[vmax549]

Has anyone had any luck with creating a mouseless UCcnc and NOT use a touchscreen. More an more shops will not allow in a controller that is strictly Mouse controlled and I have been looking for solutions that imulate a comercial controller that uses Tab and hotkeys. Teh hotkeys are easy in UCcnc but there is NO tabbing to select features like DROs for input.

Any ideas out there??

(;-) TP

[Jon.N.CNC]

Has anyone had any luck with creating a mouseless UCcnc and NOT use a touchscreen. More an more shops will not allow in a controller that is strictly Mouse controlled and I have been looking for solutions that imulate a comercial controller that uses Tab and hotkeys. Teh hotkeys are easy in UCcnc but there is NO tabbing to select features like DROs for input.

Any ideas out there??

(;-) TP

Sounds like you just need to write a little plugin that calls the button number when an assigned key is pressed similar to how you can call buttons in a macro. Im having a pendent developed that a similar plugin has already been written and uses this principle, im not c++ literate and haven't laid my hands on the plugin yet so i cant tell you exactly how its done. pretty straight forward though i believe.

[vmax549]

I am not aware of any code in a plugin that allows you to select a DRO for manual input from teh keyboard . Hotkeys are easy you can do them in UCcnc directly.

(;-) TP

[Jon.N.CNC]

I am not aware of any code in a plugin that allows you to select a DRO for manual input from teh keyboard . Hotkeys are easy you can do them in UCcnc directly.

(;-) TP

each dro value is variable that can be edited directly I'm sure, another way would be to create a temporary variables, something like on key stroke x a window pops up with blank field to input dro, on keystroke enter store temp variable to x dro.

Like I say not c++ literate, so that's a pretty rough idea of how I would imagine you could do it.

Or the plugin could set cursor position over say x dro when x is pressed and simulate mouse press. Not as neat but possible also.

[vmax549]

I was think more along the lines of how Commercial controller do it with tabbing (;-) Tab over to the DRO and enter teh value. But it seems that tabbing in UCcnc was turned off.

(;-) TP

[Jon.N.CNC]

I was think more along the lines of how Commercial controller do it with tabbing (;-) Tab over to the DRO and enter teh value. But it seems that tabbing in UCcnc was turned off.

(;-) TP

o right, never thought of doing that, pretty ugly way of doing it though. Axis press x,y,or z etc type value enter. No need to look at the screen and less room for accidental edit of wrong dro

[mrprecise]

How does Hass work? They have a large button panel but I have only seen them in operation at a demo. And, what is the big need for editing a particular DRO? Just curious as a CNC user, and three time builder of CNC controlled machines.

I do understand a mouse is not desirable to control the machine; I have a vistaCNC pendant, and it is pretty nice to get things going and monitor everything. I can start, stop, set home, job in steps, jog fast, start spindle, stop spindle, control federate, and more.

I am a user of UCCNC, but still use Mach3, with both on one of my smaller machines. UCCNC looks to be the real deal as things are going.

I ask these questions, as I am planning a fairly large task converting my big 4-axis bed mill (1989 vintage) with toolchanger to UCC in the next year and will be building a new panel.

John

[vmax549]

(;-) Lets say you are going to reset a program and need to start mid program. You KNOW where the reference point is AND you know what the position values are. So you jog over to the exact point BUT you need to reset the XY Axis Dros to that position. How are you going to do that without a mouse in UCcnc ??

Lets say you need to fudge the tool table values For T#6 . How are you going to do that without a mouse in UCcnc ??

Lets say you need to adjust the table offset values for G56 ????

I can do it now but it took creating a plugin to get it done. That is not for the average Joe chip slingger to try an figure out. You should be able to tab through the screenset and use the keyboard to do everything on screen without a mouse. The mouse if used should be teh convenience NOT the required function to make the control work.

Now Hotkeys are super simple to setup in UCcnc (;-) BUT you still cannot access a DRO field with them.

In most modern Controls you use a combination of Tab, CNTRL Tab, Alt Tab, Shift Tab to move around teh screen. AND when you have tabbed over to a function it HIGHLIGHTS teh function so you KNOW you are at the correct spot.

