#linuxcnc Logs

Mar 02 2023

01:19 AM Deejay: moin
01:41 AM mits[m]: moin
01:41 AM mits[m]: :moin:
02:52 AM travis_farmer[m]: G'Morning ☕️
03:01 AM rmu: JT3196[m]: https://github.com/dbraun1981/hal-cia402/blob/main/cia402.comp#L139
04:37 AM Tom_L: morning
05:18 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
05:18 AM JT-Cave: morning
05:57 AM deadmorozz: hi
06:11 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:14 AM JT-Cave: phone says starlink is online and calibrating startlink after a power cycle but no internet over the lan...
06:23 AM JT-Cave: so now every time I power cycle it takes 6:15 to boot up
06:25 AM JT-Cave: new cable and router are on order...
06:27 AM JT-Cave: and they don't want the old one back...
06:35 AM W1N9Zr1 is now known as W1N9Zr0
06:40 AM travis_farmer[m]: if you didn't have bad luck with Starlink, you would have no luck at all...
06:40 AM Tom_L: JT-Cave, http://tom-itx.no-ip.biz:81/~webpage/cnc/JT-SHOP/mesact2/Mesact2_error.png
06:41 AM Tom_L: saving the created ini a 2nd time
06:41 AM JT-Cave: that's from updateini which is broken
06:41 AM JT-Cave: you can only create a new config atm
06:45 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:49 AM Tom_L: ok
06:49 AM Tom_L: oh..
06:52 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
06:54 AM Tom_L: one thing i noticed in the Axisx tabs
06:55 AM Tom_L: the Reverse Direction in 'options' is in a different place on each Axis tab
06:56 AM Tom_L: (i had a list but i'll wait til you're further along) :)
06:56 AM Tom_L: like what i see so far
06:57 AM JT-Cave: yea I just dropped it in with no filler so it's in a random location
06:57 AM JT-Cave: pull and try and rebuild a config
06:57 AM Tom_L: i just shut linux off
06:58 AM Tom_L: i'll check later today
06:58 AM Tom_L: gotta say hello to windows a bit
07:10 AM JT-Cave: ok
07:17 AM Tom_L: it did load the saved config, just not able to resave it
07:17 AM Tom_L: i'll try a new one later on
10:27 AM daight420[m]: ok dumb question if configured my pnc conf and got it to launch iwth no errors im trying to hook up a stepper to do testing but i cannot find a pin out to hwere step and dir should be (im using 5 axis breakt out bourd to a 7i92)
10:35 AM Lcvette[m]: you need the correct firmware flashed on the 7i92 for the breakout board, this creates the connections so you can define the physical connections on the breakout board
10:36 AM Lcvette[m]: daight420: ^^^
10:37 AM perry_j1987: Lcvette[m] morning
10:38 AM perry_j1987: messed around a bit more with probe basic
10:38 AM Lcvette[m]: o/
10:38 AM perry_j1987: cant find anything with google on how to use tool height setters with it
10:39 AM Lcvette[m]: perry_j1987: the existing macros are designed for machines with repeatable home positions.
10:39 AM pcw-home: You can determine the breakout connections with:
10:39 AM pcw-home: mesaflash --device 7i92 --addr [ip-addr] --dbname1 5abob --readhmid
10:40 AM daight420[m]: ok i follow you
10:40 AM perry_j1987: Lcvette[m] i have TL-W5MC1 home switches on all axis
10:40 AM daight420[m]: where did u find what bouard to flash it
10:41 AM Lcvette[m]: ok, just know that any physical machine position deviation from the homing switch will show up in your tool measurements
10:42 AM pcw-home: download the 7i92.zip file from mesa, it has many different firmware files for different breakouts
10:42 AM Lcvette[m]: to set up the tool setter function in probe basic there are important inputs on this screen:
10:44 AM * Lcvette[m] uploaded an image: (95KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/matrix.org/CeNbKDcNYTJjWhxwHdfzGulI/image.png >
10:45 AM pcw-home: daight420[m]: if you have the common "Mach 5 Axis" BOB, you want 7i92_5ABOBx2D.bit
10:49 AM Lcvette[m]: perry_j1987: you also need a repeatable holder type spindle
10:49 AM Lcvette[m]: this method doesn't work with an er collet spindle
10:49 AM perry_j1987: why not it wont touch off every tool change?
10:50 AM perry_j1987: thats my only reason for having the tool setter taking up realestate :)
10:50 AM Lcvette[m]: needs to be iso/cat/bt30/40/50 or tts etc
10:50 AM Lcvette[m]: you can but this is for repeatable holders where it will be writing to the tool table
10:51 AM Lcvette[m]: and the nose of the spindle needs to be repeatable
10:51 AM Lcvette[m]: as thats what it is measured against
10:51 AM Lcvette[m]: for er type holders there are different methods
10:51 AM perry_j1987: ya i need an er solution
10:52 AM Lcvette[m]: the one i see used most commonly is resetting the work offset at each tool change
10:52 AM perry_j1987: till i can afford the bt30 spindle
10:52 AM daight420[m]: ok i see the connections how do i figure out polarity? does it not matter for step gen?
10:52 AM perry_j1987: https://wiki.printnc.info/en/controllers/linuxcnc/tool-setter-no-probe i used this on my other machine with this tool height setter.
10:53 AM Lcvette[m]: if you have a working toolsetter config already, it should work if you bring the remap over with your new config for probe basic
10:54 AM Lcvette[m]: that will work no differently
10:55 AM Lcvette[m]: if you would like to retain the probe basic user adjustability, you can use a new macro that connects to the user settings in probe basic
10:55 AM Lcvette[m]: give me a moment to find the one i built for routers
10:57 AM daight420[m]: finding any mesa bit files seems to be an issues
10:59 AM daight420[m]: * an issues (its called support software)
11:01 AM Lcvette[m]: perry_j1987: i cannot find the one i did for router, it may have been on one of my py2 dev boxes
11:01 AM Lcvette[m]: any how you can adapt the routine from the link there to the probe basic on screen settings
11:02 AM perry_j1987: i dont know that i could do that
11:02 AM Lcvette[m]: sure you can
11:02 AM Lcvette[m]: its not so hard
11:03 AM Lcvette[m]: i can guide you
11:03 AM Lcvette[m]: and then you can contribue it back to the project!
