[daniellyall]

pathpilot is better than M3 it has to be it`s new with fast modern hardware mesa (if it was not tormach would look a bit silly). also M4 is better than M3 with a half arse targetry planer. most new programs are, tormach locking the program is a good idea, yes people who know their way around linux can break it.

[keen]

Hi - Have any of you actually used both the shuttle and the vista pendant and can give an objective appraisal?

I would like to know why the Vista P is so great.

Keen

[rdsi]

Vistacnc now has the files on their website for linuxcnc for the P2-S and P4-S. I haven't tried installing it yet on PP, but maybe I will take a shot at this weekend.

I tried the VistaCNC install for LinuxCNC...

First, the pendant itself must be flashed for either linuxCNC or Mach 3 operation. Part of the update includes a flash program & HEX files for doing this. I decided not to try this until I could get PP updated.

Although I'm not really linux savy I can get around and figured out where to put all the statements & files as described in the VistaCNC documentation. After rebooting I just get a controller error & PP fails to load so it was a no-go for me.

I sent an Email off to VistaCNC & a fellow named Lee Newman responded that he would try & work with Tormach to figure out a PP upgrade.

Rather then spend the time figuring this out I'm hoping VistaCNC will come through!

[kstrauss]

Hi - Have any of you actually used both the shuttle and the vista pendant and can give an objective appraisal?
I would like to know why the Vista P is so great.
Keen

I have both a Vista P4S and the Tormach shuttle so can perhaps offer a few comments. Advantages of the Vista over the Shuttle for my daily usage include:
Fits my hand whereas the shuttle really needs to be on a desk
More resistant to chips and coolant
Has an eStop button on the side
When selecting an axis the LCD confirms which is selected
Able to zero each axis without using the keyboard
Able to Cycle Start without using the keyboard
The LCD gives current axis values

[kstrauss]

I'm in the same state so please keep us informed of progress!

[keen]

I have both a Vista P4S and the Tormach shuttle so can perhaps offer a few comments. Advantages of the Vista over the Shuttle for my daily usage include:
Fits my hand whereas the shuttle really needs to be on a desk
More resistant to chips and coolant
Has an eStop button on the side
When selecting an axis the LCD confirms which is selected
Able to zero each axis without using the keyboard
Able to Cycle Start without using the keyboard
The LCD gives current axis values

Thanks for that - very interesting. Of all those extra features on the vista P , which do you consider really important and that you would really miss if you just had the shuttle?

Keen

[kstrauss]

All are pretty important to the way that I like to work. Being able to jog and zero coordinates with my head inside the enclosure staring at my Haimer probably saves the most time. Having the eStop in the same hand that just pressed CycleStart has saved me the most money in those AwSh*t! moments. Of course the ability to stop PP moves without using eStop reduces the importance of that feature.

[quarky42]

Is your machine under maintenance? If not, it's the best $450 you'll spend on your machine. I've owned quite a few pieces of equipment in my time and I can tell you that $450 per year for tech support and maintenance on a used machine is unheard of. I'm sorry you are having issues with your machine, however, there is a ton of folks on here who've had quite an opposite experience with Tormach. In fact, the customer service is why I bought mine. I called before I went to CO to pick mine up. The folks at Tormach ran the serial number, let me know it was legit and even gave me the history on the machine from their end. I knew then that they were a pretty cool group of folks to work with.


Now, if your machine is still under warranty then disregard my above statement.

Just my $0.02
So, my advise, you pay for maintenance on you machine and move to the front of the customer service line. This is how it should be. Who knows, maybe they have been swamped with folk like me who paid for service and we should get priority.

They refunded my money when I went to buy the maintenance. The previous PCNC owner said that it was under extended service agreement, Tormach investigated and said it wasn't. So, I would have been glad to pay them $450 a year for peace of mind, but they won't accept it since the previous owner let it lapse / didn't notice that it wasn't on his original invoice even though he says he requested it. No hard feelings here with either party, I just feel like I got stuck in the middle a little bit. But, that means I have no warranty to worry about voiding if I decide to tweak something... so there is an up side.

[smokediver576]

They refunded my money when I went to buy the maintenance. The previous PCNC owner said that it was under extended service agreement, Tormach investigated and said it wasn't. So, I would have been glad to pay them $450 a year for peace of mind, but they won't accept it since the previous owner let it lapse / didn't notice that it wasn't on his original invoice even though he says he requested it. No hard feelings here with either party, I just feel like I got stuck in the middle a little bit. But, that means I have no warranty to worry about voiding if I decide to tweak something... so there is an up side.

Interesting..... This must be something new. They put me under maintenance even though the machine had be out of warranty for over a year..... I'll reach out to Tormach to see what they say about this.

[quarky42]

Interesting..... This must be something new. They put me under maintenance even though the machine had be out of warranty for over a year..... I'll reach out to Tormach to see what they say about this.

Thanks, that would be fantastic. If they would let me, I'd gladly pay for the maintenance at least for a year... and very likely more. I think it is a good value if I can count on them for some basic support. (Obviously, I wouldn't ask them to support any modifications.)