On 3 August 2010 09:41, Erik Christiansen <dva...@internode.on.net> wrote: > > On Mon, Aug 02, 2010 at 07:44:06PM +0100, Andy Pugh wrote:
>> I can't help thinking that using a G-code routine (and, in fact, >> having the ATC defined as an axis) is sub-optimal. > > What's the basis for that Andy? The method seems to have worked well for > Schooner, and it sounds very appealing. It seems rather like defining the spindle as a rotary axis. It would work, but would need non-standard G-code. In general M6 T4 should be all it takes to load T4. In Schooner's setup he needs to replace all the M6 TN lines with a <m6> oldtool newtool (If I have read it correctly) Tool changes will happen very slowly if the max-velocity slider is set low. That also seems a bit wrong. > Even with gcode processing being > single threaded, it'd work well enough for me, I think, since there's > not a lot of point moving XYZ about until the new tool has been inserted. > Unless, of course, the tools merely sit in holders off the edge of the > table, and toolchange is handled by the existing axes. In the case of a rack-type toolchanger G-code looks like a more logical way to do it, but there is also some support for such toolchanges: http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/emcinfo.pl?RackToolChanger > But fun though that would be, it seems hard to beat chucking out the M6 > command and just hoofing about in a subroutine to change tool. It does > make gcode to <m6> communication a bit of a doddle. ;-) I am not entirely clear that that is how it works for Schooner. I have a feeling that he needs to call an <m6> subroutine instead of using the M6 G-code. I might be wrong, perhaps M-words can be overloaded? > And anything which obviates the need to use that ladder thing is worth > whatever it costs, and more, in my case. I have managed to avoid it so far, though I am sure it is great when you are used to it. My approach would have been the HAL module written in comp that I half-wrote earlier in the thread, used in place of the hal_manualtoolchanger -- atp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Palm PDK Hot Apps Program offers developers who use the Plug-In Development Kit to bring their C/C++ apps to Palm for a share of $1 Million in cash or HP Products. Visit us here for more details: http://p.sf.net/sfu/dev2dev-palm _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