11:04 AM Lcvette[m]: it isn't mandatory to do if bring over and you just want to continue to change or do any parameter updates in the macro file instead of realtime in probe basic
11:04 AM * Lcvette[m] uploaded an image: (64KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/matrix.org/eACLZZWGaLnSAvYDCdiXcOVE/image.png >
11:05 AM Lcvette[m]: these are the parameter settings from the link you gave above
11:05 AM Lcvette[m]: you at some point had to have set these when setting up tool setting for your machine
11:06 AM Lcvette[m]: these parameter (or some of them at least) are the same as the some of the parameters on the probe basic touch off screen
11:07 AM * Lcvette[m] uploaded an image: (74KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/matrix.org/rGZtpWRvNXjKhRpZNEtzzgpe/image.png >
11:08 AM Lcvette[m]: you will notice that some of these have similar names
11:09 AM * Lcvette[m] sent a code block: https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/libera.chat/8b4d98c52ff0b239d25e93521ed0706995bbf7c5
11:09 AM perry_j1987: i've never done much with linuxcnc other than using it
11:10 AM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
11:10 AM Lcvette[m]: this is from the probe basic macro, you simply bring these names over and replace them in the macro you linked
11:10 AM Lcvette[m]: neither had i when i started
11:10 AM Lcvette[m]: but this is a very good thing to know how to do,
11:14 AM JT-Cave: it never ends... I need to transfer my SW license back to reinstall windblows 7 but it won't transfer over a usb hot spot and my usb wifi adapter won't work with windblows 7...
11:15 AM perry_j1987: Lcvette[m] so there will be issue using a 3d probe with er collets with probe basic too then?
11:16 AM Lcvette[m]: depends
11:16 AM Lcvette[m]: how its setup
11:16 AM Lcvette[m]: 3d probe is pretty useless unless it repeats
11:16 AM Lcvette[m]: when installed
11:17 AM Lcvette[m]: its meant to be a constant length and on center with spindle centerline
11:18 AM Lcvette[m]: if when you insert a 3d probe in an er collet you cannot repeat it then the data coming from any z probed position is going to be floating
11:18 AM perry_j1987: so after the machine homes you could touch the spindle nose off the tool height setter
11:18 AM perry_j1987: and then pop the 3d probe in and touch off on the tool height setter
11:18 AM Lcvette[m]: ie won't really mean anything because it cannot be trusted to be the same each time
11:18 AM Lcvette[m]: you don't want to touch off tool probe to tool setter
11:19 AM Lcvette[m]: that is not going to give you a repeatable trigger point
11:19 AM Lcvette[m]: one or the other may trigger giving a false reading
11:19 AM Lcvette[m]: thats been tried and proven bad practice
11:20 AM Lcvette[m]: a few solutions are to use an offset probe that repeats
11:20 AM Lcvette[m]: ie one not mounted in the spindle, but on the head
11:21 AM Lcvette[m]: can be a fold down or slide down but must always fix in the same position when set in place to use
11:21 AM travis_farmer[m]: "use an offset probe that repeats" thought of doing that myself...
11:22 AM Lcvette[m]: travis_farmer: its the berries for routers
11:22 AM Lcvette[m]: well, bt30 atc spindle is the big berries, but offset probe for er collet machines is the small berries
11:22 AM Lcvette[m]: 😄
11:23 AM perry_j1987: got a link to what your talking about
11:23 AM perry_j1987: picture or something
11:23 AM travis_farmer[m]: so where i have a BT30 ATC spindle, and if i do an offset probe, i would have the berries, berries ;-)
11:23 AM Lcvette[m]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a44KysPykg
11:24 AM Lcvette[m]: would be a bit redundant at that point since you could just use the probe in a bt30 repeatable holder
11:24 AM Lcvette[m]: but would still be cool
11:25 AM travis_farmer[m]: 😁
11:25 AM Lcvette[m]: that video is just an example
11:25 AM Lcvette[m]: can be done many ways
11:26 AM Lcvette[m]: i would likely use a sliding method on the side of the head and make it air actuated or rc servo actuated possible to extend it and retract it
11:27 AM Lcvette[m]: then whenever you call for the probe tool number at toolchange, it would go through your normal routine where you would swap tools in the spindle, but there wold be an if else statement in the toolchange macro
11:30 AM perry_j1987: just finished the video
11:30 AM Lcvette[m]: when you would click ok to tell it the tool change was done, it would be in the touch off routine to check if probe tool was tool called and if so, it would skip activate the if statement in the macro and extend the touchprobe and activate the g43 xyz offsets
11:42 AM perry_j1987: i'll be back in a bit i have to drive over to the shop
12:04 PM daight420[m]: anybody have a clue?
12:05 PM pcw-home: daight420[m]: step/dir polarity can be set in pncconf with the invert checkbox or in the hal file
12:06 PM daight420[m]: so it dosent actually matter then?
12:07 PM daight420[m]: what im worried of is burning up my boards
12:09 PM daight420[m]: another question is why dont i see my pin out in my hal file did i do something wrong?
12:11 PM Lcvette[m]: perry_j1987 this is for reference, i made a few changes that give 4 parameters the ability to be set from the probe basic touch off screen. i recommend careful testing as i didn't get a chance to test. but this should give you a template to make any additional changes you may want to.
12:11 PM * Lcvette[m] posted a file: (0KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/matrix.org/TgkwmuJgiSkQyfNlpkAsgJbT/tool-job-begin.ngc >
12:11 PM * Lcvette[m] posted a file: (11KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/matrix.org/gnlgvgmQSUCZzUOmKyJYewyz/tool-change.ngc >
12:11 PM Lcvette[m]: those would be placed in your subroutine folder
12:12 PM Lcvette[m]: i recommend installing meld (sudo apt install meld) or some other file comparison app to compare this file with your existing to see any changes that were made
12:19 PM roycroft: what's wrong with diff(1)?
