Hi all,
First off, great work on the bit setter macro.
I just tried using the above macro but ran into some issues.
Here is the listing of steps along with behavior and prompts that occurred on my machine.
Sorry it is very long and I hope it makes sense.
Boot machine
Home machine
Install material and probe XYZ using probe
Load file and click on Play
=> First problem:
at this point the router turns on (i am using the IOT relay) and positions itself at the home location.
A prompt comes up with these instructions:
– Insert tool 202
– Click Continue when spindle is up to speed
Router then moves to center and the following prompt comes up:
– Remove dust boot
– Insert tool 203
– Click Continue
Router goes to probe site right away not asking to attach probe magnet and performs probe. After probe,
– Prompt:
— Remove Probe
— Install dust boot
— Click Continue
Router moves to home position and turns on
Prompt:
– Click Continue when spindle is up to speed
That is fine when you are doing your probing with the same bit that your first cut is using (usually a 1/4 or 1/8 inch endmill.
What about if you need to probe XYZ with a 1/4 endmill and your tool path is using a V-bit or bowl bit for the first carve? Then you have to make sure you remember to do the extra probing at the start before “playing” the file.
So, you would have to do the Probe XYZ and then change your bit and re-probe your Z with the new V-bit or bowl bit for examples.
That means there are 2 different procedures.
1 for when you have a single tool.
1 for when you have multiple tool changes.
Or am I missing something?
I am not sure about anyone else but I, for one, would not mind the extra step(s) if it brings consistency to the whole process…
I created a test pattern to cut. Basically 3 squares.
The first square is set to a 90 degree V-bit, the other 2 are 1/4 inch endmills.
I have just confirmed the following.
I power up the machine, home it and probe the XYZ using the probe on the stock.
I load the file, and click play.
Since the first tool is not the 1/4 endmill used to do the probing, I was expecting this new updated macro to prompt me to insert the proper tool and do a probe Z cycle. This did not happen. Instead, the router turns on, a prompt comes up telling to insert the proper tool but I cannot do this at this point as the router is already running. If I click on Continue, the machine will cut the first square even tho the bit is wrong.
The latter part of the macro seems to be working properly but without having the part part working correctly, I don’t see any point in continuing.
I am more than willing to do some more testing if someone would be willing to provide some code for me to test.
I have looked at the G-Code sites but it seems fairly complicated to me.
Using vectric? The post processor for that makes some odd choices in my mind. It kind of creates bitsetter incompatible code.
They built unneeded logic into it to prompt for changes and router power. I have my bitsetter code, a video and my take on an improved post processor for vectric posted in the Onefinity Facebook forum. I rip out the redundant prompts and rely on my macro code to do changes. It is probably searchable under bitsetter or bit setter.
I do not have the vectric products.
Note there are several variants of the bitset code from different people. Experiment as you see fit, but mixing my PP logic with others may not go great.
If you are up to an experiment, change post processor to generic GRBL. That should have no extra sauce in it, so to speak.
I recommend you air carve in tests, set your Z zero artificially high above the surface.
Yes, I am using VCarve Pro V11.
When I try to select the G-Code (.tap) PP, I get a red message indicating the PP does not support tool changes.
Grbl PP also does the same thing.
The script assumes the 1st bit is ready at the start. Mount the workpiece, probe X and Y, swap bit if using a V or whatever, and set Z zero. When started, it is ready.
When it gets to tool 2, it will then do the initial in run probe to figure out the end of the mill. Then prompt for next tool and probe it to establish relative Z zero. On 3rd tool or later, it just prompts for change and probes new bit, since the desired Z zero plane is stored.
Maybe all your missing is a change to thinking what state the bit must be in prior to the run?
As to the iot relay issue, I’m not sure what is triggering that. Did you inject gcode in the post processor? That really just sounds like a code issue somewhere other than the macro. I think the L1 and L2 outputs are triggered by M7/M8 commands, and off by M9. So to be doubly sure, you could place an M9 on the line immediately before all M0 in the bitset code. The needed M7 or M8 would probably go just before the M72 near the bottom…but test with nothing sharp installed! If it doesn’t come up to speed quick enough before cutting, you’d have to maybe add a M4 P2 or something like that after M7/M8 to add a pause.
