[dannystooblue]

I like your screens, they look very clean and neat. I don't have anything to try them on right now but may at some point. Thanks for sharing the hard work.


Danny

[BobWarfield]

Gerry, I like the Aqua screen set. Seems to cover most of the functionality I use in Mach3. A couple of thoughts:

- Would love to have +/- rocker buttons on the Slow Jog % and Jog Increment values. +/- 5% for slow jog and +/- stepping through the table of jog increments. I get a lot of mileage out of the jog increments in particular, because I toggle between 0.001, 0.0005, and 0.0001 increments.

- Wondering where you see plugging in a probing screen? It's so easy to set up a tool touch plate for tool height or an electronic edge finder. Hoss and others have done the macros. Would be nice to get a button in there somewhere and a screen for that stuff.

- One more: I love that you save us a step selecting a Wizard. The next way to save some steps with Wizards would be to clean up the Wizard selection box. I wish it was bigger, so we could see more of the Wizards without scrolling. Even more I wish there was a "most frequently used" Wizard choice at the top that just showed the last Wizard you'd used. While I use many wizards, I go to the same one constantly in the shop as I fiddle with parameters. I like the Newfangled too, and that takes scrolling to get to it. You could save me a lot of steps there!

That's all for now! I'm going to try using these for a while and see how I do.

BTW, I've never played with making screens. Did you give us everything we need to modify these? I might add that jog increment stuff myself if you don't do it.

Cheers,

BW

PS This set looks like the cat's meow for a touch screen. Ought to be a lot better than the default screens for that. I have a touchscreen, but am not using it yet, but I've got an eye out for that kind of functionality.

[ger21]

Bob, I was going to use the current MPG/Jog screen to add the probing stuff. (Accessed with the TAB key). Unfortunately, I don't have any time right now to work on it. I have a ton of Photoshop files that are too big to post here. Adding buttons is tricky do to the gradient backgrounds. You can't just change the text on a button, because the background changes depending on vertical placement. If you want access to the files, I can make them available. PM me.

[ger21]

Here are the Photoshop files, if anyone wants to modify these screens. It's a 20+MB download, though.
http://tinyurl.com/pps585

There is a main file for each page, with each control on it's own layer. I turn most of the layers off to export the .png. Look at the actual .png files in the bitmap folder to see how I did it.

Because of the gradient backgrounds, buttons aligned left to right can share the same background. So you should find a single file for each horizontal row of buttons (in each control section). You can change the text and export a different .png for each button. You'll notice that there is duplicate text on buttons with the drop shadows. One under the highlight, with the drop shadow, and one above the highlight, without the shadow. This keeps the shadow below the highlight, and the text on top where it's more legible.

[BobWarfield]

Gerry, thanks again for the great screen set. I have added a button to change the jog increment, a function I use often. I simply replaced the "Jog Increment" label with a green button that cycles the increments.

Those that want to download, can access from my web site here:

http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCMillCNCMachScreenset.htm

Gerry, I'll send you a PM with the info if you want to integrate this change into your default screen set.

Best,

BW

[ger21]

Bob, how about something like this?

[BobWarfield]

Gerry, that'd be great!

Some other thoughts, though I'm getting ahead.

One of the things I really like about the screen set is that it seems well suited to a touch screen. I'm on a laptop at the moment, but I'll be digging out the touchscreen real soon.

Towards that end, would be nice to be able to trigger the <tab> Jog Flyout from the touchscreen. I'm thinking you could make the Artsoft logo do that?

You had mentioned adding probing there, so that's another reason it makes me think of it.

I'm also wondering what your thoughts are for accessing some of the other features that exist in 1024.set but not yet in Aqua.

For example, the Offsets and Diagnostics screens? Or the program limits info that's available on the Toolpath screen?

Sorry, I'm pretty stuck on Aqua. Was making some DRO mounting brackets with it tonight.

Sweet screen set!

Cheers,

BW

[ger21]

What exactly do you need on those screens. I didn't want to make a set with 5 screens. Something simpler, since most don't need everything.

Give me specific items and I'll see what I can do. Or, if I want to do it.

[BobWarfield]

Program limits is one I already mentioned. It's a useful check that something isn't too totally scewed up on the g-code program you're about to run.