12:19 PM roycroft: it comes with pretty much every os distro
12:21 PM Lcvette[m]: nothing im sure, but meld is a graphical app easier to use for those not fluent in linux
12:22 PM roguish[m]1: Lcvette: hey, even I can run diff.......lol
12:22 PM Lcvette[m]: roguish: from an icon?
12:22 PM Lcvette[m]: without temrinal?
12:23 PM Lcvette[m]: * without terminal?
12:23 PM roguish[m]1: temial
12:23 PM Lcvette[m]: there ya go
12:23 PM roguish[m]1: terminal
12:23 PM roguish[m]1: seriously, it's easy. but if you have a gui for it, or like it. go for it
12:24 PM Lcvette[m]: lots of things are now easy for me that seemed daunting or frustrating before i knew how to use them
12:24 PM Lcvette[m]: mneld is one line and then graphical so if you can use windows apps you can use meld
12:25 PM Lcvette[m]: * meld is one line install and then graphical so if you can use windows apps you can use meld
12:25 PM roguish[m]1: never heard of it. but that's ok, i'll find it and check it out.
12:26 PM roguish[m]1: almost done adding belt speed reduction to Y and Z on my mill. just going to bore the small motor pulleys, then install them.
12:26 PM daight420[m]: how do i configure my mesa flash to to a 5axisbob with 3 steogens?
12:26 PM Lcvette[m]: the sooner this community embraces the fact that windows converts who want to run machines aren't wanting to be programmers or have to learn how to do the most basic things they can do with a click in windows, quicker the user growth for linuxcnc will happen
12:28 PM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
12:28 PM pcw-home: daight420[m] not something you do with mesaflash, but rather in the hal file
12:29 PM daight420[m]: but my hal has no outputs for step gen?
12:29 PM daight420[m]: even more confusing
12:30 PM pcw-home: The stepgens are hardware so no direct pin access in hal
12:31 PM daight420[m]: i understand but there no outputs in my hal file
12:31 PM pcw-home: if you want only three stepgens you set this in the driver command line (num_stepgens=3)
12:31 PM daight420[m]: driver command line?
12:32 PM Lcvette[m]: pcw-home: would he be better of maybe building a pncconfig and then converting in the outputted hal?
12:32 PM Lcvette[m]: s/of/off/
12:32 PM pcw-home: Yes (or mesact)
12:33 PM * roycroft finds windows almost impossible to admin, and most windows apps difficult to use
12:33 PM Lcvette[m]: pcw-home: which would be the best option to select for his bob that wold get him the closest to what he needs?
12:34 PM roycroft: i think the old rule of thumb that to convert from a unix or novell network to a windows network you need to increase your systems adminstration staff by 50% still applies
12:34 PM Lcvette[m]: > * <@roycroft:libera.chat> finds windows almost impossible to admin, and most windows apps difficult to use
12:34 PM Lcvette[m]: ADMIN...... 98% of people wanting to run a hobby cnc machine are not wanting to admin anything
12:35 PM daight420[m]: dwight
12:36 PM roycroft: nice cherrypicking :)
12:37 PM roycroft: but at the end of the day, i suppose it's all a matter of perpective
12:37 PM roycroft: if i want to see how two text files differ, "diff file1 file2" works well for me, and can even generate a patch file to make the two match if desired
12:37 PM daight420[m]: can somebody help me? im trying to figure out why my step gen isnt inside my hal file
12:38 PM Lcvette[m]: oh was not cherry picking, windows apps difficult to use? they are setp as graphical most of the time and designed to be intuitive
12:38 PM pcw-home: Yes, with pncconf selecting 7I92+G540 would be close
12:38 PM roycroft: firing up a gui app to see the differences in a window doesn't seem to add any ease of use that i can see, and is just more work and overhead
12:38 PM Lcvette[m]: pcw-home: perfect!
12:39 PM pcw-home: daight420[m] how did you create your hal file?
12:39 PM Lcvette[m]: daight420: try building a config using the pncconfig setup for 7i92 and g540 bob
12:39 PM roycroft: but i know there are them that think it's inherently "better" or "easier" or whatever if it's in a window
12:39 PM roycroft: it's fine that there are apps for that
12:39 PM Lcvette[m]: then you should be able to turn the graphical representation into a hal file with most of what you need and can change any connections to match your 7i92 and 5axis bob
12:39 PM daight420[m]: pnc config i used mesa discover to select my card
12:40 PM daight420[m]: *discovery option
12:41 PM Lcvette[m]: roycroft: when you come from windows and all you have ever known is windows and someone from a linux group says in a temrinal do this
12:41 PM Lcvette[m]: the first thought is omg what the hell have i gotten myself into
12:41 PM CaptHindsight[m]: this isn't ready yet https://softsolder.com/2021/04/08/kicad-to-hal-overview/
12:42 PM unterhausen: as always, the problem with lcnc only shows up if you need something unusual. Everyone wants something unusual though
12:42 PM Lcvette[m]: CaptHindsight: that looks very interesting
12:43 PM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
12:44 PM CaptHindsight[m]: Lcvette: yes, it would be handy. Maybe someone will keep it going and expand on it
12:44 PM unterhausen: I must have set my tablesaw fence up when the top was crooked. It's straight now and the fence is wildly off
12:48 PM roycroft: yeah, i get that, lcvette
12:49 PM roycroft: but linuxcnc is never going to be "windows friendly" in the sense that guided clicking will solve every problem
12:49 PM roycroft: people are going to have to roll up their shirt sleeves and type in a command window occasionally
12:50 PM roycroft: and they only way that can be totally eliminated would be if linuxcnc would become a proprietary appliance, with total control over what hardware (both cpu and target machine) is used and how it is configured
12:51 PM roycroft: i.e. a turn-key setup, kind of like tormach
12:51 PM * daight420[m] posted a file: (11KiB) < https://libera.ems.host/_matrix/media/v3/download/jauriarts.org/bbWrqvDeAXUIofLfplAlCXTf/my_LinuxCNC_machine.hal >
12:51 PM Lcvette[m]: i don't think thats entirely true
12:51 PM daight420[m]: can somebody take a look? im trying to find my step gen outputs
12:51 PM roycroft: i've not used tormach machines, but i'd guess that even with them, one has to open an xterm occasionally and type in a command
12:52 PM Lcvette[m]: roycroft: have you used mach3?
