

[mikemaat]

Great, ill push it to general release now

If you get a chance, upload some video on youtube or something so I can see your setup in action with Mach Pendant!

[TCGliderguy]

That's a great idea! I will do it…… I installed the "Find a Center of the Pipe" macro that is built into the MachBlue.set as well. I have a little gizmo with a hole and cross hairs that are etched into a piece of plexiglass, with an aluminum tube centered on the hole. I can sight down through the cross hairs to place the device on a precise point, and then use the macro to center the router bit exactly over the hole.

Of course, if I had a few more macro buttons on the pendant, I could add the "Find Minus X"; Find Positive X", Find Minus Y" and Find Positive Y" buttons as macros as well…… :-)

One thing that I did learn from this exercise was that you can use the Mach3 > Operators > Edit Button Text command…. and then click on any button to display that text. Then a simple "Select All" and "Copy" records the text. Then you can open the Operators > VB Text Editor and the button text that was just copied will be already displayed… ready to save as a .M1s macro….

[TCGliderguy]

Mike (And Anyone else who might be interested….)

I just uploaded a video to YouTube…… you can see the MachPendant in action at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVheM0mFHk8

Hope this helps!

-Taylor