[robertspark]

by "mouseless" does that include stuff like the shuttlePro? Or is it more of a screen moving pointer issue?

(uccnc plugin required though.... but could a button not be programmed to pop up a X,Y,Z,A,B,C DRO? and then enter directly. given it is plugin based it's not keyboard tab dependant then..... note I know close to zero about plugins and their creation....)

[OlfCNC]

I think "mousless" means to control with keyboard only without hacing a mouse.I have touchscreen and mouse too so I'm not worrying much about tabing, but I agree that it would be nice to have tabing also.

[vmax549]

THere is NO macro function currently that will let you access a DRO Next version MAYBE (;-) It has NOT been tested yet to verify.

The absolute best overall way to control a CNC is from the control panel/Keypad, Next comes touchscreen( not as dependable) . Mice and trackballs are out of the question in some areas(Safety).
Sit in front of teh screen and think about it and put your mouse away out of reach or sight. Now picture HOW you are going to get around and access functions to be able to do your job.

I do this with every controller I test to see IF they meet job shop criteria (;-) or NOT.

(;-) TP

[Jon.N.CNC]

THere is NO macro function currently that will let you access a DRO Next version MAYBE (;-) It has NOT been tested yet to verify.

The absolute best overall way to control a CNC is from the control panel/Keypad, Next comes touchscreen( not as dependable) . Mice and trackballs are out of the question in some areas(Safety).
Sit in front of teh screen and think about it and put your mouse away out of reach or sight. Now picture HOW you are going to get around and access functions to be able to do your job.

I do this with every controller I test to see IF they meet job shop criteria (;-) or NOT.

(;-) TP

If you can write c++ you can control every function of uccnc, if not from known function handles, you could go as far as interegating memory and altering the values there. But that is unnecessary as you can write a plugin that records the keyboard inputs and writes it to the dro using the macro command.

Sorry if this sounds a little vague, I'm not familiar with the language, only know it can be done this way. Will know more once I get a similar plugin back from a guy that's writing it for me.

Having keyboard only could be quite complicated i would imagine tho, lots of sequences of keys to remember. Maybe combined with a pendant you could simplify the keyboard somewhat by shifting all the jogging and homing buttons to the pendant.

A crude way you could do this is use a macro program that supports mouse control I.e on key press run coresponding key macro which is move cursor to an x y position on screen and mouse press. Automate can do this but it's massively pricey, however there is a free one called tiny task that may be able to do this. Or you can go to accessibility options in Windows and control the mouse with keyboard arrow keys also. Don't know if this will conflict with uccnc jogging though.

[vmax549]

Running CNC from the control panel/Keyboard with tabbing is as easy as falling off of a rock (;-) Been there done that 40 + years now.

It is easier than a mouse (;-)

Keyboard complicated NOPE on teh screen button it has a name of the button right simply add teh Hotkey name {F24} . Think about it you had to read teh button name in order to find it with a mouse. with teh keyboard you do not have to move teh curser over to teh SMALL button then click it. You look at teh button name then press teh Key.

SAME as with a mouse( you have to learn where teh buttons are at) once you learn teh hotkeys it is easier and faster than Mice.

TAbbing is the best of teh worlds over hotkeys. You move thought teh control with tabs . Things like CntrlTab changes pages AltTab moves through groups on teh page , TAB moves inter group.

Easy peasy if you sit down and look at it and there are no hotkeys to create or maintain. What you see is what you get.

There are actually only a few Buttons or DROS that you use on a normal basis to run teh machine. I have done the studies and testing on this many times.

We have tested the 2 processes Mouse VS mouseless side by side and in blind testing Keyboard won 99% of teh time.

[vmax549]

With UCcnc you do NOT have to learn C++. You can use C# and create a plugin to do all that. And from there you have full access to all the internals of UCcnc and teh exec.functions and teh AS3 functions of teh main program/screen. I have done JUST that to test teh process. I created a MOUSELESS Uccnc

BUT a user should NOT have to do that just to run the machine (;-) That is a basic GUI feature that should be on every CNC controller.

Just a thought, (;-) TP