12:52 PM roycroft: no
12:52 PM Lcvette[m]: you should
12:52 PM Lcvette[m]: just to get a glimpse of what a convert is coming from
12:52 PM Lcvette[m]: it will broaden your perspective
12:52 PM Lcvette[m]: eveyrthing is configured from within the gui with graphical interface and very clear understanding of what is what
12:52 PM roycroft: can i plug my home-built machine with random wiring configuration into mach3 and use the gui to completely configure it?
12:53 PM roycroft: can i use whatever hardware i want with mach3?
12:53 PM Lcvette[m]: sure
12:53 PM Lcvette[m]: it pp driven
12:53 PM CaptHindsight[m]: no, you can't use whatever hardware you want
12:53 PM Lcvette[m]: its not as advanced as linuxcnc
12:53 PM roycroft: if i build a weaving loom can i completly control it with mach3?
12:54 PM roycroft: ok
12:54 PM roycroft: so that's my point
12:54 PM roycroft: if you want to do it all within the gui then you need to control it all
12:54 PM Lcvette[m]: ok so linuxcnc should not have an easy to setup and use avenue for the majority of users
12:54 PM Lcvette[m]: seems a bit short sided
12:54 PM roycroft: i'm not saying that at all
12:55 PM Lcvette[m]: s/sided/sighted/
12:55 PM roycroft: to be able to provision it for a generic router or mill from the gui is fine, and doable
12:55 PM CaptHindsight[m]: Lcvette: somebody just needs to put together a package for LCNC with matching hardware and configs
12:55 PM Lcvette[m]: CaptHindsight: I have been putting something like that together
12:55 PM CaptHindsight[m]: and then add $10 profit
12:56 PM roycroft: i never said that because you can't do it with all cases you shouldn't do it with any case
12:56 PM CaptHindsight[m]: or you'll be called greedy
12:56 PM roycroft: tormach did it
12:56 PM roycroft: and they're making a lot of money with their products
12:56 PM Lcvette[m]: if anyone calls me greedy they can get bent..lol
12:56 PM Tom_L: greedy
12:56 PM roycroft: but if you pirate a copy of the tormach code and try to run your home-built mill with it i bet you're going to have problems
12:56 PM pcw-home: daight420[m] to find step/dir outputs: mesaflash --device 7i92 --addr [ip-addr] --dbname1 5abob --readhmid
12:57 PM roycroft: and i bet you're going to be doing a bunch of work in a terminal window
12:57 PM Lcvette[m]: Tom_L: lol are you bending?
12:57 PM Tom_L: hardly
12:57 PM daight420[m]: but why is it not in the hal file?
12:58 PM roycroft: and i would still bet that there are things one might need to do occasionaly on a tormac that require using a terminal window
12:58 PM Tom_L: came in late but daight420[m] it is. you just can't see it
12:58 PM Tom_L: it's on a hardware config line probably
12:59 PM unterhausen: we never hear from the majority of lcnc users that just set their system up and use it
12:59 PM roycroft: but i would also posit that if you find typing a command in a terminal window too frightening to deal with, you're probably not going to be able to operate a cnc machine, even if it's all clicky
12:59 PM roycroft: how many people on this channel have never had to hand-edit their gcode to fix/tweak something?
12:59 PM Lcvette[m]: Tom_L: 🤣🤣🤣
12:59 PM * roycroft looks around and doesn't see any hands raised
12:59 PM daight420[m]: i dont understand what you mean
12:59 PM Tom_L: you're using a mesa card?
01:00 PM daight420[m]: what is "you're"
01:00 PM CaptHindsight[m]: does Tormach even mention that LCNC is inside?
01:00 PM Tom_L: the pins are defined in the bit file you upload to the hardware and accessed by the config line for mesa
01:00 PM Tom_L: you are
01:01 PM Tom_L: language barrier?
01:01 PM daight420[m]: no i understand english
01:01 PM daight420[m]: first time hearing apos or whatever you are saying
01:01 PM roycroft: i don't think so, capthindsight
01:01 PM Tom_L: shorthand cause i'm lazy
01:02 PM daight420[m]: its cunfusing
01:02 PM mits[m]: the people in here labelled BOT are on the IRC side of things
01:02 PM mits[m]: it
01:02 PM mits[m]: it's turning apostrophes into '
01:02 PM Tom_L: oh
01:02 PM daight420[m]: OH
01:02 PM roycroft: daight is short for daighta
01:02 PM Tom_L: i wasn't that fond of matrix anyway
01:02 PM roycroft: and we all know that daighta is an imperfect android, who cannot understand or use contractions
01:02 PM mits[m]: for the people on IRC... our view of you is getting mangled a little because it's not decoding entities right
01:03 PM roycroft: it's lor who can do that
01:03 PM pcw-home: daight420[m] why is what not in the hal file?
01:03 PM CaptHindsight[m]: mits: yes the bridge has some quirks, IRC -- Deluge -- Matrix
01:03 PM daight420[m]: the step gen pin outs
01:03 PM Tom_L: pcw-home, i think he's looking for his stepgen pinout
01:03 PM mits[m]: it just means you should avoid using contractions
01:04 PM pcw-home: You have no access to them in hal
01:04 PM CaptHindsight[m]: can we still use conjunctions?