Offsets is pretty essential, especially tool offsets if you're using a repeatable tooling system of some kind or a toolchanger. I would be tempted to look at what Hoss did around his changer and do something that works for both the changer and the hand change crowd. Either way it is critical productivity stuff for milling (and probably for tunring too).

Diagnostics is perhaps the least commonly used, but when you need it you need it.

All the Mach functions are there for a reason. I'll grant a lot of it needs to be submerged somewhere because it is seldom used, but I wouldn't say that it is never used and should be inaccessible from a screen set. Even if you simply include the old screens and deal with their ugliness for seldom used functions you'd be ahead. Over time they can be built to take on the Aqua look.

No worries though. I see how to make these screens now, so I can always forge ahead on my own.

Cheers,

BW

[Jason3]

+1 for program limits. I particularly like them available on my small mill (no limit switches) to check I'm not going to overrun an axis I know I should install limit switches, but somehow that job never seems to come to the top of the heap.

Still enjoying the new screen, by the way

Regards,

Jason

[ger21]

They're not labeled, but the program limits are displayed below the "Load G-Code" button. I had it labeled in an earlier version, but the A axis DRO's took up the space.

If you need the Diagnostics, it only takes 15 seconds to load the 1024.set screenset. I can't justify the 30 hours of work to duplicate an existing screen.

I already have the Work Offsets, so I guess you'd only need the tool offsets?

[Jason3]

They're not labeled, but the program limits are displayed below the "Load G-Code" button. I had it labeled in an earlier version, but the A axis DRO's took up the space.

They are too. My apologies, I have to admit I figured that out, even used them a few times - then forgot about that when Bob mentioned including them!

Oops

Jason

[ger21]

Update.

Added some buttons to the jogging area. Added a + and - to adjust the slow jog %, and for the incremental jog, added 3 buttons. Inc. cycles through the increments set in General Config. + and - increase and decrease by .1 on my machine. Not sure if this is settable anywhere?

CV Button. On the Settings page, the G64 "button" was just an LED. It's now a button that toggles between G61/G64.

Last thing, Pause LED. Not sure if it works, because it doesn't work in the version I have installed, 3.043. Can someone let me know if the pause button flashes when paused, and what version you're running if it does. I've heard the Pause LED works in the lockdown versions, but not the development (maybe just some?) versions.

http://tinyurl.com/ptdg5g

[ger21]

Started on it, but it'll probably be another week until it's finished.

[Jason3]

Gerry, that looks REALLY good!

I've always painstakingly jogged down then inched up until I can slip a gauge under the tool, then typed the thickness into the DRO, thinking every time there must be a better way, and that I WILL find it... one day

Best regards,

Jason

[ger21]

All done, just need to add the code.

[Switcher]

Gerry,

Your screen looks GREAT!

[ger21]

Version 1.04

Changed A axis scale to Rotation Diameter for 4 axis work. Should have always been this way. The A Scale button image is included if you want to change it back.

Removed Z axis Auto Zero button. Replaced with Go To Safe Z.

Added Flyout window for Ernie's Probing routines.
http://cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56079
I copied these from Ernie's modified Mach Blue screenset. They have NOT been tested. I would really appreciate if someone could test these for me.
These can be accessed with the TAB key, or by clicking the Artsoft logo (for Bob and his touchscreen )

Also added a (very) short .pdf manual.




http://tinyurl.com/pz8az9

[BobWarfield]

Jerry, totally awesome man!

This is a big upgrade for Aqua, I love it.

I have an edgefinder project underway. It's kind of on the back burner, but I have a Fowler LED edgefinder I broke with an errant job. I discovered you can take it apart and turn it into an edgefinder for Mach3. So far only tested with ohm meter. I need to make a wiring harness back to Mach3 to an input on my Smoothstepper and then try out these new capabilities.

One thought. I notice on Hoss's edgefinder screen he also has corner finding:

http://www.hossmachine.info/forum/ya...ool-Probe.aspx

Evidently there are routines available for it.

Cheers,

BW

[mindstorm88]

Hi Gerry , your screens are great !!! , i'm using it right now , and i found out that the Contact Led in the Z auto zero screen is not working , and could not find the small pdf manual !!!

Everything else seems to work, up to now !!!

Thanks a lot !

Bruno