Hillbilly,
No, I would not make a commission from any sales upgrades, although I guess I could hope
The standard keyboard jog mode sucks, and I've complained but to no effect. There is no reason why keyboard jog could not be a very workable system, but once again, because the logic is buried internally in the executable, it cannot be modified, and therefore, IMO, it cannot be fixed.
This is exactly the reason why the standard Gcode and Mcode logic with CNC Lite is practically useless. This is, IMO, why you guys might feel that your machine is not safe to run. I guarantee you, it most definitely is
not safe to run with the standard cbk. The logic is too stripped down to be safe. I was shocked that this was the case, with the standard cbks sent out with the program.
The argument was, that Camsoft could not release "real cbks", because they might infringe on other retrofitter's efforts. I suppose this is a conceivable argument, but still, there is no real forum (except this one) where users can get together and discuss and share ideas, from whatever they have individually developed. Thus, each user spends many hours reinventing the wheel, so to speak. CAmsoft tech support makes a living from support, so why should they give up a good thing?
Although one of the "advantages" of the Camsoft interface, is that "you don't need ladder logic", that could lead one (especially a novice) to assume that ladder logic is not important. That is total BS, of course. There are hundreds of safety concerns that commercial cnc controllers take care of "automatically", which the novice retrofitter might overlook. But, when you have to rewrite and invent the logic yourself, you do gain a new appreciation for what the commercial cnc's take care of. That is why "plc ladders" look like a nightmare to learn. They are!
But the logic is just as necessary in a pc based cnc controller.
Do you think I still qualify for a "cut" if you guys upgrade?
I am willing to share my lathe cbk with anyone who wants to see it. If you want me to "tech support" it, then I will charge you a price for the support.
I would also like to see what other people have done in their cbks, both mill and lathe. If anyone wants to "trade" the cbk file, I'm game for it.
BTW, I do feel very safe running this machine. In fact it beats anything else that I have ever had, but only because I took the time to make it so. Interlocked logic throughout the Mcode and Gcode files are the keys to success. You just cannot get this with CNC Lite.
Here is my [CYCLEBUTT] macro
It is basically just a quick way to reset various things in the GUI, as there are many "safety issues" that call for the same logic over and over, so this macro was the simple way to get this one function without cluttering up my cbk with duplicate logic.
Variable 104 and 30 are flags to help me keep track of SINGLESTEP mode or CYCLESTART mode. It really does not make much sense without thoroughly delving into the complete logic system I have built (and even then, I sometimes wonder
)
~@~MACRO.FIL
[[CYCLEBUTT]]
IF\104=0THENIF\30=1 THEN CYCLESTART :GOTO :ABORTPROG
IF\104=1THENIF\30=1 THEN GOTO :ABORTPROG
IF\104=1THEN GOTO :ENDLOOP
CYCLESTART
:ENDLOOP
BUTTON5 IN; F5 SINGLE STEP MODE ACTIVE;2
BUTTON6 OUT; PRESS F6 FOR CONTINUOUS MODE;12
BUTTON1 IN; ABORT JOB?;2 :SLEEP .5:BUTTON1 OUT; ABORT JOB?;4 :SLEEP .5 :BUTTON1 IN; ABORT JOB?;2 :SLEEP .5 :BUTTON1 OUT; F1 ABORT JOB;2
EXIT
:ABORTPROG
BUTTON5 IN; F5 SINGLE STEP MODE ACTIVE;2
BUTTON6 OUT; PRESS F6 FOR CONTINUOUS MODE;12
\30=0 :REFRESH :EOP