01:04 PM pcw-home: stepgens are accessed by number in the hal file
01:04 PM mits[m]: absolutely!
01:05 PM Tom_L: number of step gens are set in the config line
01:05 PM daight420[m]: so
01:05 PM Tom_L: and also must be defined in the bit file you upload to the hardware
01:05 PM daight420[m]: i wont see something like this
01:05 PM roycroft: conjunction junction, what's your function?
01:06 PM Tom_L: you should be able to see them with the mesaflash tool though
01:06 PM daight420[m]: net joint-select-c <== hm2_7i92.0.gpio.012.in
01:06 PM daight420[m]: that wont be in the hal file for step gen
01:06 PM Tom_L: nope
01:06 PM daight420[m]: oh
01:07 PM daight420[m]: ok so nohtings wrong then
01:07 PM Tom_L: use the mesaflash tool if you want to see them
01:07 PM Tom_L: and to find what pins they are assigned to
01:07 PM daight420[m]: ok that help ALOT
01:07 PM daight420[m]: been naging my head for a few hours
01:07 PM daight420[m]: s/naging/baging/
01:07 PM daight420[m]: s/*//, s/baging/banging/
01:08 PM daight420[m]: thank you
01:08 PM Tom_L: you may also see them with dmesg but i haven't tried that in quite a while so i may be mistaken on that one
01:09 PM daight420[m]: so my mesaflash tool says i have 5 step gens
01:09 PM Tom_L: ok
01:09 PM daight420[m]: if in my pnc config i set to 3 step gens
01:09 PM Tom_L: it should also show you what IO they are assigned to
01:10 PM daight420[m]: do i need to flash a custom bitfile for 3 step gens?
01:10 PM Tom_L: then you can look at your board file and find what pins those IO are physically on
01:10 PM Tom_L: no
01:10 PM Tom_L: just don't use 2 of them
01:10 PM daight420[m]: what if i use them as axis selection inputs? do i then need to flash new bit file?
01:10 PM Tom_L: set your mesa config in the ini to something like: config = stepgen=3
01:11 PM Tom_L: check the exact syntax
01:11 PM Tom_L: i'm guessing
01:11 PM Lcvette[m]: <roycroft> "but i would also posit that if..." <- the difference is that is within the expectation and gcode is very well documents on how to use
01:11 PM Tom_L: daight420[m], if you don't use them for the stepgen function you can use them as GPIO
01:11 PM Tom_L: the config line determines how many are used
01:12 PM Tom_L: the others default to GPIO if they are not used
01:12 PM Lcvette[m]: its the goal to be able to do that, and learning linux to use linuxcnc is an abstacle not factored in
01:13 PM daight420[m]: ok so if i configure to 3 step gens does my bitmap care if have 3 or 5 stepgens?
01:13 PM Lcvette[m]: if you step outside the linuxcnc community and see what people say about configuring linuxcnc to run and operate a machine, alot of what is mentioned is how difficult it is and the reply is always pretty much the same which is its difficult because of how configurable it is
01:14 PM mits[m]: your bitmap will just disable the two extra
01:14 PM Lcvette[m]: and that is completely true
01:14 PM Lcvette[m]: and valid
01:15 PM CaptHindsight[m]: the good thing about LCNC is the power and flexibility, the bad thing about LCNC is the power and flexibility
01:15 PM Lcvette[m]: but if you were to create an overall picture of what linuxcnc is used for, i think there would be a very large grouping of users that are using nothing more than what mach3 offers, ie basic cnc machine control
01:15 PM Lcvette[m]: CaptHindsight[m]: 100%
01:15 PM daight420[m]: will it disable them or does it not care if its getting used as a step gen or a button input?
01:16 PM CaptHindsight[m]: Lcvette: i think i broke the brain of the Siemens CNC controller app enginineer
01:16 PM Lcvette[m]: 😲
01:16 PM mits[m]: Tom_L said above
01:16 PM mits[m]: daight420 (@_discord_214930808157241345:jauriarts.org), if you don't use them for the stepgen function you can use them as GPIO
01:17 PM CaptHindsight[m]: Lcvette: he tried to sell me on how their controls and motor combos provide the most accurate solutions....
01:17 PM daight420[m]: o i missed that
01:17 PM daight420[m]: ok
01:18 PM CaptHindsight[m]: Lcvette: he had no clue how their controls could handle things like galvos, inkjet nozzles, powder spreaders, LCD/DLP projectors, etc etc
01:18 PM Tom_L: daight420[m], for example in my ini file i have this for my config line: CONFIG="num_encoders=2 num_stepgens=3 num_pwmgens=1 sserial_port_0=20xxxxxx"
01:19 PM Tom_L: that tells the hardware how many of each i need to use
01:19 PM Tom_L: in the [HOSTMOT2] section of your ini
01:19 PM CaptHindsight[m]: they have turn key solutions only for standard motors and spindles, anything else is custom and requires software to be developed
01:20 PM Tom_L: daight420[m], that is also where you define what mesa hardware you have
01:20 PM CaptHindsight[m]: I don't think they have controls for robots and stuart platforms etc etc
01:21 PM daight420[m]: are you tommy_light?
01:21 PM CaptHindsight[m]: daight420: nope, he's on the forums
01:21 PM -!- #linuxcnc mode set to +v by ChanServ
01:21 PM Tom_L: same name different guy
01:21 PM daight420[m]: a i was gona say i got on his post open on my second monitor
01:22 PM daight420[m]: what does (sserial_port_0=20xxxxxx") mean for config?
01:23 PM Tom_L: it's for sserial
01:23 PM Tom_L: you don't need that unless you're adding a sserial card
01:24 PM Tom_L: also if you used mesact to build your config, mesaflash commands are built in that utility
01:24 PM Tom_L: and make it alot handier to access
01:25 PM travis_farmer[m]: ...and all this time i thought Tom_L was tommy light...
01:25 PM Tom_L: damn i just blew it..
