Mach3 Auto Tool Zero help

[Neale]

[deleted - was looking at wrong code!]

[JAZZCNC]

The macro you are using (I believe) picks up the gauge block height from an internal value OEMDRO(1001) - see third line of macro.

Which post are you answering here the one from 2017 or Kell's (mark) current post.? Mark's post doesn't use the gauge block variable.

[Neale]

Jazz - so many bits of code here I ended up looking at the wrong one. My mistake - I've deleted wrong post.

Don't see any obvious reason why the macro does what Kell says - unless it's a tool table issue, as you suggest. I had a lot of problems getting the touch probe macros working on my new mill because of that. Mach3 seems to have some slightly odd ways of using tool offsets. I would try using the macro with the gauge block, and checking what's actually showing on the Z DRO. Should be 25 in work coordinates with the macro as written - can we check that?

I would still use the internal gauge block height value as set on the "offsets" page as I don't like programming things like that into the code, but that doesn't make any difference to the problem being reported - just a matter of taste.

[JAZZCNC]

Jazz - so many bits of code here I ended up looking at the wrong one. My mistake - I've deleted wrong post.

Don't see any obvious reason why the macro does what Kell says - unless it's a tool table issue, as you suggest. I had a lot of problems getting the touch probe macros working on my new mill because of that. Mach3 seems to have some slightly odd ways of using tool offsets. I would try using the macro with the gauge block, and checking what's actually showing on the Z DRO. Should be 25 in work coordinates with the macro as written - can we check that?

I would still use the internal gauge block height value as set on the "offsets" page as I don't like programming things like that into the code, but that doesn't make any difference to the problem being reported - just a matter of taste.

No problem I just wasn't sure which post.?

I'm with you on the code, it's poor code and could be done much better.

Regards Mach3 then I'm finally done with it.!! . . . I've been fitting AXBB-E and UCCNC software to the routers I've been building for the last year or so and to be honest it's blown me away. It's rock-solid stable and just gets the job done much better than mach3 ever did, SO this weekend I changed out my IP-S controller for an AXBB-E and UCCNC on my own router... After nearly 20yrs of using I'm sad to say it's RIP MACH3..

[Neale]

My new mill uses Mach3 with an Ethernet SmoothStepper. I hoped that this would be a reliable combination but I get the occasional hang for no apparent reason, and it can then be a pain to reset and pick up from a specific point in the gcode. Don't know if it's the ESS, Mach3, or the pair of them together. The mill has both a tool touchplate plus touchprobe (a really cheap version but it's OK - and I can make new probes for when I break them...) and to get those both to work with Mach3, it turns out that you need to use an undocumented Mach3 command to switch probe inputs on the fly. Took ages to find that one. Mach3 is getting to be less and less fun these days. I'm using the PV ET6 on my router, although that has its moments as well. I'm probably going to switch to running it on Linux rather than Windows to see if that's a bit better.

So, I'm also wondering about changing controllers on the mill, although it's going to be a bit of a faff as all the probe/motor/limit switch etc sockets are mounted on a single board that also has the ESS plugged in. Quick question, then - does the 300ETH etc plus UCCNC support multiple probe inputs?

[JAZZCNC]

So, I'm also wondering about changing controllers on the mill, although it's going to be a bit of a faff as all the probe/motor/limit switch etc sockets are mounted on a single board that also has the ESS plugged in. Quick question, then - does the 300ETH etc plus UCCNC support multiple probe inputs?

Yes, it does. If you download the software you can run it in demo mode and you will see on the main screen probe 1 probe 2 buttons, there's also a probe page full of all the usual probe functions. the default screen also comes with 2 park positions.