Need Help!- Fadal Look Ahead Feature

[Robert Edward J]

I have a Fadal VMC 3016 that I am communicating with from a PC via serial. As a program on the mill runs in auto mode it sends data to the PC, and the PC send data back. The problem I'm having is that the Look Ahead feature is causing the serial commands to execute early - before the mill gets to that part of the program. Timing is important in my application.
I know that I can disable the Look Ahead feature from the run time menu, but I'd like to either 1) turn it off permanently, 2) turn it on and off from the g-code, or 3) make it not apply to certain lines of my program.

Does anyone know how to do any of those three things?

BTW, my programming manual says that the Look Ahead feature will not read beyond an M0 - but it DOES!

Thanks very much for any help you can offer me!

[DareBee]

You had better tell us what control you are using and what format.
My 88HS in format 2 will look ahead post the M00 but it will not execute beyond it until I push the green button.

[denmar]

the smaller de BUFFER, the Run Time Menu is faster

[Neal]

If you are using any macros, the macro is processed as soon as it hits the buffer. Using the "WAIT" statement to temporarily turn off the buffer, or usie a block skip symbol, or change the Binary Buiffer parameter to a samller size could help.
If I could see your program, I could tell why it is happening.

Neal

[Robert Edward J]

Neal,

Will block skip work? I wondered about that but something I read made me think it wouldn't.

I'm going to try reducing the number of binary buffers to 15 and then just inserting 15 comment blocks, but that is a vey inelegant solution, if it works.

Yes I am using macros. My code (hugely simplified for clarity) is below. The "PART FINISHED" SPRINT is happening very early. I need it to happen after the CNC has finished its motion. The M0 is definitely not stopping this line from executing early.

#SPRINT SEND INFO

#SINPUT V1

(other macros, motion, etc.)

M0

#SPRINT "PART FINISHED" <---this is the line I'm having trouble with

#IF (SOME CONDITION) THEN GOTO: (THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM)

[Neal]

The block skip will not work properly with the macros. In this case use the WAIT statement. This will stop the program from loading into the buffer unitl the buffer has been depleted.

Neal

[Robert Edward J]

Neil,

I am not familiar with the WAIT command, nor can I find documentation on it. Can you tell me how to use it? Can I execute it from within my code?

Thanks so much!

[Neal]

Tell me what you want to happen and send me a little more of the code. You can e-mail the code section to me at xyzpro@sbcglobal.com if you want to.

Neal

[Robert Edward J]

I want the CNC to NOT execute the SPRINT until after it has completed its motion. LOOK AHEAD is causing the CNC to execute the SPRINT command well before the CNC has gotten that far in its motion.

The code looks like:

N20#:Start
N30#CLEAR

[Robert Edward J]

oops. Hit the wrong key.

The code looks like:

%
N20#:START
N30#CLEAR
N40#SPRINT "SEND DATA" <-----NO PROBLEMS HERE
N50#SINPUT V5
...
N130G90
N140M6T11
N150H11E7G0X0Y9.Z8.
N160M66
N170M61M63
...
N800G0Z2.
N810G1Z+R7F3000.
N820G91
N830G0Z0.005
N840G91
....
N1060Y9.
N1070M5
N1080M0
N1090#SPRINT "PART FINISHED" <-----EXECUTES WAY TOO EARLY
N2000#SINPUT V27
N2010#IF V27NE50 THEN GOTO:START
N2020#GOTO:SENDOD
N2030#:END
N2040M99
%

The SPRINT "PART FINISHED" command is being executed while the CNC is still doing motion from many lines earlier in the code.

I tried turning the number of binary buffers down to 15, and now the SPRINT executes only 15 lines ahead of where the CNC is in the code. I tried adding 15 comment lines just before the SPRINT, but they had no effect.

[Neal]

Insert the line N1085#WAIT This will stop the Sprint statement from loading into the buffer until the previous data has ben executed.

Neal

[Robert Edward J]

Thank you, Neal! That works!