01:26 PM JT-Shop: the guy at verizon said when I hit my data limit it just slows down
01:26 PM Tom_L: yeah
01:27 PM Tom_L: JT-Shop, what am i looking for on this round?
01:27 PM CaptHindsight[m]: last i checked verizon is ~$50/month for 15BG of data and $75/mo for unlimited
01:28 PM CaptHindsight[m]: not sure if you can jump between plans
01:28 PM JT-Shop: I have unlimited but it's not really unlimited full speed
01:28 PM Tom_L: i've got unlimited for ~60
01:29 PM Tom_L: x5
01:29 PM JT-Shop: update ini works partially
01:29 PM * travis_farmer[m] has unlimited full speed through US Cellular :-)
01:29 PM JT-Shop: it should build all axes/joints in a new config and open that config back up
01:29 PM Tom_L: i use the least data of them all though
01:30 PM Tom_L: ok cloning..
01:30 PM CaptHindsight[m]: my 5G on Verizon can run pretty steady at 250mb/s
01:30 PM * travis_farmer[m] is stuck at 4G :-(
01:30 PM * JT-Shop wanders out to the other shop
01:31 PM Tom_L: yeah i was able to open the ini i saved yesterday
01:32 PM skunkworks[m]: JT-Shop: giving up on starlink?
01:32 PM Tom_L: skunkworks[m], i think he ordered more spare parts
01:32 PM Tom_L: they don't want their junk back either
01:33 PM Tom_L: so it's more waiting
01:33 PM skunkworks[m]: yeck
01:35 PM CaptHindsight[m]: it sounds like the quality of the Starlink equipment is dropping
01:35 PM CaptHindsight[m]: that new version cable is a joke
01:36 PM unterhausen: it's not hard to set up lcnc to do what mach3 does, except maybe for a pendant
01:36 PM unterhausen: but everyone that says lcnc is hard to set up wanted something totally different than what mach3 does
01:36 PM pcw-home: daight420[m] if you have a 5 Axis BOB you cannot use an unused stepgen pin and an input (because stepgen pins are output only pins on the BOB)
01:37 PM CaptHindsight[m]: https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/zxwgqc/there_is_a_wider_issue_going_on_the_router_or/
01:37 PM unterhausen: or they are just repeating what they heard about lcnc
01:43 PM CaptHindsight[m]: https://tormach.com/our-story
01:44 PM CaptHindsight[m]: not even Linux is mentioned
01:45 PM JT-Shop: skunkworks[m], not much else out there where I live...
01:45 PM unterhausen: I want to set up a 3 axis system. I'm going to give myself a TBI and see how hard it is to set up lcnc for that
01:46 PM skunkworks[m]: JT-Shop: understandable. My parents only had dsl and the max speed they got on a good day was 1.5mbs
01:48 PM XXCoder: joe pie lol https://youtu.be/q4sY3m3OjLY
01:48 PM XXCoder: turning wrench into hammer
01:49 PM XXCoder: for drawbar loosen then hammer loose tool
01:55 PM JT-Shop: with viasat if it rained in the next county my internet would go out, at least starlink does not go down in the rain
01:55 PM Tom_L: why turn it into a hammer? just use the wrench as a hammer :)
01:55 PM Tom_L: JT-Shop, not until the cable gets wet
01:56 PM Tom_L: built a 4 axis config
01:56 PM Tom_L: looks ok so far
02:01 PM skunkworks[m]: We had hughesnet for a while. Same. Parents have been really happy. Starlink has raised the price in over sold areas by $10.. also there is a 1tb cap. (Doesn't cut you off though)
02:02 PM skunkworks[m]: Still cheaper and 1000 times better than what they had
02:03 PM CaptHindsight[m]: unterhausen: for a simple 3-axis system you can use StepConf and be working in a few minutes
02:03 PM CaptHindsight[m]: with an LPT port
02:04 PM XXCoder: Tom_L: yeah he talks about that and hes tired of slowly mushrooming drawbar
02:04 PM XXCoder: and didnt want 2 tools to remove a endmill
02:04 PM CaptHindsight[m]: JT-Shop: how much time does it take to setup Mesa now over Ethernet with a simple 3-axis system? (just the time to configure and not wire)
02:36 PM JT-Shop: a few minutes
02:38 PM roycroft: ONE MILLION MILLISECONDS
02:41 PM CaptHindsight[m]: https://www.hardkernel.com/shop/odroid-n2-with-4gbyte-ram-2/ $83 + shipping + an enclosure and power supply
02:43 PM CaptHindsight[m]: preconfigured with Mesa and steppers + drivers in a box....
02:44 PM CaptHindsight[m]: this might trigger some supplier in China to kit a system for $10 over their cost
02:45 PM CaptHindsight[m]: but they already sell a CNC controller with display, keyboard and MPG for ~$300 preconfigured
02:46 PM roycroft: or kit it for $20 under their cost, and then get the government to oversubsidise shipping to north america
02:49 PM CaptHindsight[m]: the buyers in the US would most likely be hobbyist that wants uhmerican made
02:50 PM CaptHindsight[m]: or someone that just want LCNC because they just do even though a few other turn key packages will do the same thing for them
02:51 PM CaptHindsight[m]: like the people that spend an extra week to shave time off the servo thread latency when it doesn't make a difference with mesa
02:57 PM CaptHindsight[m]: have you noticed that the people that bring up "why is the no turn key LCNC systems' on the ML just like to whine about stuff vs contribute to LCNC
02:58 PM roycroft: but there is a turn key lcnc system
02:58 PM roycroft: it's called "tormach"
02:59 PM CaptHindsight[m]: oh they complain that those cost too much
03:00 PM roycroft: whiners gotta whine :)
03:01 PM CaptHindsight[m]: https://www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/products-page/mach4-ethercat-system/ethercat-nema-23-motion-control-system-with-mach4
03:02 PM CaptHindsight[m]: https://www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/products-page/mach4-ethercat-system/ethercat-servo-motor-control-system-with-mach4-750w-3-axis
04:41 PM XXCoder: shoot me
04:41 PM XXCoder: so tired after going to 2 stores. still a lot better with cbd but yeah still weak
04:46 PM roycroft: solidworks appears not to let me pick colors for line types in drawings
04:46 PM roycroft: i got tired of modeling things in solidworks and then making the 2d drawings in autocad, so i decided to finally learn how solidworks' drawing thing works
04:47 PM roycroft: and it's mostly pretty slick, and saves heaps of time
04:47 PM roycroft: i just click on "make drawing from part" and i'm usually 75% done with the drawing in seconds
04:48 PM Tom_L: https://blogs.solidworks.com/tech/2019/03/how-to-customize-your-drawings-with-the-line-format-toolbar.html
04:48 PM roguish[m]1: roycroft: it's in layers, which is pretty obscure
04:49 PM Tom_L: ^^ line colors
04:50 PM Tom_L: or you can do it by layer
04:51 PM roguish[m]1: regardless, it's pretty obscure....
