simple G code translation please!

[Stewey]

Hi Folks,
When running certain bigger files, I keep getting 'postion errors' in our router. (servo controlled). Often it grinds to a halt in the same place, leading me to think it's possibly a toolpath error, from the software. (Enroute 3.4).

I tried downloading a couple of free backplotting programs to see if I could view the paths in them, as opposed to viewing them in Enroute prior to export, and I have not been able to get the backplot programs to work.

I wondered if the syntax from our machine or from Er may have been the issue, so I wondered if I could have a bit of advice on a brief translation, in case maybe I just need to edit a line or two at the start to make them compatible, or something like that.

This File was OK, no issues, but it contains parts I'd appreciate an explanation of, if possible.

I assume the IN at the start means the start of the program/file? but the PA at the end of that line I don't know. (Pen Activate?)
PU I guess means Pen Up (?) and I'm guessing it's moving to an origin, then I am wondering what the exclamation mark (!) and PZ0 (that's a zero after the Z) is.
I guess PD is Pen Down (?)
The !VZ1.0 I don't know, unless it's the velocity/speed of the Z axis in mm/sec
and the VS5.0 I can't figure, but many plots begin with those same figures-perhaps the X & Y axis speed?

The AA is what?
The exclamation mark is what?

Here's the start of the PLT file (in HPGL I think):
IN;SP2,19200;PA;
PU6347,12768;
!PZ0,500;
PD6347,12768;
!VZ1.0;
VS5.0;
ZM6347,12768,273;
ZM6348,12783,273;
ZM6345,12862,276;
ZM6333,13016,285;
ZM6303,13480,316;
ZM6281,13932,349;
ZM6265,14387,387;

then there are a heaps more ZM coordinates, then this with the AA in it

ZM5272,9830,567;
ZM5360,9752,600;
AA5542,10776,36.29;
ZM6058,9964,555;
ZM6106,10082,516; and lots more ZM coordinates, with an AA one like above every so often, then a few of these patterns:

ZM6347,12768,273;
PU6347,12768;
PU10369,15722;
!PZ0,500;
PD10369,15722;
!VZ1.0;
VS5.0;
ZM10369,15722,0;
ZM10419,15722,27; and more ZM figures for several pages, eventually finishing with this:

ZM15341,15592,152;
ZM15618,15552,0;
PU15618,15552;
PU18000,13042;
!PZ0,500;
PD18000,13042;
!VZ1.0;
VS5.0;
ZM18000,13042,600;
ZM18222,11790,644;
ZM18318,11721,600;
ZM18222,11790,644;
ZM18155,11707,600;
ZM18222,11790,644;
ZM18000,13042,600;
PU18000,13042;
.
.I am also wondering if there's a free (or otherwise inexpensive) downloadable program that would successfully read these Plt files as is, (without me having to firstly edit the text) to give me a screen view of the toolpaths for me to quickly verify the path issues that bring the router to a halt every so often?.
Or do I need to just say remove the lines with exclamation marks or something like that?

Any hints would really be appreciated, thanks!

[Stewey]

P.S. None of the files we generate have sequential 'line numbers' to them, and the spindle speed etc is controlled manually by me when I start it. (Maybe that's the set figure at the top the IN SP2 19200, being 19200 rpm of Spindle#2 perhaps?)

The plot (PLT) file is just the X,Y & Z movements of the spindle.

Still don't know what the AA bits mean, or how I can make it all recognisable by another backplotting program.

[TURNER]

Hi,
Sorry i cant really help you as i know nothing about this code, But out of interest i googled hpgl as i havent heard of it before. This link was at the top of the list, 'AA' is an arc, hope this may help you. Take a look it explains the code in full HPGL - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Have fun
Keith.

[Stewey]

Thanks for that!

[Stewey]

- G in HPGL means 'graphics'.

Can anyone recommend an HPGL backplotting program to view the HPGL plot files in perspective?

[Stewey]

There 'must' be some program that can view the supposedly HPGL toolpaths created above in a 3d perspective...

For the benefit of anyone reading this in the future, these are the answers I found:

I checked the wiki link and it explains all the syntax except the exclamation marks, and the ZM. I'm guessing the ! is specific to the interpreter on our machine, perhaps, and not a normal hpgl command, and the ZM means move in three axes, rather than a 2D move in just X,Y...?

SP means 'select pen' in our case 'pen 2' is the router spindle, and pen 1 is set up as a plotter blade holder with different location & offsets from the router collet.

PA means Plot Absolute, i.e. move to the exact coordinates following, rather than relative coordinates.
PU/PD pen up & pen down, & a move to the next x,y coordinates- Z isn;t a part of that.
AA is absolute angle move, of an X,Y centred circle, with the third figure being the anticlockwise angle in degrees.
VZ & VS are the move speeds of ther Z & the x,y servos, but the ! in front of VZ I am still unclear about.

[dcoupar]

You might check here:

Hpgl viewer Free Download

[Stewey]

Thanks for that.

I downloaded a trial, & it did show something, but the swirls resembles spaghetti, not what we plot!

I ended up uninstalling ER & reinstalling it & rerunning the toolpath program & the paths it created actually ran this time, without any glitches on the router, so there must have been a bug in the software, the result of a crash or three from insufficient RAM, I guess.

Hopefully I now don't need to check up on the paths, but it would have been nice to find a program that could have shown me them.