As I said, I don’t have any vectric stuff, so I can’t say much on the specifics. Maybe Mike will reply, he has vcarve and is a great guy. Sorry. Wish I knew that product.
Is there one for Carbide brand machine, like shapeoko? Maybe try that, but keep finger near your estop on screen, no idea if it has anything odd in it.
No worries, I will try different PP in the software.
I understand what you are saying about changing the way we do things, I would just like to simplify the process for other people in the shop that might use the machine.
That being said, when Onefinity does the XYZ probing, it asks for the tool size in the machine.
Would there be a way then to compare that to the first tool in the code and then launch the macro accordingly if a bit change is required?
Or automatically assume the first bit is not the correct one and prompt for a bit change. If none is needed, a simply click on Continue would do the trick.
I am pretty sure I am using the generic PP for Onefinity in VCarve.
you are not missing anything.
Like Warren Brown said
The script assumes the 1st bit is ready at the start. Mount the workpiece, probe X and Y, swap bit if using a V or whatever, and set Z zero. When started, it is ready.
So I’m using Vectric and using the code as I posted it. You are correct you will not be prompted to change the tool when you push play. You still need to do this as if you were not using the macro.
Probe XYZ, change to the first tool, probe Z, press play. Yes the dialogue pops up with the tool number at the beginning that is really quite useless, it can be taken out of the PP if you really want but it really doesn’t have any impact on anything.
Perhaps an M6 could be injected into the header to acheive what @stleroux is asking? I haven’t looked at the PP mods you made. Perhaps something like this?
begin HEADER
“%”
“G0 G17 G21 G90 G40 G49”
“M06”
“G0[ZH]”
“G0[XH][YH] M03[S]”
“M0(MSG, Click ‘Continue’ when the spindle is up to speed)”
I don’t have time to play with it until after Christmas. I guess I really never considered it, as to me it’s counterintuitive as I don’t necessarily probe XY every file and it would add an extra step at the beginning for me. Personally, I would just modify my workflow to probe XYZ, change tool, probe Z and push play. I guess I’m not sure of the order that things happen in, is the program-start dialogue loaded first or the header in the PP, I assume program-start but would have to test it to be sure.
Thanks all for looking into this and indulging me.
If the only option is to change the way we do things, so be it.
I have downloaded the latest PP from Vectric (VCarve Pro v11) for Onefinity.
Do I need to make any changes to the PP to support the new macro codes?
If so, do I refer to the post on Facebook to compare the new PP and the one posted by @Cryptonym?
Also, would I need to re-generate my gcode files if I change the PP file?
Of note, I reached out to Onefinity to find out if they were still planning the release of a bit setter or similar code and the reply I received was to post new feature requests to the proper channels on the forum.
Anyways, looking forward to your reply and if it end up not being before Christmas, have a safe and happy holidays one and all.
I don’t know what they changed in later PP, but I’m guessing it will still add unneeded duplicate prompts. You will probably have to feel your way through the changes. Good news is the text messages are good bread crumbs on what happens and when.
I posted to them with concerns and ideas and was kind of told they weren’t interested the bitsetter idea or minor tweaks. We’re on our own I think.
Since the PP runs during your path output phase, the only way to inject the changes is to regenerate the gcode.
I am glad to admit I was wrong in my views.
I was using the PP from Vectric (v2).
I had also tested with the default PP from Onefinity.
Without success.
After installing the PP from @Cryptonym and modifying the macro prompts a little, we achieved the desired results.
Now the machine prompts us at every step of the way (like my wife wanted)
I have tested this setup multiple times and all works great.
One more question. In the prompts, there are multiple instructions like, Attach Magnet, Remove Probe, Attach Dust Boot… Is there a simple way to display these one per line?
So instead of :
Remove Magnet, Click Continue
We would have :
Remove Magnet
Click Continue
Thanks all for the support.
If someone if interested in seeing the changes, please let me know and I can post back.