04:52 PM roycroft: my book told me to do it in tools->options->Document Properties
04:52 PM roycroft: but it didn't talk about colors
04:53 PM roycroft: i'll look in layers, but that seems pretty weird
04:56 PM roycroft: i'm not sure that will do what i want to do easily, but i can change the colors of lines now
04:56 PM roycroft: thanks
04:57 PM roycroft: i guess what i need to do is create more layers and assign a line type and color to each layer, as i do in autocad
04:57 PM roycroft: and then move certain lines to different layers
04:57 PM roycroft: again, as in autocad
04:58 PM roycroft: what i would really like is if the convert part to drawing tool would recognize the layers and put things in the proper layer automagically, but that's probably too much to ask
05:00 PM roycroft: actually, i bet there's a way to do it, but maybe not an easy way
05:05 PM r00t4rd3d[m]: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fyb7a4fmkf0pnik/DXFs11-14-17.rar?dl=0
05:05 PM r00t4rd3d[m]: Here is my collection of 3,787 DXF files:
05:05 PM r00t4rd3d[m]: Most of them came from cnczone.com
05:05 PM roycroft: yeah, solidworks is too clever for me
05:06 PM roycroft: please be sure to shut the door behind you when you leave, lamenick, thank you very much
05:06 PM roycroft: solidworks displays hidden parts of lines properly, but when i try to move the hidden part to another layer it moves the whole line
05:07 PM roycroft: i can live with this, though - drawings are so much faster than doing them by hand in acad
05:11 PM roguish[m]1: roycroft: ya might be getting a little carried away..........they're just drawings.
05:15 PM roycroft: i find it easier to print hidden lines in a different color
05:16 PM roycroft: in autocad, i use the colors mainly to assist with the drawing process
05:16 PM roycroft: my acad print profiles don't use the same colors as i use in the drawings
05:17 PM roycroft: i can easily live with black and white printed drawings
05:17 PM roycroft: if it were simple to convert hidden lines to a different color that would be nice, but apparently it's not easy
05:18 PM roycroft: solidworks' auto-dimension tool works about as horribly as one would expect, btw
05:18 PM roycroft: but i can dimension drawings very quickly
05:20 PM XXCoder: if I need contrant based drawing ill just use freecad
05:24 PM XXCoder: in fact I had used freecad sketch to draw precsion drawing then export to inkscape svg then color it in lol
06:15 PM mits[m]: I'm reading https://linuxcnc.org/docs/devel/html/motion/external-offsets.html and trying to make sure I comprehend it, but I just noticed at the very top
06:16 PM mits[m]: "This type of interface is typically implemented with a manual-pulse-generator (mpg) connected to an encoder INI component that counts pulses."
06:16 PM mits[m]: so external offsets are usually a user input device? What is the use case for this?
06:58 PM skunkworks[m]: mits (@_discord_223249788139864064:jauriarts.org) that is just how it is implemented.. It take in 'counts'
06:59 PM skunkworks[m]: but you can send it anything. It is used for THC - The gap is controlled by the arc voltage.
07:00 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: I think someone was using it for milling on a probed curved surface. The x-y coordinates were used to offset the Z axis with a probed depth map.
07:00 PM skunkworks[m]: mits (@_discord_223249788139864064:jauriarts.org) I used it for doing this.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S_bGAuTN0s
07:01 PM skunkworks[m]: I use the spindle position to calculate the X axis to create a shape.
07:02 PM skunkworks[m]: or xy on a mill... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Wz8vnFAQU
07:02 PM skunkworks[m]: but currently it is mostly used for THC
07:02 PM Tom_L: you just like to show those off :)
07:02 PM Tom_L: (i would too)
07:02 PM skunkworks[m]: lol - I think it is cool 😉
07:03 PM Tom_L: well, it is
07:03 PM mits[m]: so I do understand that it is useful for these things, but the docs specifically say an MPG...
07:03 PM skunkworks[m]: Andy is actually the instigator.. He started it..
07:03 PM mits[m]: I'm using it for Z compensation from a probed surface
07:03 PM mits[m]: I appreciate the examples
07:04 PM Tom_L: oh?
07:04 PM mits[m]: I'm having a difficult time of it because I don't understand the behavior when I zero an axis with compensation on
07:04 PM Tom_L: i didn't know that
07:04 PM skunkworks[m]: mits.. yes - you send it counts in effect. But you can create that from anything.. spindle position or whatever.. You just convert whatever you have to 'counts'
07:05 PM mits[m]: I get that
07:06 PM mits[m]: but why does it specifically say an MPG as the primary use case
07:06 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: Because that is what the person that wrote the docs planned to use it for?
07:07 PM skunkworks[m]: setp axis.x.eoffset-scale .0001
07:07 PM skunkworks[m]: exactly
07:07 PM mits[m]: I'm asking why they would do that
07:07 PM mits[m]: what purpose would it serve
07:07 PM skunkworks[m]: I think it was initally for 'jog while paused'
07:08 PM mits[m]: oh that's an interesting idea
07:09 PM Tom_L: mits[m], what sort of cnc do you have?
07:09 PM skunkworks[m]: mits (@_discord_223249788139864064:jauriarts.org) this is the guy who started it all.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6J9xIRTks
07:10 PM mits[m]: chinese 6080 frame and mesa 7i76e
07:10 PM mits[m]: 3 axis "mill"
07:10 PM mits[m]: router
07:11 PM Tom_L: skunkworks[m], i've never seen that... kinda cool
07:12 PM mits[m]: the headache I'm trying to get past is that I will probe the surface, enable compensation, and then try to jog across and make sure the probe doesn't vary across the surface
07:12 PM mits[m]: and it does
07:12 PM mits[m]: so I'm failing something
07:13 PM mits[m]: I turn off the eoffset and probe again
07:13 PM mits[m]: retry, same problem
07:13 PM Tom_L: offsetting the right direction?
07:14 PM mits[m]: oof, good question
07:14 PM Tom_L: easy mistake
07:15 PM mits[m]: how do I even test that easily... I guess just slant the whole surface by a gross amount (2mm) or something and then try again
07:15 PM Tom_L: change the sign of one of your probe sets
07:15 PM skunkworks[m]: how are you trying to do this?
07:15 PM Tom_L: it will either be off more or better
07:15 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: You should be able to test it in a sim config as well. That is how I do my probe debug/development
07:16 PM mits[m]: I have no clue where to start with a sim config... googling
07:17 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: Literally just one of the simulation configs that comes with linuxcnc. I just created a component that sets the probe bit true if the xyz position goes inside defined shapes.
07:17 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: Much less risk of things going bang 🙂
07:21 PM mits[m]: oh, I'm doing a probe grid across a surface for engraving
07:21 PM mits[m]: and then there's this compensation.py thing that I am using as a black box to give me the counts... maybe I have the scale wrong too
07:22 PM mits[m]: in theory it's using bicubic interpolation for the surface
07:22 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: https://pastebin.com/wWd2CQD7 for an example of the virtual shapes component for the probe simulation
07:22 PM mits[m]: I've set up a sloped surface to probe
07:22 PM mits[m]: and then I can look at both the data and the behavior for obvious things
07:23 PM mits[m]: thanks for suggesting my signs may be swapped, this is a good debug I think
07:23 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: Doing that in a fully virtual environment is much faster/safer as you don't care if the system rapids into the work. And you can crank the feeds without risking damage.
07:26 PM mits[m]: while I totally believe you and would love to do that
07:26 PM mits[m]: I do not have any experience in that yet
07:26 PM mits[m]: and I'm in a practical mood at the moment 🙂
07:30 PM skunkworks[m]: Hmm - I don't know how a py program would be fast enough to do that.. (not realtime)
07:30 PM mits[m]: that is exactly what many people have said
07:32 PM mits[m]: huh, ok.... it's not worse or better
07:32 PM mits[m]: it's like it's just not on
07:32 PM mits[m]: maybe I have some pin broken
07:34 PM Tom_L: watch in hal show
07:35 PM skunkworks[m]: guess it might be ok if you are not running too fast..
07:36 PM mits[m]: scale 0.001, counts -2900ish, enable is true
07:37 PM mits[m]: counts is changing as I move, so the component is doing something
07:38 PM mits[m]: goes from -1577 at the top edge of my ramp
07:38 PM mits[m]: down to -2900 at the bottom edge
07:38 PM skunkworks[m]: this? https://github.com/cnc-club/linuxcnc-engraving-comp
07:38 PM mits[m]: yeah, that
07:39 PM mits[m]: 1.3mm of incline according to the numbers... and that's right
07:39 PM mits[m]: I used a 1.6mm pcb as a wedge
07:40 PM mits[m]: now, the commanded position of the Z axis is...
07:59 PM XXCoder: saw interesting project where guy converts printer to edm
08:00 PM XXCoder: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rackrobotics/powercore-cut-through-solid-metal-with-edm?ref=discovery&term=EDM
08:00 PM XXCoder: kickstarter eh
08:05 PM CaptHindsight[m]: mits: https://www.scorchworks.com/Gcoderipper/gcoderipper.html
08:06 PM CaptHindsight[m]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MucnmEtoEXo
08:06 PM mits[m]: So for clarity... I'm not trying to cut an uneven surface
08:07 PM mits[m]: my machine is shit and I'm trying to compensate for sag in the axis
08:07 PM mits[m]: I'm also trying to get better parts
08:07 PM mits[m]: but measuring the situation is important too... so I can know if I'm improving it
08:07 PM mits[m]: so thanks for the suggestions
08:09 PM CaptHindsight[m]: sorry,just skimmed the backlog
08:10 PM mits[m]: it's all good, really thank you for suggestions on reading or tools
09:27 PM mits[m]: ZincBoy[CA, ON] can I convert my real machine into a sim one easily, or should I start with some sim concepts and build up from there
09:28 PM mits[m]: "convert" in the config sense I mean
09:28 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: Easiest to start with a sim as they will already have virtual limit switches and things. I only use a sim config for testing specific features like probing so it does not need to match the machine exactly
09:29 PM mits[m]: got a suggested sim config to use then? I see a bunch
09:30 PM mits[m]: maybe they're not all sims, maybe they're just config samples
09:30 PM mits[m]: oh, it was showing me sim.axis
09:31 PM mits[m]: I see the Sample/sim now
09:31 PM ZincBoy[CAON][m]: Those are them. I use the gmoccapy sim as that is the UI I use.
11:25 PM mits[m]: I really wish the notices axis puts in the lower right corner were in a log tab
11:25 PM mits[m]: I'm so tired of dismissing them
11:25 PM XXCoder: ui is certainly customizable but dunno if the thing you discribed is possible
11:54 PM mits[m]: So the manualtoolchanger prompt comes up
11:54 PM mits[m]: I hit continue
11:54 PM mits[m]: and then the program is still paused
11:55 PM mits[m]: Oh hang on I have an M0 there